‘UFC on FX 3: McCall vs. Johnson’ preview and predictions (Preliminary Card)
‘UFC on FX 3: McCall vs. Johnson’ is right around the corner and MMABay is here to break down all of the fights set for Friday, June 8th at the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There are eight prelim fights to get through before we tackle the main card, so which undercard fighters will stake their claim for a televised spot next time out? Find out after the jump…
Leonard Garcia (15-8-1, 2-4 UFC) vs. Matt Grice (14-4, 1-4 UFC)
The Lowdown: For Texan gunslinger, Leonard Garcia, last orders have been called in Last Chance Saloon and ‘Bad Boy’ needs to knock one back and get to work, or face being cut from the UFC. The Jackson’s MMA featherweight’s second spell in the promotion has been a miserable one from the word go, and despite winning his second ‘debut’ via split decision against Nam Phan, Garcia faced the wrath of the community. The highly debatable decision – the umpteenth to go in ‘Badboy’s favour over the years – sent the banger into a rematch with Chan Sung Jung last March, after Garcia had controversially beaten the Korean by decision in the WEC. Garcia made history, for the wrong reasons – becoming the first man to tap to a twister inside the Octagon. At UFC 136, normality was restored when the Texan dropped a unanimous decision to Phan in a justified rematch.
If Garcia is downing his last drink, Matt ‘The Real One’ Grice is already being hauled towards the fire exit by the bouncers this weekend and for the Oklahoma native, this could literally be his last chance at making a career of it. A police officer in his home state, Grice was an impeccable high-school wrestler whose promising career was cut short by a car accident while at university. ‘The Real One’ went 1-2 in the UFC a few years back but put together a 4-0 record as a featherweight in the little leagues to earn a recall. Grice faced top prospect, Ricardo Lamas, last June but wilted under the onslaught of ‘The Bully’ who finished him early with a headkick and punches. With his day-job requiring his presence, if Grice loses it could be time to focus on other matters for the Oklahoman.
The Verdict: Grice, on paper, could beat the brawler but he can’t seem to put his skills together on the big stage and Garcia shouldn’t have too many problems with the grappler. He may get taken down once or twice, will probably lose a round, but ‘Bad Boy’ will eventually land one of his wild haymakers to send Grice back to his day job. Garcia, (T)KO, 2nd round.
Mike Pierce (13-5, 5-3 UFC) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (9-1, 1-1 UFC)
The Lowdown: Perhaps the best preliminary card fight, this welterweight bout sees Mike Pierce looking to get back to winning ways after twice falling short when faced with top contenders. The Oregon native, who took Jon Fitch to a close decision way back at UFC 107, won three in a row to set up a fight with current top dog, Johny Hendricks, at UFC 133. Pierce dropped a split decision, a contentious one at that, and set the pattern for his following two fights – beating Paul Bradley by split before facing Josh Koscheck at UFC 143. The stocky powerhouse gave the former title contender a competitive fight but again fell short on the scorecards by split decision.
Pierce will take on impressive BJJ black-belt, Carlos Eduardo Rocha, who returns for a lengthy spell on the sidelines to answer the American’s call to “fight a Brazilian” for an easy victory. Based in Germany, ‘Ta Danado’ put together an 8-0 record on that country’s regional circuit and made his Octagon debut at UFC 122 in Oberhausen in 2010. The slick grappler quickly tapped out TUF finalist, Kris McCray, with a kneebar and was catapulted up the ranks to face Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126 last February. ‘Ta Danado’ shocked us all as he took at least a round from the top-ranked contender, out-grappling Ellenberger and never looking in danger against the knockout artist but ultimately lost the split decision.
The Verdict: Rocha looked excellent against Ellenberger but this is a brutal fight to accept after spending over a year nursing injuries. While Pierce hasn’t really been tested on the ground, the ring-rust hanging off Rocha will be too heavy and the wrestler should be able to control the action standing and keep it there. ‘Ta Danado’ will go down fighting, but Pierce should out-work the Brazilian standing and take a nip-tuck decision – who knows, maybe even a split? Pierce, decision.
Seth Baczynski (15-7, 2-1 UFC) vs. Lance Benoist (6-0, 1-0 UFC)
The Lowdown: Formerly an also-ran on season eleven of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, Arizona’s Seth Baczynski lost via decision at the season finale to Brad Tavares and made the decision to try out the welterweight division when he was subsequently released by the UFC. ‘The Polish Pistola’ picked up a few wins in the little leagues and was re-signed to face Clay Harvison at UFN 25, an opportunity he took decisively. Baczynski hammered his opponent with strikes and submitted him, earning himself a fight with the rugged Matt Brown at UFC 139 in November. The 6ft 3in welterweight started slowly but 42-seconds into the second round, he forced Brown to tap to a guillotine choke.
The Power MMA man looks great at 170lbs and this weekend Baczynski faces a prospect who has already made this writer a lifelong fan. 23-year old Missouri native, Lance Benoist, should not be fighting on this card and his participation should be applauded by every single mixed martial arts fan out there. Just a few weeks ago, Benoist lost his twin brother in a car accident and the well-rounded rising star has shown immense strength to even take this fight. That sad event aside, Benoist went 5-0 with ease in the little leagues and was selected to face former TUF veteran, Matt Riddle, at UFN 25 last September. Despite giving up some size, Benoist fought through a badly busted nose to dominate the bigger man and take an impressive decision.
The Verdict: Benoist is in for a torrid time this weekend, as Baczynski is a huge welterweight who looks destined to make some waves. ‘The Polish Pistola’ knows how to use his size too, having a good muay thai base and nasty clinch, plus he can wrestle a little too and while Benoist is solid in all areas, I think he’s up against it. Baczynski stops the unbeaten rookie with some cringeworthy knees from the clinch, late in the fight. Baczynski, (T)KO, 3rd round.
Dustin Pague (10-5, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jared Papazian (14-7, 0-1 UFC)
The Lowdown: Bantamweight Dustin ‘The Disciple’ Pague featured on season fourteen of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, reaching the semi-finals of the 135lb bracket with a prolonged beating and submission of Louis Gaudinot. The deeply religious Virginia native was knocked out in the final four and made his UFC debut at the season finale in December, when he faced fellow contestant John Albert. The talented 24-year old was stunned by Albert who floored him with a big shot, then tied up his arm and battered him with punches to get the first round stoppage.
Pague’s job could be on the line this weekend as he faces another bantamweight coming off a debut loss, Jared Papazian. The Armenian-American bruiser vacated the KOTC bantamweight belt to accept an invite to face top prospect, Mike Easton, at UFC on FX 1 in January and what followed was a war to remember. ‘The Jackhammer’ went toe-to-toe with the powerhouse Easton for three rugged rounds, eventually losing a split decision that some feel he should have won. Papazian had mentioned trying his hand at 125lbs, but for now the heavy-handed bantamweight could be fighting for his job.
The Verdict: Pague has a nasty clinch game and is pretty good on the ground but the muay thai stylist is facing a real junkyard dog this weekend, and it looks bleak for ‘The Disciple’. Papazian is strong enough to keep the fight standing and he’ll wade through knees and elbows while swinging for the fences. This writer doesn’t fancy Pague’s chin enough in this scenario, and ‘The Jackhammer’ should drill him through the canvas with a barrage of punches early in the fight. Papazian, (T)KO, 1st round.
Tim Means (17-3-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Justin Salas (10-3, 1-0 UFC)
The Lowdown: Former KOTC lightweight champion, Tim ‘The Dirty Bird’ Means built up a solid record fighing on the regional circuit and was signed by the UFC on the back of a nine-fight unbeaten run. With twelve stoppages to his name courtesy of his striking and only one decision overall, the lanky 6ft 2in lightweight made his Octagon debut on the FUEL TV prelims in February against Brazilian-Australian grappler, Bernardo Magalhaes. Often visibly frustrated by his opponent’s reluctance to engage, ‘The Dirty Bird’ out-struck his man with ease and took a no-brainer of a decision.
That same night, Justin Salas made his own UFC debut after being tipped as the best lightweight outside of the big promotions with a fine run that saw him defeat UFC veteran, Rob Emerson, and Joe Ellenberger – a blue-chip prospect and brother of top UFC welterweight, Jake. An acclaimed wrestler while at university in Wyoming, Salas now trains at Grudge Training Center in Denver, Colorado and lived up to his reputation in February when he faced fellow UFC newcomer, Anton Kuivanen. Salas hung comfortably with the Finn in the striking department and controlled enough of the three rounds to take the decision.
The Verdict: A classic striker versus grappler fight that should see the winner push for a televised fight next time out, this has the potential to be the standout fight on the prelims. Salas looked comfortable standing last time he fought and while he’ll be giving up a big height and reach advantage, his wrestling should be the trump card. We haven’t seen Means tested in that department yet and chances are he won’t fare well – Salas should secure enough takedowns and land some ground and pound en route to a decision victory. Salas, decision.
Buddy Roberts (11-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Caio Magalhaes (5-0, 0-0 UFC)
The Lowdown: Two middleweights make a belated UFC debut in Fort Lauderdale, as Jackson’s MMA prospect Buddy Roberts finally sets foot into the Octagon following a last-minute cancellation of his fight with Sean Loeffler in February. The bout was literally cancelled hours before, with Loeffler twisting an ankle while warming up, and Roberts has had to sit on his hands for four months. The wrestler is riding a five-fight win streak as a light-heavyweight, culminating in an impressive win over Tony Lopez last summer and Roberts will be itching to prove he can cut it in the big leagues as he faces an unbeaten rookie from a notorious camp.
Despite having only five fights to his name, Brazilian youngster, Caio ‘Hellboy’ Magalhaes, is part of the unstoppable Nova Uniao camp and the BJJ black-belt is tipped as one to watch at 185lbs. Standing just 5ft 9in tall, ‘Hellboy’ is very much in the vein of countryman, Rousimar Palhares, in that the 24-year old is a stocky, powerful grappler with decent wrestling to boot. Magalhaes may not be ready for the big stage but a win over a more experienced foe, and a Greg Jackson guy, would do wonders for his career at this stage.
The Verdict: Roberts is 6ft 2in and a former heavyweight, so come fight night the size difference is going to be blatant. While Roberts excels from top position, the wrestler will be wary of taking the fight to the ground against a top grappler like Magalhaes, but he can use his reach to win the striking battles with ease. The American will alternate between keeping Magalhaes at bay with jabs and straight punches, and controlling him against the cage with his size advantage, taking a clear-cut but dull decision. Roberts, decision.
Henry Martinez (8-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Bernardo Magalhaes (11-2, 0-1 UFC)
The Lowdown: Jackson’s MMA prospect, Henry Martinez, finds himself back in the comfort zone in Fort Lauderdale as he gets a chance to prove his worth at his natural weight of 155lbs. A tough and talented grappler, the lightweight was plucked from relative obscurity when he answered the call to face Matt Riddle at UFC 143 in February at short notice. Despite punching above his weight against a gigantic 170lb’er, Martinez held his own and was unfortunate to drop the split decision to Riddle who rallied late in the fight when Martinez was flagging.
Facing the Greg Jackson pupil is Brazilian-Australian grappler, Bernardo Magalhaes, who will surely be keen to erase the memories of a disastrous UFC debut earlier this year. ‘Trekko’, who gained some hype as the CFC lightweight champion in Australia, faced striker Tim Means on FUEL TV in February. The BJJ stylist looked very bad, failing to take the fight to the ground and being out-struck with ease by the American who picked his way to a lopsided decision victory. Magalhaes showed heart to continue in the third round when a cut prompted the referee to ask the question, but if the adopted Aussie drops another similar loss, he’s done in the big leagues.
The Verdict: To be blunt, Magalhaes did not look like UFC material whatsoever last time out, while Martinez showed plenty of promise and now he’s fighting at his natural weight, expect the Jackson’s MMA prospect to impress. Martinez is a solid BJJ guy himself, and he’ll hold all the aces in the striking, wrestling and physical strength departments so we should see him stop Magalhaes sooner rather than later. Martinez, (T)KO, 2nd round.
Jake Hecht (11-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Sean Pierson (11-6, 1-2 UFC)
The Lowdown: It could be do or die for Fiore MMA welterweight, Jake ‘Hitman’ Hecht, this weekend as the Missouri native looks to avoid dropping back to back losses in his fledgling UFC career. Hecht made a fine debut at UFC 140, finishing tough wrestler Rich Attonito with elbows to the dome while defending a takedown in the second round. But the well-rounded welterweight fell into the losing column in March when he faced T.J Waldburger at UFC on FX 2 in Australia, succumbing to a beautiful armbar early in the first round.
‘Hitman’ opens up the undercard against former Toronto police officer, Sean Pierson, who despite making a bright start to his Octagon career, is also facing the chop if he loses this weekend. Pierson won a highly entertaining decision over Matt Riddle in his first UFC appearance but that was followed by a brutal first round knockout at the hands of top contender, Jake Ellenberger, at UFC 129. The Canadian then lost for the second time in his home-town when he was out-classed by Korean prospect, Dong Hyun Kim, at UFC 141, putting him in a precarious position as a third straight defeat would spell curtains.
The Verdict: With a lot at stake, don’t expect a great start to the preliminary card. Hecht is best on the ground but Pierson is a strong wrestler and if he can hang with Dong Hyun Kim, he can probably do enough to keep the fight standing. Neither man possesses real knockout power but you’d probably give Hecht the edge there as Pierson can be quite wild, but the chances of a finish are slim. A close three-rounder is just about nicked by ‘Hitman’, who will just about keep himself on the roster. Hecht, decision.
That’s the undercard out of the way, stay tuned to MMABay in the days ahead for previews of all four main card fights set for Friday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
By Steve Davies
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