UFC 101 Preview: Hardy and Hungry, Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino Prepare for War

UFC 101's main card will feature a number of lower to mid-echelon bouts that probably aren't jumping out at fans as meaningful fights. Most of the main card bouts do have some impact within their respective divisions though. Most notably, the lightweight tilt between Josh "The Dentist" Neer (25-7-1) and Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) is a chance for one of these hardy veterans to step up the ranks with a win on Saturday.

Josh Neer is coming off an impressive win over The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 winner Mac Danzig at UFC Fight Night 17 back in February. The match was seen as even coming into the bout, but questions were still up in the air regarding both fighters. Most notably, rumors swirled that Neer might not fight due to a DUI and hit-and-run charge that stemmed from a New Year's Day incident with police in Des Moines, Iowa. Ultimately, Neer wasn't deterred by the arrest. He tapped Danzig in the second round via triangle choke.

Neer is currently in his third stint with the UFC with his current run consisting of three separate Fight Night appearances. He defeated Din Thomas via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 13, but dropped a tough split decision to Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 15. While Neer probably isn't on the verge of dismissal, he really needs to break through with a win on Saturday night for to stop the roller coaster motion of his career.

Kurt Pellegrino is in the same boat as Neer. Both men have a mutual defeat in Nate Diaz, but Pellegrino was most hurt in the divisional standings by a loss to Joe Stevenson back at UFC 74. Diaz was another bump in the road, so he'll need to begin racking up wins to get back into the mix. He's managed to get off to a good start with an unanimous decision win over Thiago Tavares at UFC 88, and a submission victory over Rob Emerson at UFC Fight Night 17.

The real story of this battle isn't the career boost that the winner will get, it's that both of these guys are as tough as they get in the UFC. Many fans recall the Pellegrino/Crane bout at UFC Fight Night 12 in which Pellegrino took a head kick that knocked his tooth through the skin below his lip. Kurt didn't think it was a big deal. Neer has had some equally tough fights in his career, and it's safe to say every fight in his recent stint has been great.

How does this fight break down on paper? Kurt Pellegrino is as tough as they come, but  he also has a vast amount of skill. He was a two-time state wrestling finalist and a three-time Greco-Roman and Freestyle champion in New Jersey, and he's also a highly-credentialed BJJ black belt under Hermes Franca with a plethora of competition wins to prove it. He'll bring tenacious take downs and slams to the fight along with a very well-rounded skill-set. His main area of weakness is probably his striking, but his ground work can make up for that if the fight hits the floor. He has had a problem with his gas tank in some of his past fights.

Neer is under the Miletich Fighting Systems' style of fighting, but now trains out of Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy. It's fairly obvious that his base skills will revolve around wrestling and boxing/Muay Thai coming from MFS. Interestingly enough, Neer has already publicly stated that he intends to stand and bang:

"I’m expecting a tough fight. He’s well-rounded a lot like I am, but I think he’s more like a Jiu Jitsu guy more than a standup guy. I think he will stand a little bit to set up his shots to take me down. I think it has the potential to [be fight of the night]. I think this fight could be over in the first round. That’s my plan, to end it in the first round! I’m prepared for anything that he has to offer, but I would prefer to keep it standing. I’m so sick of fighting guys that want to hit and run. I want to fight guys that want to stand and bang, but they don’t want to stand and bang. They want to stand and run. I want to fight someone that wants to fight and not someone that just wants to hit me and run. We’ll see if he sticks to his word because he’s been saying that he’s going to stand and bang with me, so we’ll see if he sticks to that."

Neer is dangerous standing, but he isn't perfect. Diaz was able to batter him, although Nate also trains with a former world champion boxer. In Neer's case, getting Pellegrino in the clinch for knees and maintaining distance to punch will be the keys to victory. Neer also has a lengthy reach advantage.

This is one tough fight to predict. Neer is fairly good at avoiding submissions, and his reach will allow him to keep Pellegrino at range. Neer has shown he has the gas tank to keep going till the third round, and I question whether Pellegrino will tire himself out trying to take Neer down for most of the fight. One thing is for certain, this could potentially be a fight of the night. Isn't that what normally happens? The cards that don't look so great end up producing great action.