Posts with the tag "Ivan Salaverry"

UFC 84 is already less than a week away. With the UFC cutting contracts left and right, don't be surprised to see the UFC cut any fighters that don't perform. Here are the under card fights for UFC 84:

Ivan Salaverry vs. Rousimar Palhares - Right off the bat, we have a seasoned veteran in Salaverry taking on a newcomer Palhares. Salaverry finds himself in desperate need of a victory to stay in the UFC. With his age and recent losing streak, the UFC needs a new reason to keep him on the roster. I expect Palhares to win this fight.

Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura - With all the hype surrounding Sokoudjou, he better win this fight. His two consecutive losses have raised some concerns, but I expect him to finish Nakamura. With a loss, Nakamura is another fighter that may be on the way out of the UFC.

Rich Clementi vs. Terry Etim - Clementi continues to get "No Love" as he is once again on the under card. He is currently riding a three fight win streak with wins over Sam Stout and Melvin Guillard. Etim is good young talent, but this is an extremely tough matchup for him. Expect Clementi to overpower the younger Etim and win by submission.

Jon Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida - Yosida by submission.

Jason Tan vs. Dong Hyun Kim - Tan buy TKO.

Christian Wellisch vs. Shane Carwin - Carwin by decision.

A couple of sites are reporting that the UFC will continue to downsize their roster. Dave Meltzer is says that up to 50 fighters could soon be out of a job. Sam Caplan identifies future fights that may determine who stays in the UFC and who goes home.

Interestingly, I guess the UFC doesn't feel the need to stockpile talent in an attempt to keep them away from other organizations. Still, I can't but help feel this has something to do with a network TV deal. If the UFC had landed a deal, then those extra 50 fighters could be battling it out on TV.

How about a TV show where the fighters have to win a fight to stay in the UFC. Each week, there one of these fights; throw in two or three more fights and you have a one hour show that would draw ratings.

OK, so who can the UFC get rid of right now? Just for fun, I ran through the current roster and found these fighters.

• Kendall Grove - Although he is 3-2 in the UFC, his last two fights were terrible. I know the UFC will have a hard time getting rid of The Ultimate Fighter contract winner, but he is next in line.
• Ivan Salaverry - Only one fight in the UFC in almost three years and he loses to Terry Martin. At age 37, you have to wonder how much gas this guy has left.
• Antoni Hardonk - He owns a 2-2 record in the UFC, which isn't that bad. But how good is a mediocre fighter in a thinned out heavyweight division?