After a summer of outstanding events, the fall UFC schedule kicks off with the weakest card we’ve seen in some time. That’s not to say that UFC 119 doesn’t have some intriguing fights or isn’t worth the price of the pay-per-view, but in comparison to what we’ve had the last three months, this event is clearly the red-headed stepchild of the group.
It seems like every fall injuries take their toll on the UFC schedule. Last year saw numerous events ebb and flow with the injury report, and the pattern looks to be repeating itself again here. A rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was originally scheduled for the main event, but multiple ailments put “Big Nog” on the shelf, with Mirko Cro Cop stepping in for him on short-ish notice.
There is still one Nogueira on the card, however, as “Lil Nog” faces Ryan Bader in what is not only the most difficult test of the TUF 8 winner’s career, but the best pairing on paper heading into the event.
Mark Hunt (5-6-0) vs. Sean McCorkle (9-0-0)
The first fight of the nigh is usually one that no one is ever all that interested in, but things are different this time around.
After years of competing in Japan, Mark Hunt makes his way to the United States for his UFC debut. While he’s currently lost five straight bouts, the long-time Pride competitor has always fought well above his pay grade, challenging established stars like Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett and Alistair Overeem along the way.
This time around he’ll face unbeaten Sean McCorkle, an Indianapolis native who has gotten the best of a bad bunch of regional fighters in his local area. Part of me feels like this poor guy is getting fed to the lions, except that Hunt is more like one of those old, domesticate lions stuck in the zoo who “acts lionish” when the people are watching.
T.J. Grant (15-4-0) vs. Julio Paulino (17-3-0)
Paulino has a solid looking record on the surface, but when you dig a little deeper, it exposes a faulty foundation. He’s been the big dog in Alaska for the last few years, but any time he’s stepped up in competition, he hasn’t had much success. Beating Terry Martin doesn’t count as a “step up in competition” either, in case you were wondering.
Across the cage you have a T.J. Grant, whose 2-2 record inside the Octagon doesn’t quite do him justice. He came out on the wrong side of a close decision to Johny Hendricks last time out, and dropped another on the cards to unbeaten Dong Hyun Kim. Sandwiched around the Kim contest were an upset decision win over Ryo Chonan in his debut and a first-round TKO of Kevin Bruns.
This is Paulino’s “thanks for helping us out” bout after stepping in on short notice to face Mike Pierce in March. Grant is a notch below the Brave Legion grinder, but still a more talented all-around competitor.
Steve Lopez (12-2-0) vs. Waylon Lowe (8-3-0)
Snack / Bathroom Break!
Honestly, no one is going to watch this fight outside of the friends and family members of the two competitors. Kudos to both for getting to the big stage, but enjoy it while it lasts because the loser is leaving town.
Lowe was felled by a Melvin Guillard knee in his debut, substituting for Thiago Tavares back in May. Personally, I can’t take Lowe seriously because he has a sun tattoo around his belly button.
As for his opponent, Lopez was getting beaten by Jim Miller before his shoulder decided it was time to quit and fell out of place this time last year.
If not for the Mark Hunt / Local Punching Bag match-up, this would be the opening bout of the evening. Why it’s batting after Grant / Paulino is beyond me.
Thiago Tavares (14-3-1) vs. Pat Audinwood (9-0-1)
If Tavares could stay healthy, he’d be an intriguing member of the lightweight division, but that seems like too difficult a task for the 25-year-old Brazilian.
This will be his first fight since January, having been forced out of a beating at the hands of Melvin Guillard back in May. Tavares has gone 4-3-1 under the UFC banner after entering the organization with an unbeaten 10-0 record. Unfortunately, he’s only been able to fight twice in the last two years, and needs to string together a couple quality appearance before he can even be considered in the deep 155-pound division.
You have no choice but to like Pat Audinwood. Anyone who goes by the nickname “Awesomely Awesome” is well, awesome. Stellar handle aside, Audinwood has been a decision-winner in five of his nine bouts, something that doesn’t necessarily translate well to the top level. If you can’t stop East Coast regional fighters with regularity, it be surprising to see you stop anyone in the UFC.
Of course, that is why fights aren’t contested on paper.
Matt Mitrione (2-0-0) vs. Joey Beltran (12-3-0)
These are probably the two least likely guys to combine for a 4-0 UFC record in the history of the company, and I mean that with all due respect to both fighters.
Mitrione was the comedic / melodramatic element to Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, and supposed to lose his bout on the Finale to Marcus Jones. One year later, he’s sent both Jones and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson out of the sport entirely with back-to-back impressive stoppages. Odd as he may be, Mitrione is an athlete and has put in the work necessary to get to this stage.
Back in February, Beltran was given literally 48 hours notice as a replacement against the debuting Rolles Gracie after Mostapha Al-Turk had VISA problems. A huge underdog, Beltran battered the grossly overhyped Gracie, earning a stoppage in the second round. “The Mexicutioner” followed it up with a unanimous decision win over Tim Hague in May.
Kicking off the Prelims Live portion of the evening, these two emerging heavyweights will certainly bring the thunder and start the night off with a bang.
C.B. Dollaway (10-2-0) vs. Joe Doerkson (46-12-0)
Dollaway is the more recognizable name, but Doerkson has had the more impressive success as of late, entering the bout on a seven-fight winning streak that includes an impressive comeback win over Tom Lawlor at UFC 114 in May.
The Canadian journeyman has always done well when facing opponents who are in the same tax bracket as he is; most of his defeats have come against fighters who were considerably better than “El Dirte,” including Matt Hughes, Jeremy Horn and Nate Marquardt.
Dollaway, a TUF 7 alum, isn’t at that elite level, and while he’s looked solid in stringing together a pair of wins, there hasn’t been anything spectacular about his performances since coming into the UFC two-plus years ago. The highlight of Dollaway’s career is still the Peruvian necktie he dressed Jesse Taylor in back in July 2008. That should tell you something.
Melvin Guillard (25-8-2) vs. Jeremy Stephens (17-5-0)
I can’t wait until Bruce Buffer introduces Guillard with the ridiculously pumped up record that accompanies his profile on UFC.com. No way has Melvin Guillard won 43 fights or had more than 50, especially when you consider he’s 27-years-old, sat out almost a year due to a suspension, and this will be his fifth fight since said hiatus. Dude didn’t fight nine-times a year from the day he turned 18…
Now that that’s off my chest, “The Young Assassin” has cleaned up his act, found a home at Jackson’s in Albuquerque and looked outstanding since, earning a decision win over Ronnys Torres before blasting Waylon Lowe with a big knee last time out. Many observers have waited patiently for the day when Guillard’s maturity caught up to his talent level, and now we’re all seeing that the wait was worth it.
Stephens is still best known for his ginormous upper cut knockout of Rafael dos Anjos a couple years back, but more recently, the Victory MMA athlete put up back-to-back wins over Justin Buchholz and Sam Stout.
The win over Stout was an eye-opener, as Stephens combined his normal power with a more measured and calculating approach against the technically-superior Shawn Tompkins trainee, rocking the Canadian on a couple different occasions. Considering Stout has never been knocked out, you now know the kind of power “Lil Heathen” has in his hands.
Sean Sherk (32-4-1) vs. Evan Dunham (11-0-0)
Former lightweight champion Sherk returns to the cage for the first time in a year. Last time we saw him in action, “The Muscle Shark” was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision loss to Frankie Edgar.
Edgar has since gone on to claim the lightweight title, while Sherk has done nothing but battle injuries. Three different bouts have been altered after Sherk was banged up in training – UFC 104 against Gleison Tibau, UFC 108 against Jim Miller and the Versus debut against Clay Guida – which leaves the one-time champion in dire need of a big performance to prove he still has something to offer in the loaded lightweight division.
Conversely, all Evan Dunham has done in the last year is earn three quality wins and keep his unbeaten streak intact. While it says Dunham’s win over Tyson Griffin at UFC 115 was a split decision, there was nothing split about the performance the Oregon native put on that night in Vancouver. Dunham dominated every minute of the bout, handing Griffin his first of two successive losses, propelling himself into the title picture and setting up the biggest fight of his young career.
These two met in the finals of the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter with a shot at the welterweight title on the line. Serra won and the rest is history.
It’s interesting to note that since their first encounter, Serra has competed just four times – twice against GSP, followed by bouts with Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg – while Lytle has taken to the cage 11 times. He’s 7-4 in that span and enters riding a three-fight winning streak. Despite being the former champion, Serra could easily be considered the underdog here.
While Lytle has been extremely active and winning in impressive fashion as of late, Serra has been sidelined by injuries and perhaps feeling the wrath of Father Time over the last three years. Though he’s a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, we rarely see Serra rely on his ground game to win fights. More often than not, it’s his heavy hands that lead the way to victory, as they did against Frank Trigg in February.
Neither man harbours illusions of a title run in the future; this is simply a timely bout – in Lytle’s hometown – that makes sense and has a little extra seasoning to it thanks to their time on TUF together.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-3-0) vs. Ryan Bader (11-0-0)
While this bout is certainly a take on the classic “experienced veteran vs. emerging youngster” angle played out time and again in many sports, the pairing is far more than a torch-passing ceremony from a solid, but over-the-hill elder to the new generation.
Rogerio Nogueira is still very much in the thick of the title race in the light heavyweight division. Though the results of his battle with Jason Brilz at UFC 114 may have made you mad, there is no denying that Nogueira is a serious threat who can beat you with his outstanding boxing or his smooth ground game.
That combination and his extreme edge in experience is what makes him the perfect dance partner for Bader, the TUF Season 8 winner who may be the last hope the show has for producing a potential champion. A standout wrestler at Arizona State, Bader has the strength and pedigree to hang with just about anyone in the division on the ground, and his third round onslaught against Keith Jardine in February showed that his striking is continuing to improve.
Jon Jones may get all the attention at 205, but Bader has earned his place in the Top 10 and will climb higher with a win here, perhaps even passing Jones in the process. For Nogueira, a win could put him in position to challenge the winner of the eventual Rua – Evans title bout.
Frank Mir (13-5-0) vs. Mirko Cro Cop (27-7-2)
Cro Cop had some sort of career and personality epiphany in Vancouver this summer, coming out of his hardened, Croatian shell to become a gregarious – okay, maybe not gregarious – amusing real live human being, and scored a surprising submission victory in the process. He looked better than he had in years during his bout with Pat Barry, so perhaps stories of his demise had been a little premature.
Last time we saw Frank Mir, he was laid out on the mat taking two or three extra shots from Shane Carwin in March. He wondered aloud whether he should drop to light heavyweight, then accepted this bout, initially as a rematch against UFC 92 opponent Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Mir has been in fine Mir form in the build-up to this fight; he embraces and seems to relish the smarmy, arrogant villain who isn’t pure evil role and plays it very well. He’ll need to play the role of Frank Mir from his bout against Cheick Kongo or “Minotauro” Nogueira if he hopes to make the climb back up the ladder to contention.
A win for Cro Cop could put him into the discussion at the top of the division, while it would get Mir started on what should be a longer climb than normal back to the top. Having been there twice in the last 16 months and come away empty handed, the two-time former champ will have to win an extra fight or two if he wants another crack at becoming a three-time title holder.
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