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By: Dan Moore, MMATorch UK Contributor
Earlier this year, before any match ups were announced for UFC on FUEL 5 in Nottingham; I decided to have a go at playing match maker; and to a certain degree, I had some success with it. Granted, it didn't take the brain power of Albert Einstein to work out that the likes of Dan Hardy and Brad Pickett would be on the card, but I didn't fair too badly.
Last week the UFC announced another unexpected trip to the UK, for FUEL 7, which takes place in London, on Saturday 16th Feb 2013. When I say unexpected, it wasn't a big secret that the event was heading to England, but it was a surprise that it was so soon after the last one; we normally only get one event per calendar year after all.
I've decided to have another go at predicting what fights we are likely to see at Wembley Arena. I've taken into account that certain UK fighters are already booked (Bisping, Pickett, Pearson etc). I've also purposely left off the UK fighters involved in TUF Smashes. Those that don't make the finale card later this month, for one reason or another, will likely be considered for undercard fights at this event, but i'll steer clear of trying to predict who.
ANDY OGLE (8-2) vs. JOEY GAMBINO (9-2)
I had Ogle beating Akira Corassani back in September, but the judges clearly hadn't been to Specsavers that day! Whilst it wasn't blatantly one sided either way, I felt Ogle dominated enough of the fight to earn the win, in addition to doing the most damage at key stages of the fight. Gambino was 9-0 heading into the UFC, before he was outclassed by both Steven Siler and most recently, Diego Brandao. Despite these two losses, he has real potential and this would be a tricky match up for Ogle, should it happen.
TOM WATSON (15-5) vs. MAGNUS CEDENBLAD (10-4)
Cedenblad got badly outclassed by Francis Carmont in his debut back in April, which in hindsight, doesn't say much for the Swede bearing in mind just how bad Carmont was last month. Whilst former BAMMA champion Watson, didn't get finished in his debut fight with Brad Tavares, he too got outclassed, out grappled and it was never as close as a split decision in my eyes watching ringside. This is a good match up for two fighters looking for their first UFC win, and I'd back Watson in a heartbeat to win this one, but that's only based on his pre UFC performances.
GUNNAR NELSON (10-0-1) vs. BRIAN EBERSOLE (50-15-1)
Nelson made quite an impression in Nottingham, winning his debut in decisively quick fashion, by submitting late replacement DaMarques Johnson in the very first round. A lot of UK fans were excited to see his debut, having seen him in action at various organisations, including BAMMA, and he didn't disappoint, putting in a very polished performance.
Brian Ebersole would be a great test for the Norwegian next, and it has the makings of another great fight. Ebersole pretty much guarantees entertainment and although I know Joe Silva doesn't tend to match up winners and losers of last fights; this is worth making an exception for. Ebersole has sort of gone off the radar since his loss to James Head, but if offered this fight, I can't see any reason for him not to accept it.
JOHN MAGUIRE (18-5) vs. SIMEON THORESEN (17-3-1 NC)
John Maguire is one loss away from getting cut after two successive defeats, including one horrible performance against John Hathaway. He performed better against Matt Riddle last month, but could he have done any worse? With rumours of a weight change, either up to Middleweight, or down to Lightweight, both completely unfounded; why not give him an opportunity to avenge a previous loss which happened back in 2010, at BAMMA 3.
Simeon Thoresen started his UFC career with a solid submission win over Besam Yousef at a UFC on FUEL event, in Sweden, earlier this year. Unfortunately he followed up his impressive start by getting knocked out, courtesy of Seth Baczynski, at UFC 152 in September. This has the makings of a good grappling match, with most of the fight taking place on the ground. Neither is particularly prolific in the stand up, and it's a fairly even match up on paper.
TERRY ETIM (15-4) vs. SAM STOUT (18-8-1)
Even after losing decisively to Edson Barboza back in January, the UFC were still prepared to give Etim another big fight against Joe Lauzon. They have confidence in his ability, and so do most UK MMA fans, still waiting to see him fulfill his potential. Etim has lacked consistency of late, and seems to have an allergic reaction to Brazilians, hence why i've matched him up with a Canadian this time.
He's also extremely injury prone, so even if this fight did get signed, it probably wouldn't make it to February, with Etim still in it. Stout is a well known and well respected opponent, who's vastly experienced. Whilst his "Hands of Stone" moniker doesn't always ring true with his performances, he's still a very tough match up for someone who's been out for over a year. John Makdessi overpowered Stout last month, and if fully fit, there is no reason to think that Etim can't get himself back in the win column.
CHE MILLS (15-5-1 NC) vs. MATT RIDDLE (7-3-1 NC)
To my knowledge, this is the only fight to be mentioned as a done deal so far. I was a touch disappointed when I first saw this news; I wanted to see Matt Riddle fight in the UK, but not against Che Mills. After further thought it actually makes good sense. After all Riddle isn't a big name and had John Hathaway or even Dan Hardy fought him, it would have done very little for them in the long run.
Che Mills looked very good against Duane Ludwig last September, and was dominating the fight before Ludwig succumbed to a nasty looking injury. Riddle has been on a roll of late; and looked very comfortable despatching John Maguire last month, at UFC 154. Maguire failed to press the pace in that fight, but I don't foresee Mills making that same mistake. This fight could go either way, but one thing I do know for sure; Riddle can expect a hostile reception next February, and he'll love every minute of it.
JIMI MANUWA (12-0) vs. STANISLAV NEDKOV (12-0-1 NC)
This would be an early frontrunner for Fight of the Night, should this Light Heavyweight barnstormer get the green light. Manuwa demolished Kyle Kingsbury in his UFC debut and more than lived up to the hype. Nedkov ended up on the wrong side of a submission loss to Thiago Silva, but the fight was later turned into a no contest when the Brazilian, failed yet another drug test.
Nedkov hits extremely hard, as Luiz Cane will no doubt testify. The Bulgarian will provide Manuwa with a very stern test. He rocked Silva in their Macau fight and officially remains undefeated. This fight would give us all a much clearer indication of whether Manuwa really does have what it takes, to break into the Light Heavyweight top ten.
PAUL SASS (13-1) vs. MARK BOCEK (11-5)
Whoever lost the dos Anjos vs. Bocek fight at UFC 154, seemed like a logical next fight for Paul Sass, and I still think it makes a ton of sense. All good things eventually come to an end, so a defeat for Sass was due, sooner rather than later. Sass had opportunities to win the fight, and was maybe a little naïve in some of the decisions he made in that first round.
Still, providing he learnt from it and he continues to work on all areas of his game, that loss will just be a small blemish that people will soon forget if he gets back to winning ways. Bocek is tough as nails, and although he was clearly outclassed by Rafael dos Anjos, he's very experienced with an excellent ground game that could cause Sass real problems if they meet.
JOHN HATHAWAY (17-1) vs. DONG HYUN KIM (16-2-1)
I can see this fight taking place on a PPV, maybe as the lead in fight to a main card. It's about time Hathaway got more recognition and endless FUEL cards, isn't the best way of getting his name out there as a future contender. I'll selfishly hope that he ends up on the Wembley Arena card, but ideally for the good and benefit of his career, he needs a bigger platform. Another potential pitfall is the UFC's scheduled return to Japan next March, with DHK being a marketable commodity in Asia; he'll more than likely end up on that card.
"Stun Gun" is fantastic, and I love watching him fight, win or lose. He got blitzed by Carlos Condit and suffered an injury in defeat to Demian Maia, but losses to those two are nothing to be ashamed of. He dominated Paulo Thiago on route to a decision victory, displaying some fantastic ground and pound in the last round. Both he and Hathaway are very well rounded and a win for either, will go a long way to moving the winner towards the top 15.
DAN HARDY (25-10-1 NC) vs. SIYAR BAHADURZADA (21-4-1)
This is another fantastic match up on paper, and one that pits two exciting fighters together, both of whom are coming off a win. Hardy has bounced back with two consecutive wins after suffering four straight defeats. Whilst his last performance wasn't world beating, it was solid enough to see off a tricky opponent in Amir Sadollah, and he showed glimpses of a more rounded, and more mature skill set.
Bahadurzada made his UFC debut back in April, with a devastating knock out of Paulo Thiago. He was then scheduled to face Thiago Alves back at UFC 149 in July, but withdrew due to a hand injury. I haven't heard of any negative progress regarding that injury, so I'm assuming the Afghan native will be good to go by February next year. I was hoping this fight would be made last year, so I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed that it finally happens.
*Just before posting this article, it was announced by Tatame that this fight is all but signed. I am however, still adding it to my list of correct predictions over the coming weeks!
STEVAN STRUVE (25-5) vs. CHEICK KONGO (18-7-2)
There has been a lot of Twitter chat about this fight potentially happening at UFC 156, but nothing has been confirmed at the time of writing this. Maybe, just maybe it's because they have a plan to showcase it as the main event for this card. Both are European and Struve impressed everyone who watched him main event in Nottingham, blitzing through the previously undefeated Stipe Miocic.
It's common knowledge that Kongo has turned down various fights recently, but this might be very much to his liking. He trains out of Wolfslair in the UK and he's been on European UFC cards many times over the last few years. Whilst this fight isn't my first choice to headline this card, not by a country mile in fact, it makes a lot of sense, and an announcement of it, won't surprise me in the slightest.
Let me know on Twitter, who you would like to see on the card @MMATorchDan
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Staff_Editorials_19/article_15176.shtml
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