UFC heavyweight elimination bout could be a sight to behold

• Speaking of Askren, Bellator is poised to crown his successor as welterweight champion. The winners of the promotion's last two 170-pound tournaments, Rick

Jeff Wagenheim | Apr 18, 2014

UFC heavyweight elimination bout could be a sight to behold /

Fabrico Werdum (left) and Travis Browne are No. 3 and 4, respectively, in most UFC heavyweight rankings. — Fabrico Werdum (left) and Travis Browne are No. 3 and 4, respectively, in most UFC heavyweight rankings :: Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images/SI

• Speaking of Askren, Bellator is poised to crown his successor as welterweight champion. The winners of the promotion's last two 170-pound tournaments, Rick Hawn and Douglas Lima, will meet in the main event of a fight card Friday in Council Bluffs, Iowa (9 p.m. ET, Spike). Both men have fought for a Bellator belt before, with Lima losing a decision to Askren in 2012 and Hawn, the former judo Olympian, getting choked out by lightweight champ Michael Chandler last year.

Published Apr 18, 2014

JEFF WAGENHEIM

Paradoxically, Jeff Wagenheim considers himself a pacifist (except when driving in traffic) but nonetheless writes about mixed martial arts, the world's most combative sport (other than driving in traffic). As a veteran of three decades in magazines and newspapers, he's a bit grayer than most who attend UFC fights, even along press row. (A fan watching an MMA media panel show recently referred to him as "that crazy hippie uncle," to which Jeff responds, "Groovy, man!") Wagenheim also has tackled pro football for SI.com, and writes about sports and the arts for The Boston Globe. When he's not on the road chasing the UFC, Jeff spends Sunday afternoons spinning Sleepy LaBeef and Boozoo Chavis records for a popular (but not pop) radio show in western Massachusetts.