UFC on FX 1 Storylines and Predictions

The UFC is back again with another card tonight. UFC on FX 1 marks the organization’s first venture on to the network.  After a successful 142 card and stealing headlines by a feud with the mother ship, this is a card that is more important than originally thought.

Many people are looking forward to next week’s card, especially given all the recent changes, but UFC on FX 1 has a few storylines that are worth keeping an eye on.

Jon Anik and Kenny Florian Debuting as the B Announcing Team.

When people turn into a UFC broadcast they expect to see Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg.  They have been working together since 2002 and have a chemistry that is hard to top in all of sports.

Luckily for the UFC, they found two guys with great chemistry as well. Florian and Anik are both Boston guys who have worked together previously on MMA Live.  I have been a fan of Anik since his days at ESPN hosting weekly MMA chats and he also has experience calling fights with the Bellator promotion.

Also with Florian’s career possibly coming to an end I feel this is the right move to keep Florian within the organization. Having a former fighter on the call gives the team more credibility and avoids potential awkwardness that could have resulted with an active fighter taking the job.

Fighters Fighting for Their Job

Fighters don't want to meet
Dana's new  assistant.
Credit: blipitt.com

There are a lot of past and future title contenders on it. But with all this talent under the roster there is little room for error and UFC on FX 1 is full of fighters who could be on the chopping block with a loss.

Daniel Roberts is a respectable 3-3 inside the Octagon but is riding a two fight losing streak. A loss to Charlie Brenneman will likely mean his walking papers as very few fighters survive three losses in a row.

Jorge Rivera and Eric Shaefer cap off the under card in a fight that as my old friend Vin Diesel likes to say is for "pink slips." Except in this case, neither fighter wants one. Schaefer loss his comeback fight against Aaron Simpson, while Rivera has lost been defeated in his last two trips in the Octagon. Luckily, I called up Mr. Diesel and he was willing to leave some advice for the two of them. 

Pat Barry and Christian Morecraft could also be in danger. Barry is a fan favorite whose fights always deliver but like I said above any fighter who loses three in a row is at risk.  Morecraft, meanwhile holds a 1-2 mark inside the Octagon and with the Strikeforce heavyweights coming over soon, he needs to impress to keep his job.

Future of the Sport on the Network

The fights scheduled on this card are great for free television, however I am most excited to see how the production goes for the event. The UFC’s debut on Fox featured 64 seconds of fighting in their hour time block.

A lot of money was invested in the company as part of their new network deal and this is a huge test. This card gives them a chance to get all the kinks out for the more important, UFC on Fox 2 card network and will also help them plan for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Prediction Time:

How do you bet against this guy?
Credit: cagedinsider.com

UFC 142 wasn't the best card for predictions as I went 2-3. But in my defense I was robbed out of the Silva call and if I posted my predictions after the weigh in drama I would have picked Belfort instead of Johnson. But I am a man of honor, unlike someone, so I’ll stick with my record.

Barry 1^st round TKO over Morecraft
Easton Unanimous decision over Papazian

Ludwig 3^rd round KO over Neer

Miller Split decision over Guillard

If you liked this article please leave a comment below and vote on the poll to the right.  Also, I recently started a weekly podcast called Split Decision on http://www.sportsgeeksusa.com/ with my friend Ryan Penney. Please follow the show on Twitter.  We talk about all the fights and news in the MMA world and plan on interviewing fighters, promoters and trainers.