UFC on FX 1 Preview and Results: Guillard vs Miller

UFC on FX 1 MAIN CARD
155#: Melvin Guillard (29-9-2) vs. Jim Miller (20-3) wins by Rear Naked Choke in RD1!
170#: Duane “Bang” Ludwig (22-11) vs. Josh Neer (32-10-1) wins by Front Naked Choke in RD1!
135#: Mike Easton (11-1) vs. Jared Papazian (14-6) wins by Majority Decision!
265#: Pat Barry (6-4) vs. Christian Morecraft (7-2) wins by KO in RD1!

PRELIMINARY BOUTS
185#: Jorge Rivera (19-9) vs. Eric Schafer (12-6-2) wins by TKO in RD2!
155#: Khabib Nurmagomedov (16-0) vs. Kamal Shalorus (7-1-2) wins by Rear Naked Choke in RD3!
185#: Charlie Brenneman (14-3) vs. Daniel Roberts (12-3) wins by Unanimous Decision!
155#: Fabricio Camoes (13-6-1) vs. Tommy Hayden (8-0) wins by Modified Rear Naked Choke in RD1!
145#: Daniel Pineda (15-7) vs. Pat Schilling (5-0) wins by Rear Naked Choke in RD1!
135#: Nick Denis (10-2) vs. Joseph Sandoval (6-1) wins by KO in RD1! (Elbows)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s inaugural event on FX channel takes place on January 20th at the Broadcast Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The six preliminary bouts will be broadcast on FUEL TV beginning at 6pm before switching to the main event on FX at 9pm. Additionally, UFC on FX 1 weigh-ins will air live on FUEL TV at 5pm this Thursday, as will a post-fight show immediately following the main event.

Melvin Guillard vs Jim Miller
After gaining serious momentum by stringing together five wins in a row, Melvin Guillard was derailed by Massachusetts native Joe Lauzon by choke in 47 seconds at UFC 136 last October. Guillard who has most of his wins by way of TKO/KO prefers the striking game, which he has been most recognized for. He has however, shown a susceptibility to being submitted with 8 losses by way of submission.  He’ll certainly will want to get back on the winning track and will be under some pressure to do. He is not getting a break by any means against Jim Miller who has the majority of his wins by route of submission.

Guillard will have to avoid the ground at all costs, since the very powerful Miller only needs a moment to finish a fight. Miller himself had a 7 fight, 3 year win streak going before having it snapped by Ben Henderson at UFC Live 5 last August. In that bout Miller lost a unanimous decision in a fight where he never got going. Miller has striking prowess of his own and certainly won’t be adverse to trading kicks and punches with Guillard, but would be better suited to hit Guillard where he is weakest-the ground. This fight will simply come down to whether Guillard can quickly finish the fight before Miller attempts his takedowns or can simply stop Miller from taking him down in the first place. Both men are coming off of losses and will feel the pressure to not only pull of a win, but make a statement in doing so.

Duane Ludwig vs Josh Neer
Ex-kickboxer and UFC record holder for the quickest KO in just 4 seconds, Duane Ludwig is hoping to pull off another fast exciting KO over salty, tough veteran Josh Neer. Ludwig who is 4-2 in the UFC has spent his career going in and out of the UFC. He has fought for multiple organizations over his 12-year career and hoping this is his final destination. Here is a man who fought for a few hundred dollars when the UFC was just beginning. It certainly would be nice to see him garner some larger paydays.

In spite of his striking background, Ludwig has shown to be well-rounded with multiple submission wins. He will need to utilize his entire toolbox against Josh Neer. The dangerous, aggressive Neer has a finish rate of almost 80%, and can finish you with strikes or submissions. He is a gritty, aggressive, pressure fighter. Like Ludwig, Neer has been in and out of the UFC organization over his long 9 year career and also is on his last hurrah. His last bout in the UFC was at UFC 6 Live and was a TKO stoppage in RD 1 over Keith Wisniewski. Both men are finishers and will be making every attempt to steal the show and a Fight of the Night bonus. Don’t blink, or go to the fridge for a snack because this one won’t last long.

Mike Easton vs Jared Papazian
The Bantamweight class is known for being fast-paced and exciting. The Easton vs Papazian bout will showcase these common characteristics. Jared “The Jackhammer” Papazian is a  KOTC import – where he was Bantamweight Champion – and making his UFC debut,  winning his last 3 bouts, and 8 of his last 9. Papazian will want to tap into his athleticism, well-rounded, fast paced style to beat Easton and build on the win streak. Easton who has won his last 6 bouts, 4 by way of finish, left his Ultimate Warrior Challenge Bantamweight belt behind to make the move to the big show. In October at UFC Live 6 he TKO’d Byron Bloodworth with brutal knees and punches highlighting how dangerous of an opponent he is. Even though he has 4 TKO finishes, he is a Brazilian Jui Jitsu black belt under Lloyd Irvin and will gladly finish his opponents on the mat. He presents a real problem for anyone at Bantamweight and is certainly a fun person to watch. Stylistically these two ex-Bantamweight champions are similar and as past champions will be putting on as best a performance as they can to get a hold of a championship again.

Pat Barry vs Christian Morecraft
In the final main card bout, fan favorite Pat Barry faces Massachusetts native Christian Morecraft. Barry in spite of his 6-4 record seems to always put on an exciting show and is why he continues to be placed on the main card. Coming off of 2 losses by being choked out by Stefan Struve and being KO’d by Cheick Kongo (in a fight that looked like he was about to win), he will be under serious pressure to come out with a win or in all likelihood be cut from the UFC. The heavy-handed, light-hearted Barry seems to have too much fun in the ring and needs to take this bout very seriously. Morecraft, who also has a loss against Stefan Struve (by KO) is 1-2 in the organization and will be under similar pressure to rack up a win. The well-rounded Morecraft has both submissions and TKOs on his record, and win or lose has never heard a judge’s decision. He leaves it all in the ring and prefers to go out on his shield. I expect these two to stand in the center of the ring and pound away until someone falls.

What are your picks for UFC on FX? Who do you think will come away with the bonuses of Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night, and KO of the Night? Will Barry be back to winning form?