Continuing with our rundown of the UFC 109 preliminary round-up of action, two lightweight contests will take place on a free telecast at 9:00 PM EST airing on Spike TV. In those match-ups, The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 champion Mac Danzig (18-7-1, 2-3 UFC) aims to bounce back from multiple defeats as he battles Alaskan-native Justin Buchholz (8-4, 1-3 UFC) in a last ditch attempt for both men to maintain their contract with the UFC.
In the second match-up on Spike TV, powerful striker Melvin Guillard (22-8-2, 5-4 UFC) puts his heavy hands to use against UFC newcomer and Nova União-product Ronnys Torres (14-1,0-0 UFC). Guillard’s submission defense will be in the spotlight once again, but has Greg Jackson been able to improve the “Young Assassin” since his last defeat at the hands of Nate Diaz?
Both fights are within the context of the lightweight division, and both fights have some meaningfulness behind them, albeit very little. A win for Danzig will give the UFC some justification in keeping their season 6 winner in the mix despite the fact that he’d be a much more natural fit in the WEC’s 145 pound division.
The second bout gives the UFC an opportunity at a win-win situation. Guillard’s explosive power could produce a highlight reel knockout with a million plus viewership on Spike TV, but Torres’ skills could make quite the impression on the same fanbase watching. It’s a chance for a newcomer to instantly gain some fans, something that doesn’t happen often to incoming talent.
Danzig vs. Buchholz should be a fairly one-sided affair unless Danzig has problems putting Buchholz in the clinch or on his back. While Buchholz will have a significant height and reach advantage, Danzig’s prowess on the ground should be the deciding factor in this fight. Danzig has only been stopped once on the feet, by Hayato “Mach” Sakurai back at PRIDE 33, and I don’t see Buchholz being able to submit Danzig either. This should be a fairly easy win for Danzig.
Guillard’s hands will be the major question mark against Ronnys Torres. Some of the footage I’ve seen in the past of Torres’ bouts in Brazil didn’t make me feel confident in picking him against such a heavy-handed power striker like Guillard. Torres brawled with his opponents in a few of his match-ups, and he does seem to have some striking ability in his hands. The problem, however, with that is Guillard has one-punch knockout power, and Torres can’t afford to eat one on the chin while trying to swing for his own stoppage.
If Torres tries to bring his submission game to Guillard, it should be a quick night. Guillard once again showed his submission weaknesses against Nate Diaz, and Torres has the ability to quickly take advantage of any openings his opponent gives him. Unfortunately for Guillard, he tends to give more openings than your average UFC fighter. I’ll take Torres via submission. Keep an eye on Torres, he might be a huge surprise to some of you who haven’t seen him fight.