UFC Fight Night 26 Preview

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Middleweights

Uriah Hall (7-3, 0-1 UFC) vs. John Howard (20-8, 4-3 UFC)

The Matchup: In losing a split decision to Kelvin Gastelum at “The Ultimate Fighter 17” Finale, Hall barely resembled the fighter who cut such a path of destruction through the reality show that fantasy matchmakers were already pairing him with Anderson Silva. Some of that can be attributed to Gastelum, whose aggressive wrestling and fearless standup allowed him to take the fight to his more celebrated foe; and while a case can be made that Hall deserved the nod on the judges’ scorecards that night anyway, the Team Tiger Schulmann representative did not appear to be in the right frame of mind to achieve victory.

The physical tools are there, but how Hall fares against a short-notice opponent will go a long way toward determining his career trajectory. Howard, who has won six of his last seven fights since being released from the UFC in 2011, campaigned openly for a spot on the card in his hometown of Boston. “Doomsday” even went so far as to say he would compete for free, but it was not until both Nick Ring and Josh Samman were forced to withdraw that Howard was given his desired opportunity.

The Wai Kru MMA representative has decent athleticism and knockout power, but his best attribute -- toughness -- was on display in losses to Jake Ellenberger, Thiago Alves and Matt Brown before exiting the promotion. Howard struggles when he cannot simply overwhelm foes physically, and he lacks the wrestling technique to plant Hall on the mat on a consistent basis. That means he will be forced to navigate an 8.5-inch reach disadvantage against a foe with knockout power in both his hands and feet. Making matters worse is the fact that Hall is fully capable of mixing in the occasional takedown to keep Howard off-balance.

The Pick: Given his last performance, it seems risky to predict a highlight-reel stoppage for Hall, especially against a seasoned foe. At the very least, he should be able to keep Howard at a safe distance with his strikes to cruise to a unanimous decision.

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