UFC on Versus 4: Marquardt vs. Story Preview

Breaking down Sunday’s action from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh

The eleven-fight lineup for the UFC’s fourth event on the Versus network is a glass half-full, glass half-empty offering.

Some people – the glass half-full set – will see an event built using just four divisions that showcases the depth of talent within the organization. While the majority of the bouts don’t have title implications, it’s fights like these that separate the wheat from the chaff, and give the fans a chance to identify with some new names they might not otherwise get to see compete.

Standing across the room from those people are the glass half-empty contingent. They look at this event and see the UFC stretching themselves too thin, offering an event without many meaningful fights. They see the depth in the three divisions with three or more fights on this card as dead weight, disinterested in what happens at the lower end of the lightweight totem pole.

Personally, I stand somewhere in the middle, happy I’ve got a glass holding something that will quench my thirst. I would certainly love to see a tightly packed ten-fight card with a majority of meaningful bouts, but I also see the value in an event of this nature. Pecking orders need to be established, futures need to be decided, and I’d rather see that done on a show like this than anywhere else.

I say save the serious match-ups for the “numbered events,” including the undercard. Build to a pay-per-view crescendo with a collection of fights that impact the rankings, and figure out who gets there with fight cards like these.

Here’s a look at the full fight card for UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story.

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Michael Johnson (8-5) vs. Edward Faaloloto (2-1)

This fight is all about Johnson, the runner-up from Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter. No disrespect to Faaloloto, but very few people are tuning into this fight to see what happens with the 2-1 fighter coming off a TKO loss to Anthony Njokuani.

There is a lot at stake for Johnson in this fight. While he showed promise throughout his time on TUF, his gas tank was a constant question mark. An athletic wrestler, Johnson always looked good early before fading as the fight wore on, and he can’t afford a performance like that here.

The lightweight division is too deep and too talented for Johnson to have a sub-par showing.

He needs to prove that the six months he’s put in with Greg Jackson and his team in Albuquerque has paid dividends. A decision victory won’t be enough to keep him from spending another stretch on the sidelines or asking permission to fight outside of the Octagon.

Ricardo Lamas (9-2) vs. Matt Grice (13-3)

Grice has worked his way into another trip to the Octagon after being released following UFC 100. He’s put together a four-fight winning streak since then, including a trio of first round stoppages. In his last fight, he earned a unanimous decision victory over veteran David “Hello Japan!” Gardner, and now returns to the UFC for his featherweight debut.

Like Grice, Lamas will also be making his first trip to 145 pounds in this one. It will also be his first fight in the UFC, and potentially his last as well.

“The Bully” went 4-2 in the WEC, including wins over Bart Palaszewski and Dave Jansen, but found his way to the highlight reels in each of his two losses. Making the move down a division is the right choice, considering the lightweight division is loaded and there are still openings to be filled at featherweight. That being said, it’s going to take more than a ten-pound cut for Lamas to keep his job coming out of this one.

Both guys come from a wrestling base, with Grice having the better submission game and Lamas the edge in the stand-up. The winner will buy themselves another opportunity, while the loser will mostly be asked to keep sharpening their skills on the regional circuit.

Hopefully that prompts the pair to push the pace and put on a good show.

Nik Lentz (23-3-2) vs. Charles Oliveira (14-1)

You know, you’ve got to appreciate the quiet moxie of a guy like Lentz.

Think about it: he’s unbeaten in his last 14 bouts, owns a 5-0-1 record in the UFC and keeps getting stuck on the preliminary portion of events in tough fights, but you never hear him say a thing. He just walks into the Octagon and walks away with another victory.

His style can be painful to watch and his split decision win over Tyson Griffin was suspect at best, but Lentz showed improved hands last time out and finished a fight for the first time in the UFC. Yet once again he’s standing opposite a solid threat, probably looking at a pink slip if he comes out on the wrong side of things.

After bursting onto the scene with a pair of impressive performance, Oliveira was thrown into the deep end of the lightweight division against Jim Miller at UFC 124. While it’s unfair to say he drowned – Miller is the #1 contender, after all – Oliveira was overmatched, and gets a much needed step back in this one.

Lentz is a suffocating wrestler who has earned his wins (and a great deal of distain) by pinning opponents to the cage and completely shutting down their weapons. Oliveira has an impressive skill set, but he’ll need to make use of his length and keep this fight in space if he hopes to show it.

Losing to Miller slowed his momentum, but doesn’t take Oliveira out of the future plans for the division entirely. Like I said, how much flack can you give a kid for getting beaten by the #1 contender? But losing to Lentz would bring his prospects to a screeching halt, and drop Oliveira into the great collection of middle tier talent in the lightweight division.

Should he win, Lentz will probably get another preliminary card fight against a tough opponent; that’s just the way it goes for the UFC’s lightweight Rodney Dangerfield.

Daniel Roberts (12-2) vs. Rich Attonito (9-4)

TUF 11 alum Attonito makes his welterweight debut in this one.

After earning a pair of victories to start his run in the UFC, the American Top Team product was on the wrong end of a one-sided decision to David Branch back in December, and decided to make the move down in weight. The former Team Liddell fighter becomes yet another former collegiate wrestler to call the 170 pound ranks home, and will need to have a strong showing in his debut to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack.

Roberts steps up on short notice to replace Matt Brown opposite Attonito; Brown got promoted to Martin Kampmann’s place on the main card. Doing the UFC a solid is a smart move for Roberts, as the Team Cesar Gracie fighter seriously underwhelmed in his UFC 129 bout against Claude Patrick. Roberts looked tired early and offered very little, losing a lopsided decision.

He put together a solid three-fight winning streak after losing to John Howard in his debut, and has shown a strong submission game in the past. If he’s corrected his cardio issues, this could be Roberts’ chance to get back in the win column quickly. If not, a loss could spell the end of his time in the UFC.

Joe Lauzon (19-6) vs. Curt Warburton (7-2)

Lauzon should be looking at this as a make-or-break fight.

He’s been on the fringes of contention for a number of years, first appearing on the radar with his unexpected TKO win over Jens Pulver before starring opposite his former opponent on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter. Since then, he’s had an up and down run inside the Octagon, toppling middle-tier talent, but coming up short against the best of the bunch.

At 27-years-old and considering the serious depth within the division, it’s time for Lauzon to make a statement and cement his place as a contender or risk becoming another one of the numerous good-but-not-great lightweights on the roster.

Warburton sits in that group now, and can similarly use this bout as a means of escaping that distinction. He lost a decision to veteran Spencer Fisher in his debut, but rebounded with a solid win over Maciej Jewtuszko last time out. Though I don’t see a loss costing the Englishman his job, he needs this win to avoid being permanently stuck in this position moving forward.

On paper, this is a fight Lauzon should dominate; he’s far more skilled on the ground and has shown development with his hands over his last few fights. That being said, Warburton is a tough out who won’t roll over, so the end result should be a spirited affair.

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Joe Stevenson (31-13) vs. Javier Vazquez (15-5)

You better tune into this one because it’s gotten all kinds of personal, and that tension could translate into a great fight on Sunday night.

Stevenson is making his featherweight debut in this one after dropping three straight to increasingly lower ranked competition at lightweight in the 18 months. The winner of TUF 2’s welterweight tournament is somehow still just 28-years-old, but he’s looked 38 over his last three outings and a chance of scenery was needed.

“Joe Daddy” is fired up for this one as well. Vazquez’s camp has gone to the no-longer-funny “Photoshop Contest” in advance of this fight, and some of the submissions have Stevenson admitting he might not be able to keep his emotions in check.

A decorated grappler, Vazquez is a difficult test for Stevenson for his first fight at 145 pounds. He looked good in wins over Mackens Semerzier and Pulver, submitting both in relatively short order before running into Chad Mendes last time out.

Though Stevenson looks to be on the decline, Vazquez’s team has given him added fuel for this fight. If I were the Cuban-born jiu-jitsu specialist, I’d have put an end to the Photoshop contest and offered Stevenson an apology, then slapped my camp around a little too.

When you’re already assured of getting punched in the face and a little beaten up, there is no need to give your opponent more reason to smash you.

Tyson Griffin (14-5) vs. Manny Gamburyan (11-5)

Griffin is in a difficult position heading into his first fight in the featherweight division.

On one hand, he’s facing an opponent who challenged for the 145 pound title last time out and holds a trio of wins within the division. On the other hand, a loss would be his fourth straight, and no matter how much you try to justify things, that’s a tough sell.

Featherweight is a much better fit for Griffin, as he won’t be at a physical disadvantage the way he was occasionally at lightweight. Still, he really needs to have a good showing here. As much as his loss to Lentz was questionable, the knockout against Takanori Gomi was not, and he did nothing to earn one-third of the results against Evan Dunham either.

For Gamburyan, this is his chance to get right back into the mix at the top of the division. A back injury kept him out of a proposed bout with Raphael Assuncao in March, so he’ll need to prove he’s healthy. People are curious to see how Griffin will do in his debut, which gives Gamburyan the opportunity to steal the spotlight in this one.

Matt Mitrione (4-0) vs. Christian Morecraft (7-1)

It may sound crazy to some, but the winner of this fight climbs to the fringes of contention in the UFC heavyweight division. While they won’t be alongside Junior dos Santos or Frank Mir, they’ll at least be in Ben Rothwell/Dave Herman territory, which could make for an entertaining fight or two.

Morecraft has shown good hands and great potential in his two trips into the Octagon. He dominated Sean McCorkle last time out, choking “Big Sexy” unconscious at Fight Night 24 in Seattle. It was a solid rebound win after being knocked out by Stefan Struve seven months earlier.

The loss to Struve contained positives as well. Morecraft had the lanky Dutchman on the ropes in the first, catching him with a couple power shots and working frantically to finish. He came up short, but it was a glimpse into what could be in store for Mitrione here and what to expect from Morecraft in the future.

Say what you will about Mitrione, the former NFL defensive lineman turned TUF 10 cast member, but give the man his due. Since coming off the Spike TV staple, “Meathead” has won all four of his fights and shown continued development each time. He is a natural athlete, and far more talented in the cage than many give him credit for, and has the potential to develop into a dark horse contender by the end of the year.

Matt Brown (11-10) vs. John Howard (14-6)

This is the first time in a long time I can remember having a potential “loser leaves town” match on the main card of a UFC event.

Both fighters come in on losing streaks; Howard’s sits at two, while Brown does him one better — or worse, depending on how you want to look at it. That puts both fighters in a corner, desperate for a win, and has them each predicting an epic encounter on Sunday night.

After winning four straight to start his UFC career, Howard dropped back-to-back bouts to Jake Ellenberger and Thiago Alves. While losses to top 15 welterweights is somewhat excusable, Howard hasn’t ever dominated in his four wins, and needs to do so here. Howard was beaten to the punch in each of his last two outings, a dubious sign considering the stout Massachusetts native is known as a striker.

Brown is in even more serious jeopardy, having been submitted in three consecutive bouts. He should have to worry about that here, but he needs to show the toughness and heart that made him a cult hero during Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Normally, being the guy who gets bumped up the card and does the UFC a favor helps, but with Brown’s track record of late, I don’t think that is the case here. There are too many fighters to give a guy with four straight losses another shot, so Brown needs to end his winless drought here or he’s going to find himself on the outside looking in.

Cheick Kongo (15-6-1) vs. Pat Barry (6-2)

Pat Barry might be the most popular fighter with a 3-2 record in the Octagon to ever live. I completely understand why that is the case – Barry’s hilarious — but the time has come for the charismatic kickboxer to prove that he’s capable of rising above the middle of the pack.

You can argue away his loss to Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 115; Barry broke both his hand and his foot in that fight. But then you realize that he’s the lone win in Tim Hague’s otherwise unsuccessful stints with the organization, and you see the reason for concern. Barry has shown no semblance of a ground game, and while he may not have to do so here, Kongo is still his toughest test yet.

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There is reason for optimism. Barry has been training extensively with the DeathClutch team of late, and nothing teaches you how to be comfortable on the ground than going head-to-head with a pack of heavyweight wrestlers every day.

Kongo is a much more proven commodity. He’s solid, but unspectacular; he’s the quintessential lower-end gatekeeper for the heavyweight division.

After battling Travis Browne to a draw at UFC 120, which came about after Kongo lost a point in the third, the French kickboxer had surgery to repair lingering issues with his back. Barry is a hard to handle at optimum health, so it will be interesting to see how Kongo looks after eight months away from the cage and coming off surgery.

The winner of this one puts themselves a notch about the Morecraft-Mitrione winner; somewhere closer to Nelson and Mir, but not quite there, if that makes any sense.

Nate Marquardt (31-10) vs. Rick Story (13-3)

If this fight were a Black Eyed Peas song, it would have to be “I Just Can’t get Enough,” at least for me. Yes, that just happened.

While I was already excited to see Marquardt’s debut at welterweight, the fact that he’s now facing Story seriously ups the ante. Nothing against Anthony Johnson, but his fight with Dan Hardy was underwhelming, while Story’s win over Thiago Alves last month made me a fan.

After a number of years spent near the top of the 185 pound rankings, Marquardt says he’s moving down because it feels like a more natural fit for him. I call shenanigans, but still accept the decision since he has a different set of skills than many of the elite contenders in the welterweight ranks.

What makes this fight even more cooler is that Story has the kind of approach that has been poisonous to Marquardt in the past. Chael Sonnen dominated him with a heavy top game and decent hands, so there is nothing to say Story couldn’t do the same here; if anything, his performance against Alves makes it all the more likely.

This one also piques my interest because there is a possibility that whoever emerges victorious could end up challenging Georges St. Pierre once he’s done with Nick Diaz. Yes, GSP is going to beat Nick Diaz. Accept it now.

For Story it would further the Cinderella run he’s been on, while a win for Marquardt would bring another awkward teammate vs. teammate fight featuring the Jackson camp come to a head.

Even without the potential shorelines, this is a solid welterweight tilt and a deserving moment in the spotlight for Story. Now we’ll just have to see if Marquardt makes the memory of his first UFC main event a painful one.