The UFC steps onto the Fox stage with UFC on Fox: VanZant vs Waterson card. Sacramento, California and its newly built Golden 1 Center will play host. A lot of young talent fills the slots, so be sure not to miss these fights. Let’s take a look at UFC on FOX: VanZant vs Waterson!
The Main Card
Paige “12-Gauge” VanZant vs Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson
In the main event we have a very intriguing clash between marketable 115 lb stars. VanZant has exploded onto the horizon courtesy of her time on Dancing With the Stars, good looks, likable personality, and recent flying switch-kick TKO over Bec Rawlings. Meanwhile, Waterson is a former Invicta champion. She developed a name for herself outside the promotion before making her UFC debut last year and winning.
Even though VanZant is developing into a full-blown celebrity, she’s still very green in terms of MMA skills. She’s a little sloppy and reckless, but one thing is for certain – she has heart and grit. The beating she took from Rose Namajunas is evidence of this. She keeps fighting even when getting smashed to a pulp, and has the cardio to fight 5 rounds.
Contrast this with Waterson and you see why this fight is so intriguing. Waterson is a life-long martial artist with a blackbelt in karate. She has great kicks and knows how to fight at distance. She’s also very savvy off of her back and in transitions. In terms of technique and knowledge of fighting, Waterson has a very distinct edge over VanZant. However, she doesn’t have the grit that VanZant does, and has struggled in the deep waters. I see this one going all five rounds, and being very competitive.
Pick: VanZant via Split Decision.
Sage Northcutt vs Mickey Gall
In an oddball of a co-main event, we have two more rising stars. Northcutt, the young upstart out of Texas, is known for his sensational athleticism and karate skills. He has slowly been introduced to the elite level of competition in the UFC, and is doing fairly well. There are still many holes in his game, but he has the potential and attitude to go very far. Gall seems to be taking the shortcut to stardom as he got the golden ticket to face CM Punk. Of course, he starched him, and is now gunning for another star while trying to make his own name. Gall is only 3-0 in MMA.
So far from what we’ve seen, Mickey Gall is an aggressive fighter who does his best work on the mat. With that said, his gameplan is relatively straight forward – secure the takedown, rain down punches in guard, pass, take the back, and secure the choke. While Gall may have a troublesome style for Northcutt, he is vastly out-matched in terms of weapons. Northcutt has diverse attacks on the feet; darting punches, blitzes, and slick kicking technique. He’s also well-equipped to land his own takedowns do damage from the top. His weakness so far has been cardio and getting off his back.
That being said, I expect Northcutt to turn a new leaf in this match and show his improvements. His pure athleticism will help him get out of sticky situations, and once he does I don’t think Gall will be equipped to win.
Pick: Northcutt via Unanimous Decision.
Urijah Faber vs Brad Pickett
This is Urijah Faber’s swan song, and we’re going to miss him. Luckily, he gets the luxury of fighting in his backyard against a fellow veteran in Pickett. Pickett is 1-4 in his last five fights, and likely on his way out the door too. Meanwhile, Faber was soundly defeated by Jimmie Rivera in his last bout, and failed to take out Dominick Cruz before then. Despite his recent short-comings though, Faber is arguably Pickett’s biggest test since Renan Barao (who he was decimated by).
Faber will hold a considerable advantage if he can get Pickett on the mat, but to do so he’ll need to close the distance. Luckily, Pickett is happy to do that as he always comes ready to trade shots and put on a show. Pickett’s takedown game is always in his backpocket too, but Faber’s guillotine is the perfect counter to that.
I expect we’ll see Faber and Pickett trade hands, in which case I favor Faber’s punching power. He doesn’t show the same versatility that he used to, but he can still crack. If he hurts Pickett (which is likely), then he’ll probably follow up with strikes en route to his patented guillotine. If he can’t get the edge on Pickett, then he’ll likely set up his own takedown and dominate the fight from top position. Anyway you slice it, I see Faber winning big for his last hoorah.
Pick: Faber via Submission
Alan Jouban vs Mike Perry
Yet another matching of future stars. Jouban, the male model, will put his pretty face on the line against savage knockout artist Mike Perry. Jouban is on a two-fight win streak, and has put together an impressive record so far in the UFC. Perry on the other hand is off to a great start as he is 2-0 in the promotion, both wins being by KO.
If we look at each fighter’s technical abilities, this fight looks like a mismatch. Not only is Jouban the slicker striker on his feet, but his clinch fighting and even his ground are way ahead of Perry. That being said, Jouban has the nasty habit of getting hurt in his fights. He doesn’t get dropped often, but it doesn’t seem to take a lot to stun him. Mike Perry is not the type of guy that stuns you, he flat out puts you unconscious. This is a guy who swings punches with everything he has. His other facets of MMA are still in development, so he’s vulnerable there, but on the feet Perry can bang with the best of them.
This is a perfect to start the card off because somebody is getting KOd. I highly favor Jouban, especially if he has the space to throw his kicks, but Perry’s hands are undeniable. Considering Jouban’s striking defense isn’t too sound, I’m actually leaning toward the brawler Mike Perry.
Pick: Perry via KO
The Prelims
I won’t go through each and every prelim, but I will highlight a few fighters that you should be tuning in to. If you have Fight Pass, definitely tune in to see Eddie Wineland vs Takeya Mizugaki. This is a battle of two veteran featherweights who also came up during the WEC days of Urijah Faber. Both Wineland and Mizugaki are bangers, so this one should be fun.
Several prospects can be found during the Fox Sports 1 portion of UFC on Fox: VanZant vs Waterson. Irene Aldana, an Invicta bantamweight title challenger, will debut against the tough Leslie Smith. Another prospect to watch is Team Alpha Male fighter Josh Emmett. He faces 2-1 UFC lightweight Scott Holtzman.
Welterweight prospects will meet when James Moontasri and Alex Morono square off. Moontasri is 2-3 in the UFC, but has a very exciting taekwondo style. Morono on the other hand was a champion in the Legacy FC promotion before winning his UFC debut on short notice. More 170 lb prospects are featured too as Bryan Barberena meets Colby Covington. Barberena made his name by being the first to defeat Sage Northcutt. He also defeated Warlley Alves in Brazil. Covington however has an impressive 5-1 UFC record.
