First and Worst: Week of August 25 – August 31, 2014

By Adam Martin

First and Worst is an ongoing series for MMARatings.net, where every week Adam will make his pick for the best and worst newly-announced fight of the past week (Monday to Sunday). If you’d like to see any additions to this series, hit him up on Twitter @MMAdamMartin.

First: Matt Wiman vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg, UFC Fight Night 57

My choice for the best new fight announced this past week is the upcoming lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 57 between Matt Wiman and Isaac Vallie-Flagg. The event is set to take place November 22 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX, and the bout between Wiman and Vallie-Flagg will most likely be on the main card.

Wiman has long been one of my favorite fighters in the UFC lightweight division, ever since I first saw him compete on TUF 5. A scrappy, hard-nosed fighter with well-rounded skills, Wiman has always been involved in exciting fights in his career, and he’s one of those guys who always leaves it in the cage. However, after being knocked out by TJ Grant at UFC on FOX 6, he has taken nearly two years off to recover and rejuvenate himself, so there are definitely question marks surrounding him heading into this fight. But either way, I expect him to put on a show for the fans like he always does.

Similarly, Vallie-Flagg is a veteran who is always involved in fun fights. In his last outing, he won his first Fight of the Night award for his war with Takanori Gomi at UFC 172. He’s a tough dude who constantly walks forward throwing bombs, and when he takes on Wiman in what is like a “loser leaves town” matchup at UFC Fight Night 57, I expect nothing less than a bloody war between these two guys.

This isn’t going to be the most technical fight you’ll see this year, and it has little-to-no relevancy in the standings, but it’s a very exciting fight between two veterans clinging to their roster spots, and I expect it to be very entertaining when it goes down this November in Texas.

UFC Fight Night 57

• Matt Wiman vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.

Worst: Chris Beal vs. Tateki Matsuda, UFC Fight Night 50

My pick for the worst fight announced this past week is the bantamweight bout that takes place this weekend at UFC Fight Night 50 between TUF 18 alum Chris Beal and UFC newcomer Tateki Matsuda. The event is set for this Friday at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, CT, and the bout will open up the evening’s preliminary card.

I know the UFC was in a bind to find an opponent for Beal, but this fight against Matsuda is going to be a blowout. Originally, Beal was booked to fight Rob Font in what would have been a fantastic fight between two heavy-handed up-and-comers, but after Font pulled out, Dustin Kimura was put into his place. The Beal vs. Kimura fight didn’t make too much sense because it pitted a fighter coming off a win against a fighter coming off a loss, but at least Kimura has UFC experience, and at least we know what we’re getting with him.

Earlier this week, though, Kimura pulled out of the fight, and the UFC called upon newcomer Matsuda to take his place. Matsuda, who has a 10-5 career record, is currently riding a two-fight win streak on the regional circuit, but both of his wins came over nobodies. He also lost two fights in a row prior to his recent win streak. So I understand he’s made improvements, but still, he shouldn’t be facing Beal – who is still undefeated as a pro at 9-0 — in his UFC debut.

I think the UFC should have just saved Beal for a card in the coming months and given him a legitimate opponent, not some guy with a bad record on the regional circuit. Look for Beal to win this fight by knockout and continue moving up the bantamweight ladder, while for Matsuda, look for him to get a pat on the back from the UFC matchmakers for being a sacrificial lamb.

UFC Fight Night 50