UFC 117 Breakdown: The prelims (Part 1)

Posted by Dylan Horner (Staff Writer)

Aug 6

Approaching his weekend’s PPV fight in Oakland, California, some people are giving the typical complaint of this card isn’t worth watching. Here is a look at each preliminary fight to show those people why UFC 117 worth not just watching but attending.

The first fight of the night has Ben “Killa B” Saunders facing off against Dennis “Superman” Hallman. With Saunders dropping a decision loss against Jon Fitch (fighting on the maid card later in the night) and Hallman looking to come back from a knockout loss at the hands of John Howard in his UFC debut, both men should be trying to get back on the winning path and possibly move forward in the Welterweight title picture.

The second fight features two giant Heavyweights with 6’11”, 248lb Stefan Struve facing off against 6’6”, 265lb UFC newcomer Christian Morecraft. Struve, coming off a brutal knockout loss to Roy Nelson (fighting later on the card) looks to get back to his ways of using his reach and height advantage and securing a submission victory as he has done so for the majority of his professional career. You can’t overlook Morecraft in this one though, as over his two year professional career he’s earned six first-round stoppages, with none lasting longer than three minutes. When these two big men clash, don’t expect a three round fight.

Up next we’ll have undefeated Johny Hendricks meeting up with fellow Welterweight prospect Charlie Brenneman. Brenneman’s riding a six fight win streak and his lone loss came at the hands of fellow UFC Welterweight John Howard nearly two years ago. Both men are coming off decision victories and will be looking to continue the momentum and move one rung up the Welterweight ladder.

The next fight will match up two men who may be in a live-or-die situation in terms of their UFC careers. Tim Boetsch is returning to the UFC after being cut three years ago following a loss to Jason Brilz at UFC 96. He will face off against UFC Newcomer Todd Brown who replaced Thiago Silva after he pulled out, due to a back injury. A loss could possibly result in being cut from the company for either man, so it’s put up or shut up.

As we approach the end of the Prelims, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis steps in for an injured Stanislav Nedkov to take on Rodney “Sho Nuff” Wallace. Davis, undefeated in The Octagon, is coming off an impressive win over Alexander Gustafsson at 112. Wallace on the other hand is looking to pick up his first victory in the company. Wallace needs a win to stay in the UFC and has his hands full with the ever-improving Phil Davis.

In the final fight of the Preliminary card, two rising stars will face off. Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett and Rick “The Horror” Story will square off for what should be an exciting fight. Hazelett, known for his unorthodox grappling and submission is looking to come back from a vicious knockout loss to Paul Daley. Story is looking to pick up another victory and put the loss he had in his UFC debut even further behind him. This fight will be a good lead up to the Main Card.

That does it for the six fight undercard and it’s about time for Bruce Buffer to say “We are live!”

Check out part 2: The Main card for the rest of the breakdown

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