THE UFC’S FORAY onto the mainstream TV schedule continues apace with tonight’s event in Nashville where Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller face off at the top of the bill.
Friday night events will become a fixture in the UFC’s calendar as the year progresses as the full effects of the FOX TV deal fall into place.
Pat Barry and Christian Morecraft do battle in the heavyweight division while Mike Easton takes on Jared Papazian, and Josh Neer faces Duane Ludwig on a decent non pay-per-view card.
Fight for number one contender slot
There are a number of similarities between the two fighters in the main event. Both are coming in off the back of defeats, and a loss here would knock either man a couple of steps back down the divisional ladder.
Alternatively, a win for either would arguably put them a fight or two away from a shot at Frankie Edgar. Out of the two, Guillard’s loss to Joe Lauzon last time out was more of a shock, as he seemed to be tearing through all opponents.
Miller was simply out-wrestled and out-classed by Ben Henderson, so form is hard to call in the lead-up to this bout. Although “The Young Assassin” possesses a lethal stand-up game, I fancy Miller to fight smart like he usually does, and take the decision victory.
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Barry needs to step up
Pat Barry and Christian Morecraft are two men looking to get their UFC careers back on track. While there is no denying Barry is a likeable character whose fights are always exciting, his recent record doesn’t read that well.
Back-to-back losses against Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve have left the former kick-boxer in danger of being dropped from the organisation. Morecraft at least has youth on his side, leaving him plenty of opportunity to get over his last defeat at the hands of Matt Mitrione.
“HD” holds the obvious advantage on the feet and I fancy him to set up the KO victory with wicked leg kicks before finally seeing Morecraft off with hard shots on the ground.
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Best of the rest
The new official recipient of the fastest KO in UFC history, Duane Ludwig, looks to extend his two fight win-streak with victory over MMA journeyman Josh Neer.
The outcome of the matchup is not going to send many ripples through the welterweight division but it should be at least fast paced and exciting as that is the way both men fight. Despite being younger, Neer has a lot more fights than Ludwig and I fancy him to call on his experience to see this one through.
The first fight on the main card is a clash of the newcomers as UFC debutant Jared Papazian takes on Mike Easton who has fought just once with the UFC.
Easton’s 11-1 record speaks better than Papazian’s 14-6, and as Easton has fought on the biggest stage before, I’m going to plump for him to win this one.
