UFC Fight Night Preview & Predictions: UFN 19 Predictions

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 Fight Night previews & predictions. Along with the main UFC events on Pay Per View, the UFC features up-and-coming fighters several times each year on UFC Fight Night televised live and for free on SpikeTV.

The next Fight Night event for UFC will be UFC Fight Night 19 (UFN 19), held on September 16, 2009, live on Spike TV from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and our UFN 19 preview is now posted below for UFC fans across the globe to enjoy.

For more UFC events to be held in 2009 and 2010 and lists of which Mixed Martial Artists are schedule to fight, be sure to check out the future UFC event fight cards.

UFC Fight Night 19 will serve as the lead-in event for The Ultimate Fighter 10 Heavyweights Edition on Spike TV. The event, the first ever in the Oklahoma City area, will be held at the 15,600 capacity Cox Convention Center. The company was last in Oklahoma at UFC 4 where Royce Gracie excited the Tulsa, Oklahoma crowd by defeating Ron van Clief.

With an attractive season of The Ultimate Fighter following the event, it should get many casual fans in addition to all of the mainstays. Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard will serve as the main event while undefeated Gray Maynard will try and give Roger Huerta a fond farewell, in what is rumored to be his last UFC bout, as the co-main event.

The preliminary card is headed by a rubber match between former WEC Light Heavyweight Champions, Brian Stann and Steve Cantwell. The bout also contains many popular fighters fighting for their UFC lives. Phillipe Nover, Jeremy Stephens, and CB Dollaway all seem to be in a must-win situation.

The UFC Fight Night 19 event will begin at 8 PM EST and will be immediately followed by The Ultimate Fighter 10 at 10 PM EST on Spike TV.

> Get the official UFC Fight Night 19 results online as each fight is comepleted here at Pro Fighting Fans!

Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss

Winless in three UFC bouts, thirty-one year old Ryan Jensen (13-5) will try to keep his UFC hopes alive with a victory against WEC holdover and UFC rookie, Steve Steinbeiss (4-2). Originally scheduled as part of the April UFC Fight Night 18 card, the bout had to be cancelled and eventually rescheduled due to Jensen not receiving medical clearance. Now, five months later both fighters are ready to finally get it on as one of seven preliminary bouts.

Three year veteran, Steve Steinbeiss will fight for the first time since coming over from the WEC in the middleweight and light heavyweight division merger last year. “The Hooligan” looked to find a home with the now defunct Bodog Fight organization, winning two of his three bouts from late 2006 until the summer of 2007. However, when the organization shut their doors for good in 2008 Steinbeiss had to look elsewhere for fights. After winning both of his fights in a pair of small Vegas promotions, the Arizona Combat Sports fighter joined the middleweight ranks of the WEC. In his one and only fight with the promotion he fought valiantly but came up short losing a split decision to Carmelo Marrero at WEC 36. Despite the loss, Steinbeiss moved along with several others, into the UFC middleweight division.

Streaky Mid America Martial Arts fighter, Ryan Jensen will appear in the UFC octagon for the fourth time at UFC Fight Night 19. The twelve year vet began his career by winning eleven of his first twelve professional bouts defeating the likes of former TUF 5 contestant, Marlon Sims and current UFC fighter, Rob Kimmons. In his first stint with the UFC, Jensen lost to both Thales Leites and Demian Maia via submission. He was dropped from the organization, but quickly caught on with Strikeforce losing to Joey Villasenor at Shamrock vs. Le in March of 2008. Jensen went back to work winning two fights in smaller organizations and earned a return trip to the UFC as a late replacement at UFC Fight Night 15. His opponent, Wilson Gouveia submitted him late in the 2 nd round via armbar putting his UFC future in doubt. With a 0-3 record in the UFC, Jensen is in a must win situation against Steinbeiss.

Prediction: Steinbeiss over Jensen via TKO

Brock Larson vs. Mike Pierce

Brock Larson (26-2) will try and keep his recent run of strong performances going when he takes on former Sportfight champ and UFC rookie, Mike Pierce (9-1). Larson has been lights out in this, his most recent stint with the UFC. He has stopped both Jesse Sanders and Mike Pyle with 1 st round submissions since coming over from the WEC. Mike Pierce, a one-time WEC fighter, got the call from the UFC off the strength of five straight victories.

Larson, a Minnesota Martial Arts Academy fighter began his career by winning his first twelve career bouts. However when getting his first call to the big leagues of MMA, Larson was defeated by Jon Fitch at Ultimate Fight Night 2 via unanimous decision. He would answer by winning his next five, including a UFC Fight Night 7 appearance against Japanese fighter, Keita Nakamura in December of 2006. After losing for only the second time in his career to Carlos Condit for the WEC welterweight title, Larson had to fight outside of the Zuffa umbrella once again. The thirty-two year old Minnesota native has answered the call once again winning five straight bringing him to his fight with newbie Pierce. Larson has compiled a 3-1 UFC record and a 7-2 overall record with Zuffa owned companies (UFC & WEC).

Mike Pierce will be taking a significant step up in competition against Larson. His career began in May of 2007 fighting on the undercard of a Sportfight event. He won that bout and three others until running into Nathan Coy, who dealt Pierce his one and only professional loss. Since that June ’08 decision loss, Pierce has won five consecutive, the last being an April victory over previously undefeated TUF 7 contestant, Paul Bradley.

Prediction: Larson over Pierce via submission

> Buy UFC clothing, hats & merchandise online through Pro Fighting Fans where we also feature Hostility clothing, TapouT apparel & more!

Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz

Although always entertaining, the bottom line is to win and both Jeremy Stephens and Justin Buchholz need to do just that in order to continue their UFC careers. Stephens, always involved in back and forth octagon wars, has been on the short end of his two most recent UFC bouts. Buchholz lost just two months ago to up and coming English striker, Terry Etim at UFC 99. It clearly measures up to what looks like a “loser leaves town” bout.

“Lil Heathen”, Jeremy Stephens, is a 23 year old veteran who made his octagon debut in May of 2007 against The Ultimate Fighter 4 veteran Din Thomas. Stephens lost his UFC debut but would go on and win his next two bouts against Diego Saraiva and Cole Miller, putting him in line for a bout with one of the top 155 pounders in the organization. At the TUF 7 Finale, Stephens was matched up against Spencer Fisher. The bout was entertaining; however “Lil Heathen” came up short losing via unanimous decision. Stephens kept his job with the promotion after collecting “Knockout of the Night” honors at UFC 91 against Rafael dos Anjos. He is back on thin ice with the UFC after losing consecutive bouts at Fight Night 17 & 18 against Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau respectively.

Alaska native, Justin Buchholz came into the UFC on fire after winning seven of his first eight bouts, all via 1 st round stoppage. The Alaska FC, ROTR, Icon Sport and Elite XC veteran made his UFC debut in January 2008, losing to Matt Wiman via rear naked choke. He bounced back six months later by slipping a rear naked choke on Corey Hill at UFC 86. The four year veteran missed a huge opportunity at UFC 99 after losing to Terry Etim, one of the fastest rising lightweights in the UFC. Appreciative of his all out style, Buchholz was given another chance to take a step up against Stephens.

Prediction: Stephens over Buchholz via TKO

Sam Stout vs. Phillipe Nover

Originally matched against Kyle Bradley, Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout (14-5-1) will instead face The Ultimate Fighter 8 runner-up, Phillipe Nover (5-2-1). Stout will be riding high after his upset win over Matt Wiman at UFC 97. Nover, a Brooklyn, NY native, more than likely will be fighting for his UFC life after coming out on the losing end in each of his UFC bouts.

Twenty-five year-old Sam Stout used eight straight victories in the Canadian TKO promotion to help punch his ticket into the UFC. His March 2006 debut at UFC 58 may still stand as his most impressive victory to date. Stout came out on top, winning a tight split decision over Miletich Fighting Systems standout, Spencer Fisher. However, after being choked out by a reeling Kenny Florian at the TUF 3 Finale, Stout soon was on the outside looking in. The three time “Fight of the Night” winner found his way back to the UFC for good at UFC 80, though the results have been mixed since his January 2008 return. His 2-2 record in that span continues to keep him near the bottom of the UFC lightweight division. In fact, if it weren’t for his April ’09 unanimous decision victory over Matt Wiman, Stout may have been on the UFC outs again.

Six year MMA veteran, Phillipe Nover has shown glimpses of brilliance in his short UFC stint but continues to try and earn credibility within the division. The New York City registered nurse went through The Ultimate Fighter 8 track into the company’s lightweight division. His 5-0-1 record before the show has taken a hit since his first official UFC bout at the TUF 8 Finale against Efrain Escudero. Escudero surprised many by dominating Nover for three rounds on his way to a lopsided decision victory. Kyle Bradley delivered another blow to Nover when he stopped him via technical knockout at UFC 98. Now back in action four months later, Nover replaces Bradley against Stout in what is sure to be a “must-win” situation.

Prediction: Stout over Nover via TKO

CB Dollaway vs. Jay Silva

CB “The Doberman” Dollaway (8-2) will meet UFC newcomer, Jay Silva (5-1), who is a late replacement for injured middleweight Dan Miller, on the undercard of the UFC Fight Night 19 event. “The Doberman” was stopped by Tom Lawler in less than two minutes at UFC 100 in July. UFC rookie, Jay Silva (5-1) fought about a month ago, at a Call to Arms event where he stopped King of the Cage and Elite XC veteran, Ray Lizama via 3 rd round KO.

Dollaway, a former Arizona State All-American wrestler, won all six of his bouts in his pre Ultimate Fighter days. His appearance on The Ultimate Fighter 8 was somewhat of a success, finishing as runner-up after submitting to Amir Sadollah in the finale. The three-year veteran bounced back with a “Submission of the Night” performance against The Ultimate Fighter 7 bad boy, Jesse Taylor. Dollaway followed that victory up with 1 st round TKO of former IFL standout Mike Massenzio at UFC 92 “The Ultimate.” In his most recent action, Dollaway was a product of his own success, as many believed him to be a heavy favorite over Lawler at UFC 100. Lawler surprised many when he locked in the fight ending guillotine for the quick win.

Usually the name Silva is reserved for a dangerous Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler; however this Silva fights out of Huntington Beach, CA and is a skilled stand-up striker. Silva debuted on a Ring of Combat card last summer where he notched his only career submission over Mark DaPolito. Overall, the twenty-eight year old has stopped all opponents that he has earned victories against. The only loss of his career came in his third career bout, losing to Plinio Cruz via split decision in February 2009. Since the loss, he is on a three fight winning streak where he has used knockout as his finishing technique of choice, stopping all three opponents with a TKO or KO.

Decision: Dollaway over Silva via submission

Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle

Mike Pyle will get a full training camp to try and prove that he belongs in the UFC when he takes on Chris Wilson, who is also desperately trying to even his promotional record. Pyle took his one and only UFC bout on short notice, replacing an ineligible Wilson, he was caught with an arm triangle choke 3:06 into his UFC 98 bout. Wilson officially fought last at UFC 94 against surprising John Howard, losing via tight split decision.

Chris “The Professor” Wilson is a Pacific North- Westerner who trains out of the successful Team Quest along with Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland. Wilson bounced around the minor league promotions for about three years, producing a 9-2 record, before signing with the now defunct IFL in September of 2006. After losing in his IFL debut to current UFC welterweight Brad Blackburn, he produced four straight wins to earn a ticket into the UFC. He had a tall task in his UFC 82 debut facing Jon Fitch. Wilson getting beat up on his feet for most of the fight, could not be finished and eventually lost via unanimous decision. He returned to the organization five months later defeating Steve Bruno in a one-sided bout to earn his first UFC win. However, his good fortune ended at UFC 94 as he lost a tight split decision to a fast rising 170 pounder John Howard.

Mike “Quicksand” Pyle is a ten year journeyman who has fought in virtually every major MMA promotion. The WEC, IFL, Elite XC, Strikeforce, Sengoku, Affliction and UFC veteran defeated notable fighters Jon Fitch, Dan Hornbuckle and Shonie Carter while fighting outside of the UFC. After losing a November 2007 Elite XC bout to Jake Shields, Pyle reeled off four straight victories to earn a spot as a late replacement on the UFC 98 card. The Xtreme Couture fighter succumbed to an arm triangle choke at 3:06 in the 1st round in a loss to Brock Larson in his most recent fight.

Prediction: Wilson over Pyle via unanimous decision

Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann

In their third career meeting both Brian Stann and Steve Cantwell are in a must-win situation. Stann won the first time around at WEC 26 via TKO, needing only 41 seconds to accomplish the task. Cantwell returned to steal the WEC Light Heavyweight Title away from Stann at WEC 35, defeating Stann with a 2nd round TKO. The third meeting will be pivotal in the future of each fighter as a UFC competitor.

Steve “Robot” Cantwell debuted four years ago, fighting in Arizona with the Rage in the Cage organization. The California native stopped three consecutive opponents to earn his way into the Zuffa-owned WEC promotion. Making his March 2007 debut at WEC 26, Cantwell was caught with a flurry of strikes only 41 seconds into their bout to hand him his first career loss. He did rebound to win three in a row for the WEC over the likes of Tim McKenzie, Doug McElfresh, and later Brian Stann to become the last reigning WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. When the WEC folded their 205 pound division in 2008, Cantwell was transferred over to the UFC and made his debut at UFC: Fight for the Troops, submitting Razak Al-Hassan with an armbar. In his most recent action Cantwell took a step up in competition, hanging tough but losing a unanimous decision to Luis Arthur Cane at UFC 97 in April.

Pennsylvania native, Brian Stann, had only one fight before hitting the major league MMA scene. The former United States Marine needed all but 16 seconds in his WEC 21 debut to TKO Miguel Cosio. “All-American” made it five consecutive WEC victories defeating the likes of Cantwell, Craig Zellner, Jeremiah Billington, and Doug Marshall to earn the WEC Light Heavyweight Title. He suffered his first career loss in his first title defense against Cantwell, losing 2 nd round TKO. Despite his loss, the UFC brought Stann into the 205 pound division and matched him up with The Ultimate Fighter 8 cast member Krzysztof Soszynski in his debut. Soszynski wasted little time slapping a kimura on Stann at the 3:53 mark in the 1st round, making his debut one to forget.

Prediction: Cantwell over Stann via split decision

Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger

Jake Ellenberger (21-4) takes over for an injured Chris Lytle against the last WEC Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit (22-5). Ellenberger will make his UFC debut fresh off a win in the upstart Bellator organization less than three months ago. Carlos Condit is back after five months off since losing in his UFC debut via split decision against Martin Kampmann.

Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit fought his first professional bout as an eighteen year old for the Mexican based Aztec Challenge. He got off to a fast start winning his first seven career bouts. In April of 2006 Condit produced one of his best career victories stopping UFC veteran Frank Trigg by submission. However, later in 2006 Condit suffered back to back losses for the first time in his fighting career, losing to Pat Healy and Jake Shields. Even with the losses, Japanese officials called Condit to participate in three Pancrase tournament bouts, defeating all three of his opponents via stoppages. Shortly after finishing his tenure in Japan, Condit signed a contract with the WEC and soon was fighting for the vacant Welterweight belt. He succeeded in capturing that belt in only his second promotional bout. He would go on to defend it three times over the likes of Brock Larson, Carlo Prater, and Hiromitsu Miura. When the WEC 170-pound division dissolved into the UFC, Condit was an important acquisition. It was a rough beginning to his UFC career, losing to Martin Kampmann by a close split decision at UFC Fight Night 18.

Team Quest trained Jake Ellenberger won his first twelve bouts while fighting for organizations such as Extreme Challenge, King of the Cage, and the IFL. His first loss was in his IFL debut, losing to Jay Hieron via unanimous decision. Ellenberger was up and down over the next two years, defeating such fighters as UFC vets, Zach Light and Pat Healy and losing to notables Derrick Noble and Delson Heleno. Recently, Ellenberger has been steady winning four straight bouts while fighting in the M-1 Challenge, Victory FC, and Bellator FC. He comes into his UFC debut with eighteen stoppages out of his twenty-one victories and having only been stopped once in his four year career.

Prediction: Condit over Ellenberger via submission

Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur

Either Nate Quarry (11-3) or Tim Credeur (12-2) will take a step up in the bottom-heavy Middleweight division and inch closer to a contender position. While Anderson Silva is clearly the king of the UFC’s 185 pound division, both Quarry and Credeur are taking significant strides to becoming legitimate. Quarry returns for the first time since his April UFC 97 TKO win against Canadian, Jason McDonald. Meanwhile Credeur has been nothing but impressive, winning all three UFC contests including a UFC Fight Night 18 bout over Nick Catone.

Nate Quarry, 37, used organizations like Extreme Challenge, King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge to build his 5-1 record before appearing on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Suffering an injury early in the competition, Quarry was asked to stay on as an assistant coach for Team Couture. It was worth it for Quarry, who received a contract from the organization nonetheless, first showing up on the Finale, defeating Lodune Sincaid via 1 st round TKO. “Rock” actually compiled three consecutive victories, giving him a title bout at UFC 56 against then-champ, Rich Franklin. It was too early for the overmatched Quarry, who suffered a highlight reel KO that can be seen circulating on numerous “UFC Unleashed” shows. Quarry returned with victories against Pete Sell and Kalib Starnes, bringing him to a top contender bout with Demian Maia at UFC 91. Maia totally dominated the Oregon native by getting him to the ground and locking in a fight ending 1st round rear naked choke. Quarry is back on track after he controlled Jason McDonald and delivered a series of punches resulting in a 1st round TKO victory at UFC 97.

Bouncing around the minor league MMA circuit, Tim Credeur won six of his first seven bouts, fighting mostly in his home state of Louisiana. His only loss during that span was a 2002 King of the Cage loss against Elite XC veteran Joey Villasenor. Chael Sonnen dealt Credeur his second career loss in a 2006 Bodog Fight bout in Costa Rica with several unanswered strikes. Credeur returned to action in impressive fashion submitting three straight opponents for three separate Louisiana organizations. His big break came in 2008 by being cast as a fighter for The Ultimate Fighter 7, making it to the semi-finals where he was defeated by finalist Jesse Taylor. Credeur was not able to compete on the TUF Season 7 Finale but returned later in the year at UFC Fight Night 14 and stopped Cale Yarbrough via 1st round TKO. He followed his UFC debut win with two more stoppages, including Nate Loughran at UFC: Fight for the Troops and Nick Catone at UFC Fight Night 18. There is no doubt that this will be Credeur’s stiffest challenge to date.

Prediction: Quarry over Credeur via unanimous decision

Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta

Roger Huerta wants to make his final UFC bout one to remember, as he is planning on leaving the organization to pursue other interests, including acting. He is set to take on undefeated former collegiate wrestler, Gray “The Bully” Maynard (7-0), who is coming off a UFC 96 decision victory against Jim Miller. Huerta is trying to bounce back after losing to former number one contender, Kenny Florian at UFC 87 over one year ago.

“The Bully” made his way into MMA after completing a successful wrestling career at Michigan State University. The Xtreme Couture trained fighter won two fights prior to being selected to appear in The Ultimate Fighter 5 Spike TV series. As a contestant on TUF 5, Maynard was selected to be on BJ Penn’s team and made it through until reaching the semi-finals where he was defeated by eventual winner, Nate Diaz. At the TUF 5 Finale, Maynard and his opponent, Rob Emerson were knocked out simultaneously, therefore ending the fight in a no contest. Since that June 2007 bout he has been flawless, winning five straight contests including a UFC Fight Night 13 decision victory against previously unbeaten Frankie Edgar. Among his other UFC victories include Joe Veres, Dennis Siver, Rich Clementi, and most recently Jim Miller at UFC 96.

Roger “El Matador” Huerta debuted in August 2003 fighting for the Extreme Challenge organization. Huerta lost only once in his first seventeen bouts, among the tough opponents that he defeated were Matt Wiman, Melvin Guillard and Brad Blackburn. The UFC reached a deal with Huerta that put him in the cage by September of 2006 against TUF 9 fighter, Jason Dent. Huerta was unable to finish Dent, however did come out on top winning a decision as well as “Fight of the Night” honors. Five more UFC wins brought his organizational streak at six in a row; among his opponents were John Halverson, Leonard Garcia, Doug Evans, Alberto Crane and Clay Guida. When “El Matador” was given the chance to fight Kenny Florian for what many believed to be a future title shot, he dropped the ball. Florian controlled Huerta physically and out-strategized him mentally, capturing the unanimous decision victory and the shot at BJ Penn’s title.

Prediction: Huerta over Maynard via majority decision

Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard

Always exciting, Nate Diaz (10-4) will try to get his UFC career back on track after suffering back to back losses for the first time in his young career when he faces Louisiana native Melvin Guillard (22-7-2) in the Main Event. Diaz was in action in June at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, losing to perennial contender Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision. His opponent, Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard, has returned from a one-fight absence from the UFC to win back to back lightweight bouts.

Only 26 years-old, Guillard has over thirty bouts to his credit fighting most of his early fights in small organizations. Guillard won his first ten bouts until losing back to back fights for the Freestyle FC organization in 2004. He continued an up and down career until finding stability with the UFC in the form of The Ultimate Fighter 2 house. After losing in his first fight during the show, he returned to the Finale and delivered a KO punch to Marcus Davis for his first UFC win. He was also credited for defeating Rick Davis and Gabe Ruediger as a member of the UFC, but lost bouts to Josh Neer, Joe Stevenson and Rich Clementi and soon found himself out of the promotion. It only took one fight outside of the UFC before “The Young Assassin” was back in the UFC. Since his return he has been excellent, defeating Dennis Siver at UFC 86 via TKO then Gleison Tibau at TUF 9 Finale in a controversial decision. Guillard stand to take a huge step up the lightweight ladder with a victory against Diaz.

Diaz, a Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu disciple, won five of his first six bouts fighting for the WEC, Strikeforce and Pancrase organizations. By the time he made his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter 5, his record was 5-2 with experience against top lightweights Hermes Franca and Koji Oishi. He delivered by winning the TUF 5 tournament, defeating Manny Gamburyan via TKO to claim the six-figure UFC contract. After winning at the TUF 5 finale, Diaz went on to win four more in a row against Junior Assuncao, Alvin Robinson, Kurt Pellegrino and Josh Neer. Calling out UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to give him a top contender, Diaz was surprised in his UFC 94 bout when Clay Guida outscored him on the judges’ scorecards and handing him his first promotional loss. In his most recent action, Diaz met Joe Stevenson at The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale where “Daddy” manhandled him for three rounds and the unanimous decision victory. Diaz needs a victory to stay relevant in the 155 pound division and possibly to keep his job with the organization, as not many fighters survive a three-fight losing streak with the number one MMA promotion.

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer

Past UFC Fight Night Previews & Projections:

• UFC Fight Night 18 Predictions: Kampmann vs Condit
• UFC Fight Night 17 Preview: Lauzon vs Stephens
• More UFC predictions & fight previews from ProFighting-fans.com
• More MMA news articles from ProFighting-fans.com