What mixed martial artists are in jeopardy of losing their jobs with a loss this Saturday night? Let’s not waste any more time and get to the business at hand.
Mike Pyle:
Pyle is a seasoned veteran who has fought for just about every major promotion since his career began with a loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson back in 1999. He is currently 1-2 in the UFC and was last seen being decimated by Jake Ellenberger at UFC 108. Two losses in a row coupled with a 1-3 record will not help you keep your job in the UFC. One interesting fact about Pyle, he is the only man to ever submit UFC welterweight Jon Fitch.
Ricardo Funch:
Funch will take on UFC newcomer and Canadian native Claude Patrick on Saturday night. After losing his UFC debut to Johny Hendricks at UFC 107, Funch was scheduled to fight Matthew Riddle at UFC 111, but was unable to compete. Lose your first two fights in the UFC against guys with similar experience and you will more than likely find yourself avoiding the phone for the next few days.
Peter Sobotta:
The UFC signed Sobatta to compete at UFC 99 because he is half German. They wanted to add some local talent to the card. He lost a unanimous decision to Paul Kelly and has been taking care of some military commitments since then. Here he takes on James Wilks who won the welterweight contract on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter. Sobatta has just 10 career bouts while Wilks has nine. Both men have lost their last fight, but Wilks won’t be cut just yet, Sobatta will, if he loses.
David Loiseau:
It was just four short years ago that Loiseau was getting ready to challenge then UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin for his title. The two waged war for five rounds, but Loiseau came up short and lost his next bout to Mike Swick in what would be his last fight with the UFC for three years. He came back at UFC 97 and put on a lackluster performance in losing a unanimous decision to Ed Herman. He was cut yet again. He is simply on this card because he is a popular Canadian fighter and will be cut with a loss.
Mario Miranda:
Miranda came in to the UFC undefeated with wins over current UFC welterweight Rick Story and former UFC middleweight Joe Vedepo. He ran into Gerald Harris at UFC Fight Night 21 and was stopped late in the first round. A loss here is damaging in two ways; one he would start his UFC career off at 0-2. Second, he is facing a fighter who the UFC has cut on more than one occasion in Loiseau. I’m not sure Miranda can survive another loss here. You know they are always looking to trim the fat.
Mac Danzig:
The Ultimate Fighter season six winner has already been given a reprieve once in his UFC career. Danzig was able to pick up a win against Justin Buccholz at UFC 109 in February. That win put a halt to a three fight losing streak. Danzig isn’t all that exciting and is never going to compete for a title. With that being said he may find himself without a job if he loses to Matt Wiman and makes it four losses in his last five fights.
Gilbert Yvel:
After being knocked out in just over two minutes by Junior Dos Santos at UFC 108, Yvel is now set to take on the always tough Ben Rothwell. In a time when the UFC heavyweight division is full of exciting contenders, Yvel finds himself at a crossroads. He took the Dos Santos fight on short notice and said that because of the holiday season he was unable to procure any decent training partners. Now he is armed with a full camp and there is no room for excuses. The UFC brought him in despite a checkered past littered with fouls against other fighters and referees. He will not be kept on the roster if he continues to lose.
Chuck Liddell:
Typing the words Chuck Liddell took a lot longer than one would think. I am still in disbelief that this may be the last time we watch “The Iceman” grace the octagon as an active fighter. There aren’t enough words to describe all of his accomplishments and what he has meant for the sport and the UFC. A true legend and pioneer, he made knocking people out cool and at one point was the most feared man in MMA.
We are forced to face facts and after losing four of his last five fights, with three of them coming by way of knockout, how much longer does Liddell want to keep putting himself through this? By the looks of the pictures that have been making their way around the net, Liddell is in the best shape of his life. He has trained really hard for this bout and believes it’s the first fight on his road back to the UFC light heavyweight championship. I’d love to see it happen, but at 40 years-old time is not on his side.
The one thing that he has in his favor is his opponent, Rich Franklin is not known for his knockout power. He can beat Liddell by fighting a smart, safe fight, but Franklin lacks that one punch knockout that has been haunting Liddell over his last few fights. While he may not be fired if he loses by decision, I think he will realize that he has given it all he could and that it’s time to move on.
