Preview: UFC Fight Night 123 ‘Swanson vs. Ortega’

With all due respect to Alexandre Franca Nogueira, the featherweight division is as hot as it has ever been in the history of mixed martial arts. Consider this: On Dec. 2, we saw an engrossing clash between a young lion and established legend -- the No. 1 versus No. 2 -- and that was merely considered a consolation prize.

No, we wanted featherweight champion Max Holloway to defend against Frankie Edgar at UFC 218 in Detroit, but instead, we had to settle for perhaps MMA’s brightest young star smashing Jose Aldo for the second time in six months. Moving on with the Ultimate Fighting Championship schedule, if Edgar’s eye socket fails to heal properly, we could soon be looking at the next man…