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: Paul Felder vs. Johnny Case, UFC Fight Night 59
My pick for the best new fight announced this past week is the upcoming lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 59 between Paul Felder and Johnny Case. The event takes place January 18 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, and Felder vs. Case would have been scheduled for the main card were this not one of the UFC’s more stacked Fight Night offerings.
This is a battle of two of the better prospects in the UFC lightweight division. I’m very much looking forward to seeing who wins the fight and takes a step up in competition, as I am high on both fighters and believe both have solid potential in the sport.
In regards to Felder, he is 9-0 so far in MMA since beginning his career in 2011, including 1-0 in the UFC. In his promotional debut he showed a lot of skill in defeating Jason Saggo via split decision in one of the better fights at UFC Fight Night 54. He’s 29 and still has a lot of work to do to be a contender, but he seems to be improving rapidly every fight and is certainly someone to keep an eye on in the near future.
As for Case, he is 19-4 in his career, and he is currently on a nine-fight win streak. In his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 52, Case won a Performance of the Night award for his submission win over Kazuki Tokudome, a bonus that was well deserved. Only 25 years of age, Case really has the potential to be a player at 155 lbs, should he continue to improve and round out his game.
Trust me, this is going to be a great fight, and don’t sleep on it when January rolls around.
• Johnny Case vs. Paul Felder
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Worst: Matt Van Buren vs. Sean O’Connell, UFC Fight Night 59
My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 59 between Matt Van Buren and Sean O’Connell. On a card that features a number of high-profiles fights, such as Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver, Eddie Alvarez vs. Benson Henderson, and Uriah Hall vs. Costas Philippou, Van Buren vs. O’Connell sticks out like a sore thumb.
The bout pits basically the two lowest-ranked light heavyweights in the UFC against one another. Van Buren, a Bellator washout who somehow made it to the finals of the TUF 19 light heavyweight tournament, was brutally knocked out by Corey Anderson at the Finale, and did not look like a UFC caliber fighter in that fight. Considering he went 2-2 in Bellator, it’s a real question why the UFC even signed him in the first place, because outside of his length and size (he is 6’5″), he doesn’t seem to offer up many skills, and he doesn’t seem to have a bright future in the sport.
As for O’Connell, he is 0-2 in the UFC with a knockout loss to Ryan Jimmo and a split decision loss to Gian Villante, but at least he was somewhat competitive in those fights. He also has a good personality, which obviously helps in MMA, an entertainment-based sport, and he has a fun, striking-based style. I don’t think O’Connell has any sort of future as a contender at 205 lbs, but he is fairly exciting. Still, he’s 0-2 for a reason, and if he loses to Van Buren, he has to be cut.
• Matt Van Buren vs. Sean O’Connell
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UFC Fight Night 59: McGregor vs. Siver is due to take place on January 18, 2015 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 59 will be.
