By E. Spencer Kyte
Before each event, The Watch List identifies the intriguing prospects on the fight card and fill you in on some of the lesser-known fighters you might want to keep an eye on.
Here are the fighters flying under the radar to watch out for this weekend at UFC 154 in Montreal.
Watch two hours of live UFC 154 early preliminary fights Saturday, starting at 6 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.ca, followed by the two-hour televised undercard on Sportsnet regional channels.
FIGHTERS TO WATCH
Name: Francis Carmont
Record: 19-7
Opponent: Tom Lawlor
The French middleweight has earned a trio of victories since moving to the UFC, and has looked better with each subsequent appearance. After earning a decision win over Chris Camozzi in his debut, Carmont has earned back-to-back submission wins over Magnus Cedenbald and Karlos Vemola to push his overall winning streak to eight.
Now based out of the Tristar Gym in Montreal, this pairing with Lawlor is Carmont’s toughest to date in the UFC. While the former Ultimate Fighter contestant doesn’t have the markings of a future champion, he’s an experienced UFC competitor with good wrestling and the right amount of moxie to push Carmont more than his last two opponents.
This is a pivotal fight for the 31-year-old Frenchman. A win here won’t put him in the title picture, but it will earn him a step up in competition next time out, and with the middleweight division continually improving — and potentially welcoming some fighters from Strikeforce into the fold in 2013 — it’s now or never in terms of making a serious run in the 185-pound ranks.
Name: Costa Philippou
Record: 11-2
Opponent: Nick Ring
Much like Carmont, New York’s Costa Philippou has quietly been stacking up wins in the middleweight ranks. Though he’s won four straight heading into this one, each of Philippou’s last two wins have come by decision, and he’s been criticized for not being aggressive enough.
That should change against Ring, who likes to press the action, and will be bolstered by fighting on Canadian soil for the third time in his UFC career. Philippou, who trains alongside middleweight contender Chris Weidman and TUF finalist Al Iaquinta as part of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, has heavy hands and strong defensive wrestling, as he showed in his win over Court McGee back in March.
If he comes away with another victory, it will be hard to overlook Philippou when it comes time to hand out promotions. There aren’t a lot of fighters riding four- and five-fight winning streaks who are outside of contention, and if he emerges from Montreal with his winning streak intact, the man Matt Serra calls “Gus” will be deserving of a step up next time out.
Name: Mark Bocek
Record: 11-4
Opponent: Rafael dos Anjos
One of two Canadians featured on this list, Bocek has been making steady progress up the lightweight ranks over the last year, but remains a difficult fighter to place within the division.
When you look at his losses — all four of which have come in the UFC — you see that Bocek has fallen to the former champion (Frankie Edgar), the current champion (Benson Henderson), a perennial contender in a fight where he easily could have earned the decision (Jim Miller), and a gritty veteran who is hard to put away (Mac Danzig).
What makes it hard to place is six of the seven men he’s beaten in the UFC are no longer with the organization, and the one who remains, Nik Lentz, has changed divisions. We should learn more about where Bocek fits through this match-up with dos Anjos, an equally gifted grappler who has shown more power and development in his striking than the Canadian over the years.
This should be a very entertaining match-up where the winner will be elevated into the deep and dangerous contender ranks in the 155-pound weight class in 2013.
Name: Antonio Carvalho
Record: 14-5
Opponent: Rodrigo Damm
“Pato” picked up his first UFC victory in July with a stunning first-round knockout win over Daniel Pineda in Calgary.
Carvalho has been in the cage with some of the best featherweights in the world over his career, and was rightfully counted among that group prior to his near-two-year hiatus from active competition. While a return to the championship level may not be in the cards, the Canadian veteran is definitely capable of putting together a win streak on the biggest stage in the sport.
After looking tentative in dropping his UFC debut, Carvalho came out aggressively against Pineda, and it paid off. Damm is a grizzled veteran who has good hands and a strong ground game, so this could serve as an “elimination match” of sorts for these two veterans, with the winner progressing forward and the loser ending up with their back against the wall next time out.
Name: Steven Siler
Record: 21-9
Opponent: Darren Elkins
Siler’s 21-9 record is deceiving, as the 25-year-old Orem, Utah native began his career 5-7. Since then, the Ultimate Fighter Season 14 cast member has gone 16-2, including having won three straight in the UFC.
After coming across as hesitant and somewhat lacking in the confidence department on TUF, Siler has looked increasingly more comfortable and sure of his skills with each appearance in the Octagon. Following back-to-back decision wins over Josh Clopton and Cole Miller, “Super Steven” stopped late replacement Joey Gambino last time out, needing just 71 seconds to earn the finish.
Elkins is in a similar position as Siler, having also won three, which makes the fact that this one is kicking off the event on Facebook/Sportsnet.ca a bit confusing. Nonetheless, the winner will be toting around a four-fight winning streak, and while they might not be the most recognizable names in the ever-growing featherweight division, that kind of run of success has got to count for something.
E. Spencer Kyte is a regular contributor to ufc.com, UFC Magazine, and Fight Magazine, and writes the MMA blog Keyboard Kimura. Follow him on Twitter @spencerkyte.
