UFC on Versus 5 Preview Part One: Amir Sadollah vs. Duane Ludwig

Previews, Top Story

Amir Sadollah (5-2: 1 KO, 2 SUBs) seems to have more job security in the UFC than most others on the roster. He has the Ultimate Fighter title on his resume which usually helps people stick around longer than they should and he’s very good at going out there and being the corporate face of the company in public and on TV. We could even make the case that maybe he is a little too good in front of the camera as the matchmaking that has come his way in the three plus years since he conquered the reality show has almost seemed a little too soft. On Sunday he will enter the cage as a decisive favorite in a match that is being featured on the main card but really shouldn’t be. With the UFC expanding their empire one might get the sense that they are out there simultaneously promoting and protecting somebody who they hope to use on screen for many years after his fighting career is over.

His opponent in this instance is Duane Ludwig (20-11: 9 KOs) somebody who has fought all over the world and competed in many of the top organizations. He is, however, only 1-2 since returning to the major leagues after turning in a 3-4 report card for his three years in Strikeforce. His last fight was UFC 122 when he took on Nick Osipczak and even though he walked out the victor he needed a dramatic come from behind performance to earn the split decision. As in that fight I think we are to assume that Ludwig is fighting for his UFC life and it is hard to see him pulling it off unless he able to land that one magic punch, preferably early in the game.

Sadollah is certainly the safe, boring pick here but that is hardly going to stop me from going with him. I see him methodically taking Ludwig apart over a dull-ish three round affair. Ludwig will almost definitely be looking for that aforementioned bomb and Sadollah will know it and exploit that aggression to work his Muay Thai. He also is far better on the ground than Ludwig and even though I don’t see the fight heading in that direction if it does eventually end up there a submission for Sadollah is hardly out of the question. The main intrigue that I see coming out of this fight is not whether or not Sadollah will win (he will) but what the UFC does with him next. To their credit they did put him up against Dong Hyun Kim and Johnny Hendricks but I don’t think we knew at the time how good either of those guys actually were. In all honesty a rematch with either of them would be of interest to me though nobody is really clamoring for them so I doubt they’ll bother. Perhaps a matchup with a Brian Ebersole or a John Hathaway would be a good litmus test.

Either way look for this fight to really kill the crowd. I’d say that it has the potential to drag down the rest of the card with it but the prelim portion of the card really isn’t much better (though Wineland/Benavidez should be in this slot) and the rest of the main card is so awesome I’m pretty sure his fight will just slip from everybody’s memory as soon as the decision is rendered.