UFC Fight Night 99 Preview
The UFC roster is seeing something new right now as one star has risen to new heights and everyone is trying to follow him.
Only a week removed from the biggest fight in UFC history fighters are seeing what Conor McGregor is doing and achieving and fighters that usually stay quiet are beginning to speak.
After all, McGregor is the loudest speaker in the entire league and he is getting the most attention for that aspect of his game.
McGregor has gone from relatively unknown to the biggest star in mixed martial arts making the most money and putting on the biggest fights.
Although he has the skill to back everything up he has made much of his money and created big fights due to the fact that he can talk a good game.
Other fighters are seeing this and realising that they need to start speaking up to get noticed among a roster full of amazing fighters.
It happened throughout the UFC 205 as fighters who were allowed to speak after their fights began talking a lot more.
It isn’t limited to just that card though as more fighters are beginning to speak up and although they are not all great at it or as extreme as McGregor they are certainly trying to get some recognition.
One of those fighters has been Gegard Mousasi who has never lacked for confidence but has also never been the loudest fighter in the room.
Mousasi has always been a fighter who believes in his ability and his experience and he has let it known every now and then.
Usually, he doesn’t talk too much but lately his has found his voice and that continues heading into UFC Fight Night 99.
Most of his talk surrounds his opponent in the main event as this won’t be the first time that Mousasi has fought Uriah Hall.
The first time didn’t go as planned for Mousasi and it stopped him from getting back to his old winning ways.
When Mousasi came into the UFC he was riding a six-fight win streak which he continued in his first UFC fight but that streak was ended in his second time in the octagon.
His mass amount of experience, 48 fights at age 31, didn’t come into effect as much in the UFC has he had struggled to get on to a serious win streak and Hall was a part of that struggle.
Just as Mousasi seemed to be turning things around with two straight wins he took on a younger and less experienced Hall at UFC Fight Night 75.
The fight seemed like a simple one and was a simple one of Mousasi throughout the first round as he made quick work on the ground.
The entire first round saw Mousasi go for submission after submission but Hall survived every attempt despite losing the round.
Then the second started and Hall went for broke throwing a spinning back kick that landed flush on the temple of Mousasi.
Hall followed up with a flying knee and the fight was over as Mousasi dominated most of the fight but was caught by an unexpected strike from the younger fighter.
Since that time Mousasi continues to claim that he is the better fighter, he has an argument, and that Hall simply got lucky.
Landing that type of shot is not necessarily something that most people can do on a regular basis and Mousasi did dominate that first round with a great ground game.
Then again Hall has made a habit of landing those shots, in fact, he made his biggest impact with a knockout that looked very similar on The Ultimate Fighter.
That is Hall’s game as he likes to unleash shots from everywhere and likes to keep his opponents guessing.
He can do it too as his athleticism allows him to throw those strange kicks and regularly land them on his opponents.
On paper, this fight will always go to Mousasi as he is the more experienced and well-rounded fighter of the two.
Then again it was the same thing the last time they fought and all that Hall needed was one well timed and accurate shot to end the fight early.
This time around the fight will mean something different too as Mousasi is on a three-fight win streak and rising through the rankings.
Meanwhile, Hall has not won a fight since the one against Mousasi and is falling down the rankings in danger of possibly not staying in the UFC much longer.
A win for Mousasi is simply revenge for a loss and a chance to get closer to the belt while for Hall it could be a career saver as both look to make some noise inside the octagon and possibly outside when the fight is finished.
The Sport Addiction 