Gary A Vasquez-USA Today Sports
An important middleweight bout takes place on the UFC on Fox Sports 1 between heavy strikers John Howard and Uriah Hall. The middleweight division has seen a lot of changes over the past month, namely when Chris Weidman KO’d Anderson Silva, becoming the new middleweight champion. A win for Howard or Hall would reassert themselves in this division, and potentially save their job with the UFC.
Coming into this bout, Hall has lost a lot of the hype he gathered while being on The Ultimate Fighter. A loss to Kevin Gastelum at the season finale showed he still needs dramatic improvements in his takedown defense. Gastelum was able to take Hall down on several occasions, and Hall will need to keep this fight standing against Howard as that is his clearest path to victory.
Howard has a lot of experience, sporting a record of 20-8. In his fighting career, he has beat some tough competition in Daniel Roberts, Charlie Brenneman and Dennis Hallman. Howard is a very good muay thai fighter, often utilizing his kicks to soften his opponents up. Just like Hall, he has also had problems with his takedown defense and grappling abilities.
This is a must-win fight for both fighters. For Howard, he will be looking to prove he has what it takes to compete in the UFC, and will need to showcase his stand-up skills, which are formidable. For Hall, he is looking to prove the hype is warranted, and he wants to show that he is one of the most dynamic strikers in the UFC.
It should be a fun fight, as both will be content to stand and prove who the superior striker is. So whose striking will reign supreme, Hall or Howard’s?
