By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

The UFC will host its first live event on FX this Friday, and the four bout main card promises some serious fireworks as heavy hitters Melvin Guillard, Pat Barry and Duane Ludwig will all be showcasing their skills. For both Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller, a victory means reestablishing relevance in the upper echelon of the light division. For Pat Barry, it’s a chance to get back on track and prove he can fight a controlled offensive fight, and for Duane Ludwig, it’s the chance to pick up three consecutive victories fighting for the promotion; a feat he’s yet to manage.

Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller: Stylistically, this is the blood thirsty fans dream. Jim Miller is a big, powerful lightweight who will force you to fight every second the clock ticks away. Guillard likes to utilize movement, but he’s a quality wrestler with arguably, the greatest punching power at 155 pounds. The largest point of intrigue lies in the durability of Guillard, who’s been dropped in the past on numerous occasions, which often leads to him being finished (usually by submission). Will his chin hold up to the aggression of Miller? I believe it will. I expect to see plenty of bull rushing from Miller, who certainly will not be looking to test his beard against the fists of Guillard. I see Miller moving in behind the jab before putting the pedal to the metal in search of the takedown. It could work, but I have a feeling Melvin times a powerful uppercut which creates the opening needed to land a huge right hook. Guillard by technical knockout in the third frame.

Christian Morecraft vs. Pat Barry: I’ll be completely honest, I haven’t been the least bit impressed by anything that Christian has accomplished inside the octagon. I honestly feel he’s a talented guy, but not talented enough to compete on this level, and that’s been showcased in losing affairs to Matt Mitrione and Stefan Struve. The kid is fairly tough, but there’s no single quality in his offensive or defensive arsenal that rings as phenomenal. Pat Barry on the other hand, seems to possess the physical tools to be a great in this game, his incage mentality however must be question. He often stops to admire his opponents, he becomes overzealous when an opponent is hurt and he often spends too much time moving in reverse rather than closing the distance, which a 5’11” heavyweight must do in order to land his power shots. I fully expect this fight to look ugly, with Morecraft attempting to bully the smaller man, only to be countered brutally and often. As long as Pat keeps his wits about him, he destroys Christian within five minutes; if the heat of the moment overcomes him, we may just see an upset. I’m picking Barry to remain calm and exercise his fight IQ, which leads to a clean knockout midway through round one.

Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer: I’m banking on this one earning “Fight of the Night” honors. Both men are quality strikers, yet both possess extremely differing stylistic approaches. Ludwig is the thinking man’s fighter; he’ll be looking to pick his shots and waste little energy. We’ll see plenty of kicks from the outside and big elbows when in close, but being tied up with Neer may be a bad idea. Josh has a tendency to wade into the trenches and eat a few shots in order to deliver one of his own. Like Ludwig, he possesses enough power to put foes to sleep with a single shot, but he’ll know very early that technically, he’s the inferior of the two in regards to pure striking, which is where things get interesting. We may well see Neer abandon his typical guns-blazing approach and try to take this fight to the mat, where his submission skills are extremely dangerous, and remarkably underrated. If Neer can get this fight horizontal, I foresee a beating coming Ludwig’s way, or an eventual submission secured, either way, that’s Josh’s world. If Ludwig can stuff Neer’s takedowns, and time his counters properly while avoiding the bombs of “The Dentist”, he’s going to maul Josh for fifteen minutes. Coin toss for me here, but I’m predicting Duane Ludwig exits the cage with a unanimous decision victory.