Rony Jason (13-4, 3-1 UFC) vs. Steven Siler (23-11, 5-2 UFC)
The opening main card bout of UFC Fight Night 38 sees season one featherweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” Rony Jason and season 14 castmember of “The Ultimate Fighter” Steven Siler looking to get back into the win column when they square off. Jason saw the first loss of his UFC career when he last fought in November when he suffered a knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 32. Jason had won eight straight fights prior to that loss. Siler is looking to bounce back from a decision loss to Dennis Bermudez at UFC Fight For The Troops 3 in November. Siler is 3-2 over his last five fights.
Fight Breakdown- Rony Jason is one of the most popular fighters in Brazil as he is known to the non-Brazilian audience as the fighter who wears the Jason mask. He has had all of his fights in Brazil for good reason, and he looks to rebound from his first UFC loss. He won the featherweight tournament on season one of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” being the first overall pick by Wanderlei Silva. He defeated Anistavio Medeiros and Hugo Viana on the competition to advance to the finals. He scored a unanimous decision over Godofredo Pepey at UFC 147 in June 2012 to win the tournament and the six-figure UFC contract. He made his post-TUF debut at UFC 153 in October 2012 where he scored a knockout win over Sam Sicilia that earned him the bonus for “Knockout Of The Night”. He followed that up with an 84-second submission win over Mike Wilkinson at UFC On FUEL TV 10 in June. However, Jason saw his win streak ended when he was knocked out by a vicious head kick in just 40 seconds at UFC Fight Night 32 in November. Jason threw a tirade backstage following the loss which earned him a brief suspension after he cut his arm on glass, but he returns from that and is looking to get back into the win column.
Steven Siler had a rough start to his career starting just 5-7 over his first twelve fights. A stretch where he went 13-2 earned him a chance to compete on season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter”. He defeated Micah Miller to get into the house but suffered a 30-second knockout loss to Diego Brandao in his first fight in the house and was eliminated. Siler has impressed in his post-TUF UFC stint, though, doing better than most had seen the show could have imagined. He won his first three official UFC bouts, scoring decision wins over Josh Clopton and Cole Miller and a submission win over Joey Gambino. He saw his win streak ended when he dropped a decision to Darren Elkins. He started a new win streak in his next bout when he won a unanimous decision over Kurt Holobaugh at UFC 159 in April. He then scored his first UFC knockout win when he defeated former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown at UFC Fight Night 26 in August. However, Siler saw his two-fight win streak ended in his next bout when he dropped a decision to Dennis Bermudez at UFC Fight For The Troops 3 in November. Siler has a lot of experience as this will be his 35th professional fight, and he is just 27-years-old. He will be looking for the 17th stoppage win of his career against Jason on Sunday night.
This fight will likely be contested mainly on the feet. While Siler has the size advantage, it will be Jason who has the three-inch reach advantage. Jason has more power and is likely just slightly better on the feet and he has a powerful left hook. Siler doesn’t have a ton of power but he works well in the clinch position, and he can catch opponents with his rangy boxing. Jason is more likely to pounce quickly if he finds Siler in trouble and he doesn’t mind going to the ground when looking for a finish. Siler works well from his back and has a solid submission game, but he does leave some openings both on the ground and on the feet. Jason is going to have to take advantage of those openings. Neither man looks like they will implement a takedown game, but if that does happen as both are looking to get back into the win column, that would slightly edge Jason due to his jiu-jitsu skills, but winning a scramble will be a vital part of this fight. Siler has to hope that Jason overcommits on a takedown attempt, but he made that mistake against Jeremy Stephens and paid the price. Jason is a finisher and Siler has been finished nine times in his career. Add another finish to Jason’s win total and to Siler’s loss column as Jason takes this over and wins by submission in the second half of the fight.
Why It Matters- Both men are looking to get back into the win column after disappointing outings in their last fight. Neither is on the verge of being released from the roster, but neither man wants to have a two-fight losing streak. Jason is a huge star in Brazil and is going to be a fixture on those cards. How high he is on those cards depends on if he can continue to win. He has beaten lesser competition, and when he got matched with a UFC veteran, he was quickly finished. He gets another UFC veteran and a chance to see how well he rebounds. Siler has beaten some solid competition including a former champion, but he is also someone who has fallen against tougher competition. This is the chance for both men to move themselves back closer to the top twenty in the featherweight division.
Prediction- Jason
