Mixed Martial Arts Fighters on the Edge
There are fighters currently fighting in the UFC whom are staring at the prospect of being cut. Some fighters have had a longer leash due to being entertaining, their style of fighting or a combination of both. Once the welterweight number one title contender, Dan Hardy has racked up four successive losses. It is rare than anyone has the opportunity to fight for the UFC who are on a four fight skid but Hardy can be viewed a little differently. Hardy lost a lopsided decision to the most dominant welterweight ever.
Like his method of fighting or not, Georges St Pierre has a habit of taking contenders and making them look second rate and there is no shame in the result. Dan followed up the fight with who is now the interim welterweight champ, Carlos Condit by knockout. Hardy went out swinging and just got beaten to the punch. In the realm of mixed martial arts, knockouts happen. You see people get clipped and go down. Hardy picked himself up and went up against the biggest welterweight on the roster with a strong wrestling pedigree. Hardy lost by decision, and moved on to face beloved retiring veteran Chris Lytle. Hardy and Lytle put on a war before Lytle locked in a guillotine choke.
My point with Hardy is he is a fighter who always goes out to put on a show, against top rate competition. He is likeable enough, a recognisable face for the UK scene and working hard to round out his game. I enjoy watching Hardy fight. However, if Hardy comes up empty in this latest fight with Duane Ludwig, the UFC needs to draw the curtain on his UFC career, at least for now. He hasn’t earned the accolades like a Tito Ortiz in order to buy himself a longer losing streak. An opponent like Ludwig is stylistically tailor made for Hardy and the fans. Ludwig will stand and trade punches with Hardy all day and if Hardy can’t close the deal with what he is best at, he is wasting his time in the UFC. Bellator may be better for Hardy as he seeks to round out his skills but the problem with Bellator is their champ is Ben Askren. He will pin Hardy down and he will lose by decision. Hardy needs to find improvement fast because neither the UFC nor Bellator appear a long term fix.
Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub and Pat Barry are three of the most fun heavyweights to watch exhibition their completely different skill sets. Nelson has a brash personality, slick jiu-jitsu, a chin of granite and a never quit attitude for genuine fireworks. Schaub has speed, speed, crisp hands and knockout power. Barry brings bone breaking leg kicks, hard hands and a killer instinct. All three are in bad situations but for different reasons. Barry has a 4-5 record since moving to the UFC. However his biggest win is either Joey Beltran or Antoni Hardonk, hardly top line competition. Barry has a problem which he can never solve. He is a tiny heavyweight with a modest reach. It is not so much of an issue when fighting inexperienced stand up fighters in smaller shows, but UFC heavyweights are getting bigger, stronger and faster. Where does Barry go from here? He needs to drop at least twenty five pounds to even consider a cut to the light heavyweight ranks where Rashad Evans fights and is considered undersized. Given the size of Barry’s legs, I don’t know if such a cut is possible and even if it is, I don’t know how long it would take. If Barry is going to lose the stand-up battles and can’t keep an opponent on the mat, he has some major issues. I can see if Barry loses his next UFC bout then he will have to win the following fight to continue his tenure. There are just too many other heavyweights who can do what Pat does and a whole lot more.
Schaub showed some real promise coming out of The Ultimate Fighter. Energetic and constantly improving his stand up, his only blemish was the loss to Nelson in the finale. Now with back to back knockouts, Schaub has developed a suspect chin which to me suggests his time as a heavyweight is up. In his last fight against Rothwell, Schaub was grabbing for an invisible man after the stoppage, like Wanderlei Silva in the Chris Leben fight. I’m concerned that Schaub is going to get hurt badly if he continues in this division, like Chuck Liddell in the final years. Schaub needs to consider a cut to light heavyweight where he can bully opponents with his size, they won’t hit as hard and earn some extra chances like Yoshiro Akiyama seems to have gained.
To begin with I wasn’t a fan of Nelson. His displays of heart against taller, stronger opponents drew admiration out of me. Nelson has the same issue as Barry because despite being an inch taller, he has an inch shorter reach at seventy three inches. Nelson has thankfully trimmed down the belly fat which seems to be giving him a bit more speed, agility and cardio. Nelson has a complete game and held the IFL’s heavyweight crown. The game has changed on Nelson. In fact, Nelson since his 2008 fight with Arlovski in EliteXC has racked up a total of 3 wins, 5 losses not including the exhibition bouts on The Ultimate Fighter shows. As Nelson has stepped up in competition, he is facing more well-rounded skill sets and genuine athletes.
Can Nelson make the drop to light heavyweight? I think he can but it would not be a fast process and I question whether Roy could stay committed to the diet required. If Nelson wants to make the jump from a skilled fighter heart to a title contender again, it comes down to his approach. Nelson can and should take out Dave Herman at UFC 146 but it is not a fight which gets him a top five opponent next time around. If you don’t have reach, you need speed. Unless Roy wants his legacy being blasted by Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum, he needs to assess his approach. If Herman upsets Nelson, I think the UFC brass will give Nelson another fight, maybe two. He is worth it in entertainment value alone. I think as a marketable fighter the UFC will put off releasing him for as long as practical.
I love to watch all four of these fighters and I would love to see all three find success and come roaring back into the title pictures. They all have the potential for exciting fights, years of fights left and are all genuinely nice guys. All are at a crossroads for either physical or skill set disadvantages. At some point, either they have to the change or the UFC has to change up the roster. It is nothing personal. It is just business.
By Alex Durward
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