UFC Previews: UFC Fight Night 17 Preview

Pro Fighting Fans is the home of UFC fans across the world and we now bring you the best place to find the latest UFC preview. UFC 94 has come and gone and Scott Dryden takes a look at what we learned in his UFC 94 recap.

The next events for UFC will be UFC Fight Night 17 on February 7 and UFC 95 on February 21. The UFC Fight Night 17 preview is now here and posted below and the UFC 95 preview will be posted here at ProFighting-fans.com as well for UFC fans across the globe to enjoy. Also be sure to check out our popular "A Fans' View from his Couch" column where UFC fan Greg Vorse gives us his take on each major UFC fight, including UFC 95 & more in the coming days and buy UFC 95 tickets online here through Pro Fighting Fans!.

The Fight Night series continues with the latest edition being UFC Fight Night 17 from The Sun Dome at the University of South Florida. The series is becoming an integral part of the UFC organization. The Fight Night series is being used much like the PRIDE FC used its Bushido series, to showcase some of the newcomers to the organization on a smaller scale of a show. On Saturday February 7 it will be no different as 5 of the 20 fighters will be first timers to the UFC.

Matt Veach vs. Matt Grice (lightweight)

Matt “The Wolverine” Grice welcomes Matt Veach as one of the five first timers to the octagon in this preliminary lightweight bout. Veach is replacing Grice’s original opponent George Sotiropoulos. Sotiropoulos had to back out less than two weeks before he made his return to the UFC due to an injury.

Grice brings some experience to the octagon entering his third UFC fight. He is coming off a decision victory over Jason Black at UFC 77 and before that, a loss to Terry Etim at UFC 70. Although his style of fighting depends much on his wrestling, he holds an overall 9-1 record with 3 TKO, 3 submission and 3 decision victories. Before he signed with the UFC Grice was 8-0 fighting for a wide variety of promotions.

Veach will put his undefeated 10-0 record on the line when he steps in the cage with Grice. Veach is one of the first fighters to make it into the UFC from Matt Hughes’ HIT Squad gym. The 5’7” 170lb fighter brings a well rounded skill set to the fight. He has submitted his opponents 6 times, KO 3 times and went to a decision only one time in his short career. He also has fought in 9 different promotions during his tenure.

Prediction: Grice over Veach via majority decision

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Derek Downey vs. Nick Catone (middleweight)

This bout matches two middleweights that will make their respective debuts in the octagon. Downey is a replacement for originally scheduled “TUF” veteran Amir Sadollah. Catone has been very impressive in his career up to this point. He is a 4 time veteran of the successful mid level promotion Ring of Combat.

Derek “The Gentleman” Downey has the experience in overall fights with 13 compared to Nick Catone’s 5 fights. The 28 year old middleweight has fought some well known opponents during his pre UFC career. He fought and beat Brandon Melendez two times, and lost to both “TUF” vets Josh Burkman and Ed Herman during his 5 year career.

Catone was preparing for a different type of fighter when the original schedule came out matching him with Sadollah. Sadollah is almost strictly a ground fighter where Downey has more of a stand up and strike style. Catone seems to match up a little better with his new opponent as they share similar styles of fighting. Catone has 3 (T) KO victories out of the 5 career bouts.

Prediction: Catone over Downey via 2nd round KO (punch)

Steve Bruno vs. Matt Riddle (welterweight)

Bruno and Riddle are both coming off very impressive UFC wins in their last contest. This fight has potential to give the winner a step up in competition for their next fight. The futures of both these welterweights look very bright.

Steve Bruno only has a 1-1 record in the UFC but both fights were very encouraging. His first fight was a 3 round majority decision loss to IFL vet Chris Wilson. He battled back in his last fight in December to beat Johnny Rees via rear naked choke. The American Top Team product has a 12-4 overall record with much of it coming from promotions such as Spirit MC, the IFL and Absolute Fighting Championship.

Matt “The Riddler” Riddle is known from his stint on The Ultimate Fighter but if he is as impressive as he was in his last fight he will be known more as a solid fighter. The 23 year old Arizona Combat Sports fighter won by a majority decision over fellow TUF vet Dante Rivera at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 7 in June of last year in his only official fight.

Prediction: Bruno over Riddle via split decision

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Gleison Tibau vs. Rich Clementi (lightweight)

This is a match up of two veterans that are trying to climb back up the lightweight title ladder. Tibau has 3 UFC wins but is currently on a 2 fight losing streak. Clementi did lose his last fight but has won 3 of his last four in the octagon.

Tibau can gain much credibility with a win over a veteran like Rich Clementi. Tibau is known more for his submission style wins. He holds UFC wins over the like of Jason Dent, Jeff Cox and Terry Etim. He has struggled mightily over the upper echelon of UFC fighters losing to Nick Diaz, Tyson Griffin and Joe Stevenson.

Clementi is a vet in every sense. He has competed in over 45 fights and 9 fights in the UFC. With 9 fights in the world’s best organization he will be very hard to outsmart. “No Love” seems to dominate when facing fighters with skills similar to his such as Terry Etim, Sam Stout and Anthony Johnson. He does struggle with bigger and stronger wrestling types as he did in his last fight when Gray Maynard defeated him at UFC 90.

Prediction: Clementi over Tibau via 2nd round submission

Dan Miller vs. Jake Rosholt (middleweight)

Dan Miller, the brother of UFC fighter Jim Miller makes his third fight in the UFC. Jake Rosholt is a highly thought of middleweight fighter that comes to the UFC via the Zuffa owned WEC. These two have the potential for fireworks and might be main card worthy.

Miller is trying to add to his two fight win streak. His UFC debut came against an overmatched Rob Kimmons who he submitted early in the first round in September. The latest fight for Miller was a much tougher fight for him as he and Matt Horwich went back and forth for three rounds. Miller showed the judges enough to award him the unanimous decision victory at UFC 90. Six of his ten career victories have come by submission.

Rosholt is a Team Takedown member that has only been fighting and training for less than two years. He did have a successful college wrestling career that has made the transition to MMA an easier one. Overall his record is unblemished at 5-0. The 26 year old fought less than 3 months ago when he was victorious over Nissen Osterneck at WEC 36. Many Rosholt fans are curious to see his knockout power (4 of 5 wins via KO/TKO) against a high level of competition. Needless to say they will get there wish with this fight.

Prediction: Miller over Rosholt via majority decision

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson (lightweight)

Pellegrino vs. Emerson is a complete contrast in styles when speaking in terms of fighting styles. Pellegrino like to take the fight to the mat where he has success. Emerson’s skill set allows him to try and stay on his feet and strike with his opponent. When that happens he has success in his fights.

Pellegrino already has fought 7 times in the UFC going 4-3 during that tenure. He has had two separate stints with the UFC. His very first fight was back at UFC 61 when he was beat via rear naked choke by the crafty Drew Fickett. Since that fight he has seen his ups and downs with the organization. After the loss to Fickett he won two in a row then was stopped by Joe Stevenson. He has since bounced back after that loss with two of his next three fights victorious.

Emerson has not had as much experience as Pellegrino but has made the most of his time. Many thought that Emerson would be a one and done fighter after his appearance on TUF. He has shown that he is a formidable opponent for any fighter that matched up with him. His latest victory was arguably his most impressive with a: 12 second KO punch over highly regarded Manny Gamburyan at UFC 87 in August of 2008. With a win over Pellegrino he will jump considerably in this crowded division.

Prediction: Emerson over Pellegrino via 2nd round TKO

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Luigi Fioravanti vs. Anthony Johnson (welterweight)

In the first of the televised fights brings two welterweights trying to break out of the pack of mediocrity. Fioravanti looks to be in that category win or lose. “Rumble” Johnson has the potential to reach the high class of the welterweight division beginning with a win over Fioravanti.

Fioravanti brings credibility to the cage no matter who the opponent may be. He has showed that he will not be dominated even against the UFC elite. He has victories in the UFC over the likes of Brodie Farber (UFC Fight for the Troops) and Luke Cummo (UFC 82) among others. He has even been a formidable foe against stars such as Diego Sanchez who had to battle the majority of all three rounds before stopping Fioravanti via TKO.

Anthony Johnson will not hide his intentions when he steps to the cage. His style is simple. He wants to strike with his opponent as much and as fast as he can. He started his UFC career with 2 wins in his first three contests looking very impressive in doing so. However, his fourth fight against Kevin Burns was a tough one to lose. He lost via TKO after he was poked in the eye. He did get some redemption at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale when he stopped Burns via KO.

Prediction: Johnson over Fioravanti via 2nd round KO

Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer (lightweight)

Danzig and Neer will show the Spike TV audience why their fight was selected as main card worthy. Both fighters are trying to get back on track after suffering losses in their last fights. Also, both fighters are fighting for the first time since September at UFC Fight Night 15.

At UFC Fight Night 15 Danzig was riding an impressive two fight win streak with his new organization. However, matched up against the always tough Clay Guida he was defeated by a wide margin after three rounds. He is at his best when he hits the mat and tries to work a submission as he did in his first two UFC contests wins over Mark Bocek and Tommy Speer. Before appearing on TUF, Danzig fought for a variety of promotions including 8 fights for King of the Cage and also fought for PRIDE FC.

Neer is now with the UFC for the third time after taking some smaller scale fights mixed in. He has shown signs of brilliance such as defeating contenders Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard early in his UFC career. In his last fight at Fight Night 15 he was stricken with a case of bad luck with Nate Diaz. This fight was about as even as a fight could be but the judges awarded the popular Diaz with the split decision win. He will have to have his hand raised in victory against Danzig to keep getting called by Joe Silva and Dana White.

Prediction: Danzig over Neer via majority decision

Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic (heavyweight)

The only heavyweight bout of the evening matches a highly regarded prospect in Cain Velasquez and a newcomer in Denis Stojnic. Velasquez is coming off 2 first round TKO wins in his only two UFC appearances. Stojnic comes to the UFC by way of Golden Glory boxing club in Holland.

Velasquez has had his short UFC career go about as perfectly as one could want. His two TKO wins have come over Brad Morris and Jake O’Brien. He trains with American Kickboxing Academy with the likes of Josh Koschek and Jon Fitch among others.

> Check out Scott Dryden's recent interview with Cain Velasquez as he talks about his upcoming bout with Stojnic.

Stojnic carries a MMA record of 5-1 with him to the octagon for the first time. He has not seen the competition like Velasquez in his first 6 fights. The 29 year old heavyweight has 2 TKO and 3 decision victories to his credit. He does have the ability to go all three rounds with Velasquez a feat that would be a major accomplishment in its own.

Prediction: Velasquez over Stojnic via 1st round TKO

Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens (lightweight)

This main event does not hold the same intensity as Lauzon vs. originally scheduled Hermes Franca but it does still have the potential for fireworks. Franca had to pull out and talked some major words on his way out. Lauzon admits that he would rather fight Franca his sights are set on Stephens.

Joe Lauzon is deemed main event worthy after winning his first four out of five fights in the UFC. His first UFC fight was what put him on the map and earned him a trip to the TUF house. He delivered a KO punch 48 seconds into the first round that decked Jens Pulver and gave Lauzon his first win as a major underdog. After the Pulver fight he spent nine weeks in the TUF house staying out of the spotlight. Since the stint on the Spike TV show he has been anything but out of the spotlight. He has since beaten up on second tier fighters like Brandon Melendez and Jason Reinhardt. After submitting Reinhardt he took a major step up in competition with Kenny Florian. He had flashes of greatness against the number one contender but it wasn’t enough. Florian won via TKO in the 2nd round. He has since rebounded and defeated Kyle Bradley at Fight Night 15 with a fairly easy win due to 2 nd round TKO. His main event trip will answer whether or not he is ready to make that jump back up to title contention.

Stephens looks to be in a win-win situation taking this fight on short notice. He comes into this fight with one of the best KO punches in UFC history looking to cash in on the featured fighter, Lauzon. Stephens’ last fight will be featured on UFC highlight videos for years to come. He delivered a devastating punch to Rafeal dos Anjos early in the third round making his UFC record 3-2. Overall Stephens brings a 14-3 record with him to maybe his most important fight of his career. With a win Stephens can catapult to the top of the division with a loss he will probably get at least one more fight to prove his worth. I like this fight almost as much as the overhyped Franca vs. Lauzon.

Lauzon is in for the fight of his career…

Prediction: Stephens over Lauzon via majority decision

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer