Matt Wiman (13-6) vs. Mac Danzig (20-8-1)
I’ve been waiting for this rematch for a while, as have both parties.
Wiman scored a controversial win over Danzig at UFC 115 in June 2010 when the referee believed Danzig passed out due to a guillotine choke. The only problem was that the former TUF winner popped up right away, protesting the stoppage. They were supposed to have a do-over last September, but injuries scuttle the fight until now.
Though his winning streak ended last time out, Wiman has been on a good run of late. He looked very good dispatching Cole Miller, and more than held his own against Dennis Siver, with some arguing that he won that fight.
Danzig has been up-and-down since defeating Tommy Speer to win Season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter, staving off a pink slip by beating Justin Buchholz at UFC 109. He bounced back from the first fight opposite Wiman with a knockout win over Joe Stevenson back in November, but injuries have sidelined him since.
I know I’ve said it a bunch throughout this piece, but the lightweight division is too stacked for either of these guys to afford a poor showing. Danzig needs to stay healthy and put together a good run, while Wiman needs to put the Siver loss behind him.
Anthony Johnson (9-3) vs. Charlie Brenneman (14-2)
All but three of Johnson’s fights have come in the UFC, which is probably feels like he should be older than 27 and have more than 12 fights on his resume.
He bounced back from a loss to Josh Koscheck and 18 months on the sidelines with a unanimous decision win over Dan Hardy back in March, and needs to keep building on that success here. Johnson is a massive welterweight with excellent striking, but he’s also got sneaky wrestling skills too, as he showed with Hardy. Training with the team at Imperial Athletics can’t hurt either.
There is some pressure on Brenneman heading into this fight, as it is his first bout since stepping in on 24-hours notice and beating Rick Story back in June. He looked excellent in Pittsburgh, showing explosive takedowns, good control, and a well-rounded arsenal in halting Story’s six fight winning streak. Now people expect more of the same, so it will be interesting to see what Brenneman can bring in the encore.
The winner gets a bump up in competition next time out, breaking into the 10-15 range in the welterweight division.
Pat Barry (6-3) vs. Stefan Struve (21-5)
This should be fun, and not just because Duane Finley and I are going head-to-head on this one in this event’s installment of The Face-Off.
Both guys have explosive power, and the drastic difference in height will be comical both at the weigh-ins and once they step in the cage. There will be nothing funny, however, about the violent intent each man strikes with, as both need a win in the worst way.
Struve has all kinds of advantages working for him, but always plays it fast and loose in the cage; he stands too tall, and never makes use of his reach. Conversely, Barry has done well lately to tighten up some of the holes in his game, and looked very good against Cheick Kongo before getting caught with an out-of-nowhere desperation shot that turned out the lights.
As engaging and entertaining as they are outside the cage, each one needs to find consistency inside the Octagon, and it needs to start here.
Dominick Cruz (18-1) vs. Demetrious Johnson (10-1)
Far too many people have been telling fans “Don’t Blink” over the last year, but this might be the first fight where it really does apply.
Cruz and Johnson are two of the fastest, most frenetic fighters on the UFC roster, and this one should be a blur of takedown attempts, strikes, movement and bantamweight awesomeness. I know a lot of people don’t like Cruz’s style, but I think they’re crazy; he’s always entertaining, and paired with “Mighty Mouse” we should be in for an excellent fight.
It will be interesting to see how Cruz responds to someone who can push the pace on him, since that is usually one of his big weapons. Conversely, Johnson will have to deal with a serious gap in size and strength, but that’s nothing new for the diminutive dynamo from the Pacific Northwest.