This isn’t going to be very long. The first UFC event of 2014 takes place in Singapore and features a gaggle of fighters making their UFC debuts. Hell, even the headliners have a total of two UFC fights between them. Tarec Saffiedine was a fixture in Strikeforce though, and late replacement Hyun Gyu Lim has been very impressive on the big show so far.
Basically, I’m going to make an assumption and say that no one gets cut from the UFC with a loss in their debut here because they’re trying to build the Asian market. And with that out of the way, 75% of the fighters are safe since 15 of the 20 are fighting for the first time in the organization. I know. That’s a lot.
So here’s what I think about the rest. Lim and Dustin Kimura are probably safe. These three might not be.
Likely to be cut with a loss
Quinn Mulhern – He had a decent run in Strikeforce, winning his last three. But he was quickly stopped by Rick Story in his UFC debut and decided to drop to 155. Most guys might get a second fight if they lose their debut in a new division, but the other problem for Quinn is that he has pulled out of two UFC fights with injuries already. That’s not something the UFC is a big fan of, and I think if he gets beaten by Kikuno they’re going to just let him go.
Possibly cut with a loss
Max Holloway – I personally like Holloway and think he has a lot of potential. He’s only 22 after all. But he followed up a good start in the UFC with some not-so-good performances. He was gifted a decision over Leonard Garcia, but karma slapped him back when he dropped a split to Dennis Bermudez in a fight he probably won. Then he couldn’t do much of anything against Conor McGregor, even though he blew his knee out in the first round. The skinny of it is that if he loses here, that’s three in a row. I honestly believe he’ll be given another shot, but you never know.
Kyung Ho Kang – He’s 0-2 in the UFC thus far, but one of the losses was flipped to a No Contest becase Bruce Leeroy likes the ganja. Both fights were close, but you can’t keep losing bouts on the big stage and hope to survive. He badly needs a win here and a loss might send him back to Road FC.
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