Brookins faces a tough task Tonight against Koch
Johnathan Brookins won the Ultimate Fighter Season 12 back in December of 2010. Due to several injuries, Brookins will finally make his UFC debut since winning the contest, taking on top featherweight Erik Koch at UFC Fight Night 25.
Brookins won The Ultimate Fighter as a lightweight, defeating Micheal Johnson in the finals on December 10th. Since then, Brookins was forced from two bouts due to injury, against John Makdessi and Jeremy Stephens respectively, and will now make his featherweight debut in the UFC, having fought in the weightclass previously, including a fight against current champion, Jose Aldo.
Coming into a stacked featherweight division, there is no easy fight for anyone wanting to make a splash in the division. A Previous fight against former lightweight standout Jeremy Stephen and the current fight against Erik Koch are evident of that. The Gracie Barra BJJ purple belt is used to fighting some of the better fighters in the division, having already fought Jose Aldo, Luis Palomino, and Yves Jabouin before joining the Ultimate Fighter cast.
A win for Brookins could really set himself up after winning the show, especially with a victory over the highly ranked Rufus sport prodigy, Koch. One big question coming into the fight is ring rust for the Orlando native.
While Brookins hasn’t fought since December, Koch has only fought once, beating Raphael Assuncao by KO in March. Koch has also had fights cancelled due to injury, as on two separate occasions, Cub Swanson has had to pull out of fight due to injury.
Brookins will have to set the pace early, due in part to having almost 10 months off between fights recovering from various injuries, while Koch has a few less months of inactivity.
The fight could really shake up the featherweight rankings should Brookins come up with victory, and could really showcase the reason why he won The Ultimate Fighter, just in case anyone has forgotten in the 10 months he’s been gone.
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About the Author (Author Profile)
I was born in New York, but currently reside in PA. Have been following the sport since about 2000, ever since I picked up a few VHS' of the old UFC tournaments. I served on active duty in the Marines and currently serve in the PA Army National Guard. I've been doing sub-wrestling and BJJ for about 2 years and have studied Aikido for 3 years. I enjoy all forms of combat sports, but huge into BJJ tournaments and of course, MMA.Subscribe
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