UFC on FX 5 Preview
The Heavyweights will take focus once again this week as two more heavyweights will square off in the octagon. One week after Stefan Struve beat Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fuel TV the heavyweight division will be featured on another free event. The heavyweight division is still a bit of an unknown in the UFC as Junior Dos Santos holds the top spot with only a few fighters lining up to fight him. Santos is awaiting all challengers but after Cain Velasquez gets his rematch the next man up is still fairly unknown. There are plenty of challengers in the heavyweight division the big question is who will be the next man up. Roy nelson and Fabricio Werdum are two fighters who could get their shot based on what they do next. Meanwhile fighters like Frank Mir and Minotauro Nogueira never seem to leave the title conversation. There is also Daniel Cormier who is ready to make the jump to the UFC but no timetable has been made for his UFC debut against Frank Mir. Still the next shot is unknown after Velasquez which makes every fight in the heavyweight division an important one. The heavyweight fighters are looking to try to carve out their spot as the UFC begins to figure out who the next in line should be. The only way for any fighter to do this is for them to beat everyone in their path and hope that they can make an impression on Dana White and Joe Silva. At UFC on FX 5 this is exactly the attitude that Travis Browne will take when he faces off against Antonio Silva. Browne is one of the top heavyweights in the UFC with a 4-0-1 record including two KOs and a submission. Browne has made his impression on the UFC’s heavyweight division and although he will not get a title shot if he wins he will move up another rung on the ladder. This rung could be the last one for Browne as well as a win on FX could put him only one fight away from a title shot. Still he will need to focus on a relative newcomer to the UFC, although not to MMA, in Antonio Silva. Named Bigfoot for the his size Silva needs to cut weight every fight just to reach the 265 lbs limit of the heavyweight division. This size has helped him in his MMA career as he was able to dominate almost everyone while a part of EliteXC and Strikeforce. As he continued to impress the MMA world the UFC decided to give him a shot and a true test of his skills at UFC 146. He did not fare well as Cain Velasquez earned the KO in the first round of the fight. It was a disappointing start to his UFC career but he looks ahead to another challenge and another opportunity to prove that he is a player in the heavyweight division. Both fighters have a lot to gain but also a lot to lose as a loss for Browne will mean falling back to the bottom of the division while a loss for Silva could mean the beginning of the end for Silva’s UFC career. It will be an important fight for both fighters in the heavyweight division as they can both change their careers with one punch. It will likely end with one punch too as both fighters are brawlers who like to stand. The difference could be the ability of Silva to take the fight to the ground though as a black belt in BJJ, Judo, and Karate. Silva is a good striker with power but he relies too much on his power and size that have not been the advantage they once were. Now facing larger and better fighters Silva needs to rework his game plan and using his grappling ability could be his best option. If Silva can take the fight to the ground he will have a good shot at winning the fight as Travis Browne is well-rounded but cannot matchup to Silva’s ground game. If Silva does not change his strategy and comes straight forward with heavy pressure it could be a short night for Bigfoot. Browne is a skilled stand-up fighter and pressure will not throw him off as he will easily step aside and land a big KO punch. Browne will try to keep the fight standing where he can control the fight with his stand up game and power as he looks to test the questionable chin of Silva. It is another important fight in the heavyweight division as the UFC looks to sort out the title picture.
As the two heavyweights face off in the main event looking to continue their careers one fighter will be looking to restart his. Jay Hieron was a promising fighter in UFC’s welterweight division when he made his UFC debut at UFC 48 in 2004. Getting out to a 4-0 start to his MMA career the UFC expected good things from Hieron. Unfortunately for Hieron he would face a fighter that would soon become one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in a young Georges St. Pierre. Hieron lost that fight and went back to other promotions where he again dominated winning three fights in a row. The UFC gave him another shot at UFC Fight Night 2 in 2005 where he would take on Jonathan Goulet in a better matchup for Hieron. It was another loss though as Hieron seemed to show that he could not hang with the talent that was in the UFC. Since that last fight in the UFC Hieron has gone through the gambit of MMA fighting in the IFL, Affliction, Bellator, and Strikeforce where he amassed a 23-5 record. After 7 years he will finally get his shot to fight in the UFC once again as a much more experienced fighter as he hopes to finally make his mark and remain in the top promotion in MMA. He did not make it easy on himself though as he accepted a fight on short notice replacing Josh Koshcheck to fight top welterweight Jake Ellenberger at UFC 151. Then a little luck came his way as the event was cancelled and his fight was moved a month back to UFC on FX. Hieron now had more time to prepare and to get ready for his first UFC fight in 7 years. Meanwhile his opponent Jake Ellenberger is just waiting to get back on the horse after his quick rise up the division was stopped by Martin Kampmann at TUF Live in June. Both fighters are looking for another chance and after their fight was moved they will both be ready to finally get down to business in what promises to be a good fight.
Fight Card
Main Event:
Travis “Hapa” Browne vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (Sportsnet)
Main Card:
Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger vs. Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron (Sportsnet)
John “The Magician” Dodson vs. Jussier Formiga (Sportsnet)
Justin “Fast Eddy” Edwards vs. Josh “The Dentist” Neer (Sportsnet)
Undercard:
Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens vs. Yves Edwards (Sportsnet)
Michael “The Menace” Johnson vs. Danny “Last Call” Castillo (Sportsnet)
Dennis “Superman” Hallman vs. Thiago Tavares (Sportsnet)
Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann def. Shane Roller (Sportsnet)
Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski vs. Diego “The Gun” Nunes (Sportsnet)
Darren “BC” Uyenoyama vs. Phil “Billy” Harris (Sportsnet)
Marcus “The Prospect” LeVesseur vs. Carlo “Neo” Prater (Facebook)
Aaron “A-Train” Simpson vs. Mike Pierce (Facebook)
The Sport Addiction 
Events every week nowdays :). Not to exited about this one, but I’ll bet it ends up surprising me!
Never Underestimate a Free Fight. Most fights with little on paper tend to be the best in the octagon