(The Daily Haymaker is a daily series that takes a look back and covers the news, fights being made, and all the other insanity revolving around combat sports. The Haymaker’s purpose is to keep you up to date with the ever changing combat sports world and also provide thought-provoking [hopefully] analysis from yours truly.)
The News
1. I have no idea if Dana White spilled a carton of salt or shot an albatross, but the UFC on FOX 9 card has been cursed. After the event lost it’s Lightweight Championship main event, Jamie Varner is out of his fight against Pat Healy, and Kevin Gastelum withdrew from his TUF winner vs TUF winner contest versus Court McGee. Replacements for both fights have been announced. Bobby Green, fresh off destroying the jewels of James Krause, will now fight Healy, and Ryan LaFlare has stepped up to take on McGee.
2. Fight Sports Asia has reported several UFC signings. The promotion has signed Doo Ho Choi (11-1), Will Chope (19-5), and Bekbulat Magomedov (11-0). Choi is considered the best prospect from South Korea, and a fighter that could make an immediate impact like Brandon Thatch. The welterweight has won nine a row, including a TKO victory over Mitsuhiro Ishida. Will Chope is a 6′ 4″ featherweight that most recently TKO’d Takumi Nakayama at PXC 40. Chope has won fourteen consecutive fights. Magomedov is an undefeated Russian featherweight.
3. According to ESPN, Matthew Macklin will now square off with Lamar Russ at December 7th. Russ replaces Willie Nelson.
Fights Made
UFC on FOX 9 – December 14th
Lightweight Bout
Pat Healy (29-17, 1 NC) vs Bobby Green (21-5)
Background: Healy has gone winless in his UFC career thus far, but prior to that, Healy won six straight in Strikeforce. He’s a scrappy lightweight that’s made his name from winning fights when he’s considered a major underdog. Green was the center of controversy following his TKO victory over James Krause because the finishing blow appeared to have been a kick that connected on his opponent’s cup. The 27 year-old lightweight has won his last six and could blossom into a real fixture in the division.
Excitement Level: 6 out of 10. A win for Bobby Green would skyrocket his stock while a Healy victory would just steadily increase his trajectory which has been the story of his career. Both fighters have had their share of can’t-miss fights as well as duds. I expect this one to end up right in the middle from both a competitive and entertainment standpoint.
Welterweight Bout
Court McGee (16-3) vs Ryan LaFlare (9-0)
Background: Court McGee won the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. He dropped down to the welterweight division following losses to Costas Philippou and Nick Ring. Since the move down, McGee has beaten Josh Neer and Robert Whittaker. LaFlare is a new face in the UFC who just won his second straight fight on Saturday.
Excitement Level: 3.5 out of 10. McGee’s drop to welterweight intrigued me, but his first two fights at his home, despite being wins, haven’t given me much reason to jump on the Court McGee hype train. LaFlare has also done little to get me excited about him in his two UFC outings, but the tide could change for either fighter with a dominant victory in this one.
UFN 33 – December 7th
Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Julie Kedzie (16-12) vs Bethe Correia (6-0)
Background: Kedzie is a veteran women’s Mixed Martial Artist that has spent time in Elite XC and Strikeforce. She’s lost her last three to Alexis Davis, Miesha Tate, and Germaine de Randamie. Correia is a thirty year-old Brazilian bantamweight that started competing professionally in 2012. Her nickname is pitbull which could give her the honor of being the first women fighter named pitbull.
Excitement Level: 5 out of 10. This is a must win for Kedzie whose back is against the wall because of her inability to attain a win in her last three outings. She always brings it from an fight quality standpoint, and I expect this one to steal the show.
UFN 34 – January 4th
Featherweight Bout
Will Chope (19-5) vs Bekbulat Magomedov
Background: You can read each fighters biographical information above in the news section where I mentioned the UFC signing them.
Excitement Level: 5 out of 10. Chope left more to be desired in his last fight, but his insane reach as a featherweight makes him an intriguing individual to keep an eye on, while Magomedov is a young fighter that could explode into a real monster at featherweight.
WSOF 7 – December 7th
WSOF Featherweight Championship
Georgi Karakhanyan (22-3-1) vs Lance Palmer (7-0)
Background: Following a stint in Bellator, Karakhanyan has reeled off eight straight victories that include wins over Hiroyuki Takaya, Micah Miller, and Waylon Lowe. 4-time All-American Lance Palmer is a 25 year-old from Team Alpha Male who last beat Jared Downing at RFA 8.
Excitement Level: 8 out of 10. A good argument could be made for Karakhanyan being the best non-ZUFFA and Bellator featherweight not named Shinya Aoki [if Aoki continues to fight in the division], while Palmer is one of the top featherweight prospects thanks to his successful collegiate wrestling career. I’m really excited for this tilt because this could be a great platform for Karakhanyan to strengthen his case as a premier featherweight or for Palmer to break through out of the prospect mold.
Must Reads
1. Dave Meltzer, one of the few journalists still around that covered the sport since UFC 1, wrote a lengthy and enjoyable piece about some of the biggest moments in UFC history here: http://bit.ly/17mRtsg
2. On Bleacher Report, Jonathan Snowden had an extensive interview with Chael Sonnen, and believe me when I say it’s really interesting. Sonnen opened up to Snowden and brought to light some fascinating details about his career. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/19hmzBz
3. Bloody Elbow’s T.P. Grant continues his MMA Origins series with an excellent in-depth look at UFC 1 here: http://bit.ly/HRGFg4
4. Here’s Chuck Mindenhall’s review of the year 1998 in the UFC: http://bit.ly/HSd6uF
That’ll do it for today’s Haymaker. Thanks for reading, and I’ll leave you with a quote from Les Brown.
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”
-Daniel can be reached at [email protected] or @danielgal.
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