UFN 19 Undercard Preview: Battles for Survival in the UFC Plentiful

This coming week should be one of the busiest weeks in MMA we've seen this year. Not only is the UFC putting on a solid UFC 103 card featuring a main event of newly-acquired Vitor Belfort and UFC veteran Rich Franklin, but the UFC will also present UFC Fight Night 19 on Wednesday evening followed by the premier of The Ultimate Fighter Season 10. In a two-part series, we'll take a look at the UFN 19 undercard that will feature a couple of TUF standouts and a number of fighters looking to prove they can handle some better competition following impressive wins.

First on our list of previews is a lightweight showdown between Canadian Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout (14-5-1) and The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 runner-up Phillipe Nover (6-2-1). Stout is currently on a streak of four consecutive fights during this recent stint with the UFC. He defeated Per Eklund and Matt Wiman via unanimous decision at UFC 80 and UFC 97 respectively, but dropped decisions to Rich Clementi and Terry Etim at UFC 83 and UFC 89. Nover is coming off two disappointing losses, one at the TUF 8 Finale to underdog Efrain Escudero and another Kyle Bradley via TKO at UFC 98.

Stout's nickname isn't "Hands of Stone" because he loves to grapple. He's purely a boxer/Muay Thai kickboxer who uses a sprawl game in order to keep fights standing and pepper opponents. He trains out of London, Ontario at Adrenaline Training Center with MMA veterans Mark Hominick and Chris Horodecki along with a plethora of experienced trainers in BJJ, wrestling, and boxing. The gym is an affiliate of founder Shawn Tompkins, and I'm sure Stout will venture down to Xtreme Couture for some training for this fight.

Nover will have some ways to counter Stout's striking as he is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Alexandre "Soca" Freitas. He does have some solid striking ability that sets up his submissions on the floor, so Stout will need to be on the lookout for Nover's ground game. It really should come down to a striker vs. grappler battle. This fight will likely be a do-or-die battle for both fighters, but it'll be Nover's third straight loss if he drops the fight to Stout. The UFC's plans to head to the Philippines would likely include Nover's presence, but he may not be on the roster long enough to see that happen. It's a tough call, but I think Stout is the favorite here for the simple fact he's beaten some solid BJJ guys in the past and he has some very good boxing abilities. 

Also in the lightweight division will be a showdown between Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens (20-5) and Alaskan-native Justin Buchholz (11-3). Stephens is coming off two straight losses on Fight Night cards to Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau, although Stephens did step in as a late replacement for Hermes Franca in his match-up with Lauzon. Buchholz is coming off a UFC 99 loss to British fighter Terry Etim, but defeated TUF 5 contestant Corey Hill as a nearly 3-to-1 underdog at UFC 86. He's currently 1-2 with the promotion.

Stephens is primarily a one-dimensional power puncher. His massive uppercut knockout of Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 91 is a perfect example of the kind of power and punching that Stephens brings to the cage, and he'll be expected to try to produce a highlight against Buchholz. Stephens has been training with Diego Sanchez in San Diego along with Hermes Franca, so he should be improving his wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Buchholz is a pretty well-rounded fighter, although he isn't great in any one department. He has the punching ability to drop his opponents, but his grappling is probably one of the more underrated aspects of his skill-set. I haven't heard any rumblings about where Buchholz has been training, but he was training with Urijah Faber at one point during his UFC stint. In any case, Buchholz should be a solid test, but I think Stephens is ultimately the favorite due to his striking. I think Stephens will have some improved ground tactics as well since he was exposed in the past.

In a welterweight showdown, power wrestler Brock Larson (28-2) will take on UFC newcomer Mike Pierce (9-1). Larson is riding a five-fight win streak that includes wins over John Alessio, Mike Pyle, and Carlo Prater. He's currently on a two-fight win streak with the UFC. He trains out of Minnesota Martial Arts Academy with wrestling powerhouses in Sean Sherk and Brock Lesnar. Larson will be looking to use his wrestling ability to punish Pierce.

Pierce is a former collegiate wrestler at Portland State University, and he was a 2x Collegiate State Champion, 2x Greco-Roman State Champion, and 2x Freestyle State Champion. He has stayed in the Northwest region making his base camp at Braveheart Fight Club where current UFC fighter Rick Story also trains. Lee Jenkins acts as their boxing coach, a 5x Oregon State Golden Glove champion. Pierce has some notable wins over Mike Dolce, Paul Bradley, and Justin Haskins with his lone loss coming from Nathan Coy.

It's tough not to pick Larson here. He's a proven power on the ground while Pierce hasn't faced the type of stiff test that comes with Larson. Larson has solid conditioning as well, so it'll either be a war of attrition that I think Larson can win, or Pierce will succumb to Larson's power. 

In the event opener, middleweights Steve Steinbess (4-2) and Ryan Jensen (13-5) will square off in a match-up that should prove to be a good test for both fighters. Steinbess is coming off a loss to Carmelo Marrero at WEC 36 while Jensen is coming off a loss to Wilson Gouveia at UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer. Jensen has had a lengthy layoff as this fight will take place a year after his loss to Gouveia. 

Steinbess doesn't present a vast array of problems for Jensen in this fight. He does have some solid training partners at Arizona Combat Sports in Carlos Condit, Ryan Bader, Jamie Varner, and Aaron Simpson. Steinbess will rely on his professional kickboxing background to try to knockout Jensen standing in this fight, but Jensen possesses a good enough ground game to put Steinbess in some danger.

Jensen is a submission fighter who's beaten a number of good fighters in his career. In all of the fights in which he has taken on much better competition, Jensen has fallen short. His losses include Brock Larson, Wilson Gouveia, Thales Leites, Demian Maia, and Joey Villasenor. Not a bad list of names to lose to, but he's never been able to break into the upper-echelon of talent. Interestingly enough, Jensen likes to stand, so if he makes a mistake... Steinbess could pull off a highlight reel headkick.