In this battle between the season 2 and season 6 winners of The Ultimate Fighter, Mac Danzig and Joe Stevenson face the axe. Danzig lost his last fight to Matt Wiman when the referee stopped the contest under the impression that Mac was unconscious. When the hold was released, Danzig was shocked to hear that he had lost the contest, but the result stood (via technical submission), and he was handed his fourth loss in five fights. Right now, one would think the lightweight were treading on very dangerous ground; somewhere in the back of his mind he has to be concerned about his future in the UFC if he cannot get back on the winning track.
Joe “Daddy” Stevenson has gone 3-3 since his lightweight title loss to B.J. Penn. Most recently, Stevenson is coming off a decision loss to George Sotiropoulos at UFC 110 in which the competitor was overwhelmed by Sotiropoulos’ grappling and striking. Three times in the past, Stevenson has earned “Fight of the Night” honors for his efforts on UFC cards, which will prove vital as this match really could be an eliminator for either competitor. While both of these fighters are former Ultimate Fighter winners, either of these guys could be gone with a loss as with the merger with WEC, there are a lot of new faces that UFC can work into this division (unless Danzig drops down to 145 lbs., which is closer to his natural weight).
Stevenson has a strength and size advantage and the most attractive factor in this fight could very well be the move that Mac Danzig “didn’t” succumb to (technically) versus Matt Wiman: the guillotine choke. It’s Stevenson’s go-to move and since Mac allowed Wiman to slip it on, you know that “Joe Daddy” will be looking for it from the opening bell. If he can’t get it early, this fight will become a “dip and dink” boxing and wrestling match.
Pick: Joe Stevenson by submission (guillotine, R1)
