The Ultimate Fighting Championship is known for planning many of its cards well in advance; giving fans much to look forward to in anticipation. This week, the UFC has announced a number of interesting matchups that will fill a number of their upcoming events.
Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller
While UFC 132 has yet to be announced by the organization, they have already begun to announce fights for the card. First reported by Sherdog.com, lightweights Melvin Guillard and Shane Roller are set to face off at this event.
Guillard has been riding a streak that has revitalized his career, most recently knocking out the tough prospect Evan Dunham at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. Waylon Lowe, Ronys Torres, and Jeremy Stephens have also fallen to Guillard in the past year.
Roller earned the “Knockout of the Night” award when he dispatched Thiago Tavares during UFC Live on Versus 3. Roller was having a hard time dealing with Tavares striking abilities in the first round, but surprised the Brazilian with a strong left hand that dropped him. Roller performed well in the WEC where he defeated contenders such as Anthony Njokuani and former champion Jamie Varner.
Guillard may have been one of the most underrated fighters in the lightweight division, but his victory over Evan Dunham was a coming out party. His effective striking stopped Dunham early, who many thought would be an eventual title contender. Roller is the type that never shys away from a stand up battle, as was evidenced against Tavares. In my opinion, coming into this bout with the same attitude will cost him because Guillard is a much more effective striker with the ability to stop his opponent. I see Guillard winning this fight by second round stoppage.
Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo
Heavyweight strikers Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo are expected to battle during the UFC’s fourth visit to Versus.
6-2 Pat Barry is coming off of a victory over Joey Beltran at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 this past January. Five of his six victories have come by knockout for the former kickboxer. His record includes victories over Antoni Hardonk and Dan Evenson.
Kongo last competed at UFC 120 where he finished the night with a draw against Travis Browne. Kongo is looking to get his career back on track as his record over his last four fights is 1-2-1. Kongo displayed his abilities as a striker when he defeated the likes of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Antoni Hardonk, and Paul Buentello.
Barry and Kongo are two individuals who are both highly skilled strikers. Kongo had rocked the current champ, Cain Velasquez numerous times during their confrontation at UFC 99. Barry’s record of knockout victories speaks for itself. My opinion is that in this bout, Kongo’s extended layoff due to a back injury will come back to haunt him. Fighters returning from long bouts of inactivity do not normally fair well in the Octagon and I believe that will be the same in this bout, helping Barry towards his second straight win.
Donald Cerrone vs. Mac Danzig
Donald Cerrone and Mac Danzig have been going back and forth in the past few months and UFC match makers have decided to let these two get in the cage. At UFC 131 Danzig and Cerrone will face off against each other in a lightweight matchup.
Cerrone was successful in his UFC debut when he stepped in to defeat Paul Kelly at UFC 126; earning “Fight of the Night” in the process. Cerrone is best known for his performances in the WEC where he defeated the likes of Jamie Varner, Rob McCullough, and Danny Castillo. Cerrone is 7-3-1 while performing under a Zuffa banner.
Mac Danzig is coming off of a stunning first round knockout over Joe “Daddy” Stevenson at UFC 124. The winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 6 had fallen on tough times in the cage losing four of his last six fights, including the controversial stoppage against Matt Wiman.
Donald Cerrone has found himself in a variety of verbal battles. First, things started with Cole Miller then continued on to Paul Kelly and now Mac Danzig. I believe this is a very winnable fight for Cerrone who is very skilled on his feet and could trade with Danzig. On the mat I feel that Cerrone would also be more comfortable and could place Danzig in some dangerous positions. A win in this bout would seriously vault Cerrone into the lightweight rankings and show that the WEC migrants may be more than just preliminary fight card fillers.
With a number of events set for the coming months, fans can expect additional high profile matches to be added to these cards.
