UFC On Versus 6: Preview & Predictions

Breaking down Saturday’s card from top to bottom

Two down, two to go in this month-long festival of fighting courtesy of the UFC.

With Fight Night 25 and UFC 135 already in the books, tomorrow’s UFC on Versus 6 event serves as the opening act to next weekend’s double title fight spectacular in Houston, Texas, UFC 136.

This isn’t your ordinary, run of the mill Versus card either. The headlining act is a UFC bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson, the first UFC title fight to take place on television in over four years.

Mix in a heavyweight tilt between Pat Barry and Stefan Struve, and an underrated welterweight scrap between Anthony Johnson and Charlie Brenneman and you’ve got yourself a pretty damn solid line-up.

Here’s the rundown on what to expect Saturday night.

Walel Watson (8-2) vs. Joseph Sandoval (6-0)

I love the idea of having two UFC neophytes kick off a card, especially when they’re 135 pound newbies.

Watson trains with Liz Carmouche and the group at Team Hurricane Awesome in San Diego. Most of his wins have come by submission, as his superior height and long limbs give him an advantage on the ground.

On the other side of the cage, Sandoval is a scrappy kid from Texas who has put together a six fighting winning streak in the span of 17 months to make it to the big leagues. He’s split his victories between stoppages due to strikes and going the distance, so conditioning shouldn’t be a question mark.

Josh Neer (31-10-4) vs. Keith Wisniewski (28-12-1)

“The Dentist” returns to the Octagon for the first time in almost two years, and does so riding a four-fight winning streak.

Neer has put together a 6-1 record since departing the UFC following a loss to Gleison Tibau, the only loss coming to Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez. He looks to have found a bit more of a killer instinct since we last saw him in the UFC as well, stopping two of his last three opponents with strikes.

Wisniewski, one half of “The Polish Connection” with his brother James, has rattled off six straight wins over the last three-plus years to get a second trip into the Octagon; he lost to Nick “The Goat” Thompson at UFC 56 in November 2005. That loss started a five fight skid for the 29-year-old, but he’s been perfect since, collecting wins over fellow UFC vets Pete Spratt an Chris Wilson in the process.

Both guys are veterans getting a second chance in the deepest division in the company, so it stands to reason that the winner stays and the loser returns to the regional circuit.

Shane Roller (10-4) vs. TJ Grant (16-5)

This fight shows just how deep and dangerous the UFC lightweight division is these days.

Grant makes his debut at ’55 after posting a 3-3 record in the Octagon as a welterweight. After battling injuries and rebuilding himself as a lightweight for the last nine months, he gets a tough task in his return against the well-rounded former All-American from Oklahoma State.

Melvin Guillard crushed Roller last time out, but “The Young Assassin” was a huge step up in class. You’ll remember — or you should — that prior to that, Roller starched Thiago Tavares with a straight right at UFC on Versus 3 in March. His hands keep improving, as does his submission game, and his wrestling is on par with the division’s best.

Despite losing to one of the division’s best (Guillard), second consecutive loss could be costly for Roller, while Grant needs a win in the worst way too. Such is life in the shark-infested waters of the 155 pound division.

Mike Easton (10-1) vs. Byron Bloodworth (6-1)

Bloodworth got the call to replace Jeff Hougland on Monday. It’s great to get into the UFC and you don’t turn them down when they call, but at the same time, you’re coming in on five days notice and facing a tough fight with Mike Easton.

Local fans in the D.C. area will remember Easton from his success in the UWC, including his highly controversial victory over Chase Beebe in his last fight. That bout was two years ago, and Easton has dealt with an elbow injury — including surgery — since then, so conditioning is obviously a concern.

Easton is one to keep an eye on in the 135 pound ranks, boasting wins over TUF 14 cast members Josh Ferguson and John Dodson, as well as being a long-time training partner of bantamweight champ/headliner Dominick Cruz.

Michael Johnson (9-5) vs. Paul Sass (11-0)

This will be the first fight outside of England for the 23-year-old Sass, who scored a submission win over Mark Holst in his UFC debut last October. He’s got a slick ground game and has a couple other solid wins on his resume, but crossing the Atlantic for the first time will be a test, and so will Johnson.

Johnson was a finalist on Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, and looked very impressive in his first post-TUF performance back in June. He’s made a commitment to his conditioning, and it shows in his physique; he’s leaner than before and without losing any of the power and explosiveness that made him an early favorite during his time on TUF.

Whoever emerges victorious here will become someone to keep an eye on heading into 2012.

Yves Edwards (40-17-1) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (14-4)

Edwards is a shining example of the axiom that you’re only as good as your last fight. Despite being 3-1 in his latest tour of duty with the UFC, all people remember is his crushing knockout loss to Sam Stout at UFC 131. The savvy veteran needs to get back into the win column here or else he could be sent packing once again.

Oliveira is in the same predicament, earning this bout as a thank you for stepping in late against Gleison Tibau back in May. He’s 1-3 in the UFC, and has never shown anything north of average inside the Octagon. This is pretty much a “now or never” fight for the 29-year-old.

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.