UFC on Fuel TV 5 Preview
The UFC will be back at it again this weekend when they host another free fight after the big UFC 152. UFC 152 was an event to save the promotion from starting a downward slide after cancelling their first event ever. It was a milestone that was supposed to keep everyone excited and make everyone forget about the cancelled event. Instead it only brought up more questions as the main card was not the exciting event that they had made it out to be. Instead the undercard became the highlight with only a couple of good fights in the pay per view. Now the UFC moves on to the first of two free fights and if history holds up this could be the event that makes everyone forget about 151. The free fights have been the highlight of any month for the UFC as they have shown the best of the UFC consistently. These free fights are so good for one simple reason as fighters involved in these fights tend to be the fighters on the verge of either moving to another level or of falling off the map. These fighters need the win in these fights because they are not at the main card of a PPV and are looking to get there. For some it is a last chance to stay in the UFC as they sit on the bubble and this fight could mean the difference between having a job or not. These free fights have provided plenty of entertainment and the UFC is hoping that UFC on Fuel TV 5 will continue the trend as they hope to continue to move on from their cancelled event. The will move the show from Toronto, Canada to Nottingham, England for this fight as they feature two rising stars in the main event. Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic are two of the most promising fighters in the heavyweight division and both will face off to get that one step closer to the title both of them want. The heavyweight division is a tough one to break through but Stefan Struve seemed to be on the fast track as he entered the UFC in 2009. The 6’7” fighter had a good amateur record and the reach and height advantage that some fighters dream of. After his first fight ended in a loss to Junior dos Santos, now the UFC Heavyweight Champion, Struve went on a good run but ran into speed bumps by the names of Roy Nelson and Travis Browne. Every loss has taught Struve something though as he has been better every fight and is riding a three fight win streak into England. Meanwhile Stipe Miocic is one of the new faces in the UFC but has already made his impact with a three fight win streak including two KO finishes. He looks to make an even bigger impact against one of the top contenders n the division. Struve and Miocic have very different styles and that could mean trouble for Struve. The Skyscraper has been susceptible to the KO with all three of his losses in the UFC coming via KO. Miocic is a striker with great speed that could get him inside Struve’s long reach. Struve will be looking to go to the ground with four wins coming via submission as he knows how to use his long limbs to lock in submissions. He is also comfortable on the feet with a number of knockouts. The fact is though that Miocic is a better striker and a faster striker who may be able to nullify the reach of Struve. If Struve can’t keep Miocic on the outside or take him down it could be another step back as the fight could end quickly. Look for Miocic to use his speed to get inside and end the fight with a KO in the second round.
Before these heavyweights face off the English crowd will see one of their own step in to the octagon on the comeback trail against a reality star. The Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah will take on Nottingham’s own Dan Hardy in what could be a focus for most of the fans in attendance. This will be the first time that Hardy will fight in his home town as he looks to continue his comeback. In 2009 Hardy was on the fast track in the welterweight division as he beat everyone in his way until receiving a title shot at UFC 111 against Georges St. Pierre. The fight was not a good one for Hardy as GSP took the fight to the ground and eliminated any chance of a Hardy earning the KO. After the loss Hardy could not get back on track losing his next three fights and ending up on the chopping block of the UFC. As he went to UFC 146 Hardy would take on Duane Ludwig in a fight that would essentially be for his job in the UFC. Hardy finally was back to his old self as he earned the KO and took the first step on his way to getting back into the top of the division. Meanwhile Amir Sadollah has had a long road despite winning The Ultimate Fighter. After the show Sadollah was forced to sit on the sidelines with an injury until his first fight in the UFC, a loss to Johny Hendricks. Since then he has remained in the middle of the division but has yet to make an impact and string a number of wins together. This fight will be his chance to put a big name on his record and begin gaining some momentum in the division. Both fighters are looking to take one more step as they are hoping to get a win and begin to make a run at the title.
Fight Card
Main Event:
Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs. Stipe Miocic (Sportsnet)
Main Card:
Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah (Sportsnet/Fuel TV)
Brad “One Punch” Pickett vs. Yves “Tiger” Jabouin (Sportsnet/Fuel TV)
Paul Sass vs. Matt “Handsome” Wiman (Sportsnet/Fuel TV)
John “The Hitman” Hathaway vs. John MaGuire (Sportsnet/Fuel TV)
Che “Beautiful” Mills vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig (Sportsnet/Fuel TV)
Undercard:
Kyle “Kingsbu” Kingsbury vs. Jimi “Poster Boiy” Manuwa (Facebook)
Andy “The Little Axe” Ogle vs. Akira Corassani (Facebook)
Tom “Kong” Watson vs. Brad Tavares (Facebook)
Damarques “Darkness” Johnson vs. Gunnar “Gunni” Nelson (Facebook)
Jason “Shotgun” Young vs. Robbie “Problems” Peralta (Facebook)
The Sport Addiction 
Looking forward to this one. Hoping for Miocic, but Struve with his reach is very difficult to handle!