NASHVILLE, TN, January 20, 2012 – Tonight’s the night for fights in the music city with UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller (UFC on FX 1) taking place at the Bridgestone Arena starting at 6PM EST / 5 PM Central. The event features former Houston resident Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard taking on New Jersey’s Jim Miller in the main event of the evening on FX while also featuring three additional Texans on the undercard with Kamal Shalorus, Daniel Pineda, and Joseph Sandoval all competing on FUEL beginning early at 5PM Texas time.
Without further adieu, let’s break down the entire card with our TXMMA preview and predictions.
UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller – Main Card Preview and Predictions
155 lbs. – Melvin Guillard (29-9-2) vs. Jim Miller (20-3)
Fight Preview – Former Texas resident Melvin Gullard is one scary fighter and that’s in more ways than one. On one hand, he’s one of the most explosive strikers in the 155 division and is athletically superior to just about everyone. On the other hand, he’s wildly inconsistent – capable of winning against anyone while also a threat to lose anytime as well.
As for Jim Miller, he’s been the model of consistency and has only lost to top competition in Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, and now Benson Henderson. He’s also never been finished and is very much a forward-charging fighter. Quite frankly, we don’t see Melvin putting him on his heels here. Jim has the chin and power to aggressively attack when he needs to. That much was evident when he became the first man to knock out Austin’s Kamal Shalorus. And he also had the grappling cops to submit Houston’s Charles Oliviera.
Melvin will definitely be going into this fight as the underdog and with good reason. Expect the same old result in this one with Jim Miller securing the submission at some point in the first or second round.
Prediction – Jim Miller over Melvin Guillard by submission, RD 2.
155 lbs. – Duane Ludwig (21-11) vs. Josh Neer (32-10-1)
Fight Preview – After years of being the unofficial record holder and a recent comparison of the contenders, Duane Ludwig is now the sole owner of the fastest knockout in UFC history with his 7-second KO of Jonathan Goulet six years ago. He’s done well in recent times as well with 2 wins in a row against former TUF winner Amir Sadollah and Nick Osipczak. The Muay Thai stylist will now be looking to make it a hat trick against “The Dentist,” who’s looking for his second win in a row during his current stint in the UFC and sixth straight win in a row.
This fight should be interesting due to the fact that both these guys prefer to fight on their feet. Ludwig is a technical striker while Neer likes to play a more unorthodox game and confound his opponents. Not certain how that will all play out once they hit the cage but we’re picking Neer to continue his win streak here.
Prediction – Josh Neer over Duane Ludwig by unanimous decision.
135 lbs. – Mike Easton (11-1) vs. Jared Papazian (14-6)
Fight Preview – Team Lloyd Irvin’s Mike “The Hulk” Easton is one heck of a dynamo at the lighter weights. He more than proved that with his second round TKO over Byron Bloodworth this past October and has also beaten Chase Beeber and John Dodson in the past. Meanwhile, we don’t know too much about debutant Jared Papazian but do know he’s fought 11 times in the past two years. He’s definitely been active and will come into this fight in shape. Unfortunately that won’t be enough against Easton, who’s a physical specimen at this weight.
Expect Mike Eason to utilize his wrestling to get on top and control from there for as long as he wants to do in this fight. He’ll definitely get the points but he may get the finish too.
Prediction – Mike Eason over Jared Papazian by submission, RD 3.
265 lbs. – Pat Barry (6-4) vs. Christian Morecraft (7-2)
Fight Preview – We don’t quite know what to say about Pat Barry… He’s definitely a fan favorite and is always in exciting fights but he has never quite reached beyond mid-card status. In fact, he’s lost 4 out of 6 fights yet he’s still employed by the UFC. They must really like and thus they’ve thrown him a bone in this fight.
Christian Morecraft is a big (6 ft 6) heavyweight that represents a large target for “HD” Barry’s leg kicks. He’s lost 2 out his 3 UFC fight with his lone win coming against regional favorite Sean McCorkle. IN short, he’s no Cheick Kongo and that bodes well for the stocky kickboxer. So long as Barry doesn’t get caught up on the ground and get himself submitted, he should win fight and yet another UFC reprieve.
Prediction – Pat Barry over Christian Morecraft by TKO, RD 2.
UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller – Preliminary Card Preview and Predictions
185 lbs. – Jorge Rivera (19-9) vs. Eric Schafer (12-6-2)
Fight Preview – Every time I see Jorge Rivera I can’t seem to shake the images of his epic troll of Michael Bisping out of my head. Sadly that’s the most impressive thing he did last year while going 0-2. At 39 years old, his best days may be behind him despite the fact that he can still pose a danger to anyone on their feet. This time around, “El Conquistador” will be taking on Shafer, a BJJ stylist who has one dimension in his game where he can post a definitive threat. We expect Jorge to pull this one and show he still has at least a little more thread left in those tires.
Prediction – Jorge Rivera over Eric Schafer by unanimous decision.
155 lbs. – Khabib Nurmagomedov (16-0) vs. Kamal Shalorus (7-1-2)
Fight Preview – Coming back from his first career (T)KO loss to Jim Miller, Kamal Shalorus remains an enigma. He’s one of the most decorated wrestlers in the division but loves to trade on the feet instead. He’s got some power but is otherwise very raw. Meanwhile his opponent in this fight is a 23 year old 3x Russian combat sambo champion and a rising prospect out of AMA where he trains with the Miller brothers. Kamal will be his toughest opponent yet but one he could surprise with the skills he possesses.
Prediction – Khabib Nurmagomedov over Kamal Shalorus by unanimous decision.
170 lbs. – Charlie Brenneman (14-3) vs. Daniel “Ninja” Roberts (12-3)
Fight Preview – Charlie Brenneman is a rough-and-tumble wrestler who made his mark by upsetting Rick Story awhile back before falling prey to the now-cut Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Meanwhile, Daniel Roberts is a Cesar Gracie-trained grappler who’s trying to come back from 2 losses in a row. This fight is going to be a war of attrition between Charlie’s wrestling vs. Daniel’s submissions. In that kind of match, we see the wrestling squeezing out a win.
Prediction – Charlie Brenneman over Daniel Roberts by unanimous decision.
155 lbs. – Fabrício Camões vs. Tommy Hayden
Fight Preview – Fabrício Camões is making his UFC re-debut fo the first time since he lost to Kurt Pellegrino in 2010 after beating Efrain Escudero in regional competition. Meanwhile, Tommy Hayden is making his true first appearance after 8 wins on the regional circuit. Hayden is Jorge-Gurgel trained but Camões is a 3rd degree BJJ black belt. The Brazilian definitely has the advantage here.
Prediction – Fabrício Camões over Tommy Hayden by submission, RD 2.
145 lbs. – Daniel Pineda (15-7) vs. Pat Schilling (5-0)
Fight Preview – We broke this fight down in great detail in our TXMMA Tale of the Tape segment so head there for the in-depth analysis but to sum it all up, let’s just say Houston’s Pineda enters this one as the slight betting favorite after several big wins at Legacy FC. His opponent Schilling is a former collegiate (D3) wrestler and developing striker/submission artist that hasn’t yet faced top competition on the regional circuit. We see Daniel coming out strong in this one and taking the win back to Texas.
Prediction – Daniel Pineda over Pat Schilling by TKO, RD 1.
135 lbs. – Joseph Sandoval (6-1) vs. Nick Denis (10-2)
Fight Preview – Lubbock native Joseph Sandoval makes his return to the octagon for the first time since suffering the first loss of his UFC career against the towering Walel Watson this past October. This time around he’ll be taking on Nick Denis, a seasoned fighter at 12-2 whose only losses have come in Japan against Yuji Hoshiino and Marlon Sandro. Nick won his last fight by slam so he’ll definitely be a force to contend with. Sandoval can be pretty unpredictable and that will work to his advantage but Denis is definitely the favorite in this one.
Prediction – Nick Denis by TKO, RD 2.
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