First and Worst: March 2 – March 8, 2015

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: Neil Magny vs. Hyun Gyu Lim, UFC Fight Night 66

My pick for the best new matchup announced this past week is the upcoming welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night 66 between Neil Magny and Hyun Gyu Lim. The event is set for May 16 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines, and Magny vs. Lim is expected to be a part of the evening’s main card.

I know a lot of people don’t like this fight for Magny, but I do. Even though the former TUF 16 alum is riding a six-fight winning streak inside the Octagon, he generally has fought lesser competition and hasn’t been tested. He also, for the most part, hasn’t fought opponents with KO power. And that’s what Lim brings to the table — pure, sheer, knockout power.

There’s no doubt Magny is the more technical, more active of these two, but if Lim lands a giant blow from one of his, er, limbs, then Magny could go out cold, just like he did on TUF when Mike Ricci KO’d him with a brutal elbow. Again, Magny has been fighting guys who lack the ability to end fights, so going up against one of the most powerful welterweights in the division will determine whether he can take a punch, and if Magny can win then he’ll get a tougher opponent next.

As for Lim, the guy is just a beast. He’s 3-1 in the UFC with three brutal knockout wins, and his lone loss came in a closely-contested 2014 Fight of the Year candidate against Tarec Saffiedine. Although Lim isn’t a huge name to the casual fan, the UFC knows how good he is, and they know what they’re doing putting him on this Philippines card.

I’m really excited for this fight and I’m expecting nothing less than fireworks when these two step into the cage this May. It should be a good one.

UFC Fight Night 66

• Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Neil Magny

Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.

Worst: Uriah Hall vs. Rafael Natal, UFC 187

My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the upcoming middleweight bout at UFC 187 between Uriah Hall and Rafael Natal. The event takes place May 23 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Hall vs. Natal is one of the FS1-televised preliminary card bouts.

I just don’t understand the matchmaking here at all. Hall was supposed to fight Costas Philippou, a top-10-ranked fighter, at UFC Fight Night 59 until Philippou pulled out with an injury and was replaced by Ron Stallings. Hall then proceeded to smash Stallings, earning him a three-fight win streak, and immediately after the fight called out Philippou for a fight in Newark at UFC on FOX 15.

I’m not a huge fan of Hall, but after beating Stallings, Chris Leben, and Thiago Santos, I felt he deserved the fight with Philippou, especially since it was booked once, and especially since these two fought previously on the regional circuit, with Philippou earning a majority decision. This would have been a good rematch between two strikers and I’m disappointed it didn’t happen. I’m not exactly sure why the UFC chose to match up Philippou with Gegard Mousasi and give Hall a fight with Natal.

All due respect to Natal, and the guy is a decent fighter no doubt about it, but I don’t see how he earned a fight with Hall. Yes, he’s on a two-fight win streak himself, but it’s not like he was crazy impressive against Tom Watson or Chris Camozzi. Natal deserves his spot on the UFC roster, but he should be fighting mid-tier talent, not a guy like Hall who is a borderline star for the UFC.

Despite Natal having more wins in the UFC than Hall, I’m not expecting a competitive fight here. I think Hall smashes Natal, and I don’t think it will be close. And I don’t think Mousasi vs. Philippou will be close either, as I see Mousasi easily winning that fight. I’m just not sure what the UFC’s plan is here, but what I do know is they blew the chance of a Philippou vs. Hall grudge match, and as a fan of the sport that’s disappointing, because real rivalries are rare in MMA, and I wish the UFC would take advantage of them when they happen.