This weekend in Las Vegas, the focus at the top of the UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 card will of course be on the heavyweights. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore everyone else on the card.
In fact, there are several fighters competing at this event capable of turning into talking points going forward, including the five undercard competitors featured here in the latest edition of The Watch List.
Watch the UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 undercard Saturday starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific. In addition, catch three early online preliminary fights on sportsnet.ca starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.
FIGHTERS TO WATCH
Fighter: Mike Pyle
Record: 24-8-1
Opponent: Rick Story
Pyle is currently riding a three-fight, first-round knockout winning streak, and yet here he is on the preliminary portion of the card, where he was originally scheduled to take on rising star Gunnar Nelson before the Icelandic prospect got injured and was replaced by Story.
For years, people spoke about Pyle as a guy who was great in the gym, but someone who was never able to put it all together on the big stage. That’s out the window now, as the 37-year-old veteran has strung together three very impressive performances, and looks to be the quintessential late bloomer. He’s always had a strong submission game, and he’s developed confidence in his hands as of late, making himself into a more complete fighter in what we have traditionally viewed as the twilight of a fighter’s career.
Story is a former contender who has fallen on inconsistent times over the last couple years, but enters off a first-round knockout win of his own. He’s a bully in the cage, but his aggressive approach could play into Pyle’s hands. Josh Neer used a similar strategy, and ended up getting slept.
If Pyle is able to add a fourth consecutive win to his run, he’ll be elevated into the top 10 in the welterweight division or, at the very least, facing off with a top-10 opponent next time out.
Fighter: Max Holloway
Record: 7-1
Opponent: Dennis Bermudez
I’m a big fan of Holloway, and I think he has a bushel of potential, and this is his opportunity to really prove that he’s a legitimate prospect and potential force in the featherweight division.
Bermudez is entering on a three-fight winning streak and coming off his epic third-round sequence with Matt Grice, but he took a lot of punishment in that contest, and Holloway has the skill set to capitalize if the same opportunities present themselves.
The young Hawaiian has also won three straight heading into this one, though his last outing — a split-decision victory in a short-notice fight against Leonard Garcia — was his least impressive performance of the three. Holloway is a very good striker, and works the body as regularly and as well as anyone not named Diaz. He mixes things up well, is active off his back, and has the right amount of youthful confidence to trust in his skill set against anyone.
Fighter: Robert Whittaker
Record: 12-2
Opponent: Colton Smith
Whittaker is one of the better prospects to emerge from The Ultimate Fighter in recent memory, though there will surely be a number of people who are unfamiliar with the 22-year-old Australian because he was on The Smashes and not the North American incarnation of the show.
Heavy-handed and with a solid amount of experience considering his age, Whittaker has been preparing for this fight at the Tristar Gym in Montreal, which is a brilliant move for a talented young fighter.
How well Whittaker has adapted to the wrestling side of things will be critical here. Smith will surely look to put him on his back, but if the Aussie prospect can keep it standing – or avoid being smothered for long periods of time – he has a clear edge in the striking department.
Fighter: Abel Trujillo
Record: 10-4
Opponent: Khabib Nurmagomedov
It might seem strange to be highlighting a fighter that will be going up against an opponent with a 19-0 record that includes three UFC victories, but having witnessed Trujillo’s Octagon debut up close and personal, I have to mention him here.
The chiseled and powerful member of The Blackzilians decimated Marcus LeVesseur with knees to the body in his freshman appearance, landing nearly 80 per cent of his significant strikes and defending a ton of takedowns against the former Division III standout.
There are some fighters who just look dangerous, both in their physical appearance and the personality they exude on the way to the cage, and Trujillo is one of them. He has a ferociousness about him in the cage that is hard to deal with, and while Nurmagomedov has enjoyed nothing but success thus far in his career, I’d hasten to say he has yet to face someone with the kind of tenaciousness and power Trujillo possesses.
Whoever wins becomes a darkhorse contender in the deep lightweight division, and a definite fighter to watch in the second half of 2013.
Fighter: Brian Bowles
Record: 10-2
Opponent: George Roop
Remember Brian Bowles? The former WEC bantamweight champion is back after an 18-month layoff, stepping in for the first time since losing to Urijah Faber at UFC 139.
Hypothetically, Bowles remains an elite option in the 135-pound weight class; he’s proven in the past that he can hang with the best in the division, and if he’s healthy and focused, he could make a run towards the top of the division again. Then again, the 32-year-old Georgia native could have accumulated a lot of rust over his year-and-a-half stretch on the sidelines, and that’s what makes this a must-watch fight for fans of the bantamweight division.
Roop is a tough match-up because of his size, and the right kind of guy for Bowles to return against — someone with enough experience and moxie to test the former champion, but not too far up the food chain that Bowles is getting thrown into the deep end right away.
