Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: On UFC Fight Night 75's most intriguing fights
Sep 24, 2015 - 3:45:11 PM ROUNDTABLE: On UFC Fight Night 75's most intriguing fights

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Which fights are you most intrigued by on the UFC Fight Night 75 card from Japan, and why?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Intrigue

1. arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate.
"I was intrigued by your question"

synonyms: interest, be of interest to, fascinate, arouse someone's curiosity, arouse someone's interest, pique someone's curiosity, pique someone's interest, attract

2. a mysterious or fascinating quality.
"within the region's borders is a wealth of interest and intrigue"

Anyone who pays attention to what I write here can pretty much guess where I'm going with this one. Nothing on this card arouses my curiosity, fascinates me, or possesses a mysterious quality for me. There are certainly fights that interest me, and even fights that I don't have a handle on how they'll play out. But I'm not "intrigued" by a damn thing on this watered down RFA card.

Look. I get that Barnett vs. Nelson is mildly interesting, but then factor in the fact that I hate Roy Nelson fights, and that Barnett has several more ways to win this fight, and there's nothing in the main event for me. I get that Mousasi is great. Frequently more dull in the cage than out of the cage (where he's really damn dull), but he's going up against a jobber whose fame is built entirely on a KO in an amateur fight over a not-top-1000 fighter. No interest there. I like Horiguchi and Camus (I love Chico Camus), but we all know what's going to happen in that one. Mizugaki vs. Roop is just... weird. It's weird. Hirota's ceiling is so low that I think he lives in Atlantis. And if I have to start talking about Kikuno vs. Brandao before I could even entertain the possibility of intrigue, well, there's no intrigue here, folks.

Now, that said, I'm going to watch as much of the card as I can (presuming the kids go to bed before I pass out from exhaustion), and I'll certainly enjoy the card as much as I ever have. But there's nothing here, nothing, that is going to get a rise out of me. And frankly, I might not be "intrigued" by any fight the UFC promotes until Poirier vs. Duffy next month.


MICHAEL BANE, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

This is a pretty lackluster card as far as overall appeal goes. Granted, it's a Fight Night event in another country, but outside of a couple of fights that raise nominal interest, there isn't much at all in the way of big picture implications.

Josh Barnett is generally a fun fighter to watch, as his catch wrestling style of fighting is pretty unique in the sport, and he's quite the character. While a lot of his career was spent under the cloud of being busted multiple times for PED usage, even at this age he remains possible contender because of his ability and the lack of depth in the heavyweight division. He hasn't fought in almost two years, but claims that at the age of 37, he's still got a good bit of time left in the sport. It would be fun to see him make a run, and this might be the first of a couple of fights he wins to enter into the title picture.

Roy Nelson, on the other hand, has become about as one-dimensional as you can be. His entire strategy consists of walking through punches, and throwing right-handed bombs. It's fine if he connects, because he packs enough power in that overhand right to put anyone on the ground. The problem is that he hasn't connected in four of his last five fights. Take away that from his arsenal, and he really has nothing anymore. Nelson had a great ground control and jiu-jitsu game earlier in his career, but he's long since abandoned that. It's a lazy style of fighting, when you're just trying to hit a home run all the time, and it's magnified by the fact that his physique and lack of cardio make him look lazy in the first place. He's a character, and it's fun to root for the everyman, but it would be nice if we actually thought he was trying to make the most of his opportunity.

Outside of that, I'll be moderately paying attention to Gegard Mousasi and Uriah Hall. Mousasi has a shocking 44 professional fights under his belt at the age of 30. He's long, lanky, and a good boxer. His ground game is refined and he's finished numerous opponents by both strikes and submissions. He's also one of the most even-keeled fighters I've ever seen, in that nothing seems to excite or worry him. It almost seems he's apathetic at the time. Mousasi always seems to be just outside the cusp of the title contenders, being able to beat everyone but the elite fighters in his division. We keep waiting, but as of yet, he hasn't gotten that signature victory against top level competition in the UFC.

Hall, on the other hand, is an extraordinary athlete who continues to tease with his natural ability. He's also a chronic underachiever, wasting the talent he's been blessed with because his mentality just doesn't seem suited for the fight game. He's really become the Erick Silva of the middleweight division, a guy who regularly disappoints and fights down to the level of his competition. Mousasi is a big step up for him as far as ranked opponents go, and whether or not he'll rise to the occasion might be the most interesting question of the night.

Outside of those two, there's not a ton on the card that piques my interest. There's some fighters that might be three fights away from being relevant in the lighter divisions, but with MMA fatigue setting in, I'll start paying attention to them three fights from now, assuming they get there. It's a DVR night for me, but the top two fights definitely deserve a viewing, even if it is Sunday morning before the NFL kicks off.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Gegard Mousasi vs. Uriah Hall is the fight I find most interesting. Both guys are supremely talented but come up small at times. Hall especially so, but Mousasi has had some bad moments as well. This could be the best fight of the night or they could stink out the joint. I'll take a chance and say it's the former. I'm also looking forward to the main event of Josh Barnett vs. Roy Nelson. Neither guy is looking at a title shot, but a big win here gets them closer. The UFC heavyweight division is thin at the top, but the middle is full of guys who only need a few wins in a row to get that title shot talk started. That makes this fight all the more intriguing.


ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Josh Barnett vs. Roy Nelson and Gegard Mousasi vs. Uriah Hall. I've followed Barnett's career since its inception, and win or lose, he can't have many bouts left. Mousasi vs Hall intrigues on the off-chance that Hall has a breakthrough and suddenly starts living up to his enormous The Ultimate Fighter hype.


DAYNE FOX, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

There isn't a single fight that I can't wait to see, but there are a few that pique my interest a bit. Kyoji Horiguchi was demolished by Mighty Mouse in his last outing and I'm curious to see how he rebounds against Chico Camus. Horiguchi received his shot at Johnson far too early and has the time and skill set to work his way back with it starting here. I very much expect Horiguchi to win, but Camus is the type of tough scrapper that can eek out a win if your head is in the wrong place.

Takeya Mizugaki and George Roop have been in some entertaining fights so I see no reason why the mixture of these two shouldn't be combustible. The loser could very well be sent on their way out as the new wave of talent at 135 is starting to bloom. I'm also looking forward to Gegard Mousasi disposing of Uriah Hall. I kind of feel bad saying that as I have nothing against Hall, but I'm sick of all of his fanboys wondering why he doesn't get name opponents. I would have thought his fight with Rafael Natal would have shut them up, but hopefully this does the trick.