UFC 154 fight card primer: Matt Riddle vs. John Maguire

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

The Bloody Elbow team gives you a brief preview of all the night's action from UFC 154 in Montreal, Quebec, including this welterweight fight between Matt Riddle and John Maguire.

One of the four fights streamed live on Facebook is one that wasn't scheduled for this card even one month ago. Welterweights Matt Riddle (6-3, 1 NC) and John Maguire (18-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) look to seize unexpected short-notice opportunities to close out 2012.

Originally this was supposed to be Stephen Thompson vs. Besam Yousef. Thompson went out, and in stepped Matt Riddle. Yousef bowed out, and in stepped John Maguire. This has all happened over the last three weeks, so neither man will go into this with a full camp. You can catch this and three other fights on the UFC Facebook page at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT.

How do these two stack up?

Riddle: 26 years old | 6'1" | 76" reach
Maguire: 29 years old | 5'10" | 69" reach

What have these two done recently?

Riddle: NC - Chris Clements (originally W - SUB) | W - Henry Martinez (SD) | L - Lance Benoist (UD)
Maguire: L - John Hathaway (UD) | W - DaMarques Johnson (SUB) | W - Justin Edwards (UD)

How did these two get here?

Riddle has spent his entire pro career in the UFC. He made it there through season 7 of TUF, where he competed as a middleweight. Tim Credeur eliminated him in the 2nd round (round of 16) but Riddle nevertheless made it to the UFC. He hasn't really been consistent since his 3-0 start, but in his last fight with Chris Clements he showed a dominant wrestling display before finishing Clements with a triangle-choke. That win doesn't count however, because Riddle tested positive for marijuana. He's still only 26, so the growth and broadening of his skillset is not finished yet.

Maguire debuted in the UFC in front of his home fans in England at UFC 138, and survived an early knockdown to defeat Justin Edwards by decision. He notched a submission victory over DaMarques Johnson in Sweden this past April, but was easily beaten by John Hathaway in an uneventful fight. He's primarily a grappler, with 10 of his 18 wins coming by submission. The only person to finish him is current UFC middleweight Tom Watson.

Why should you care?

Best case scenario is Riddle continues to use his wrestling skills and we get a good grappling battle. Worst case scenario is a stand-up "war" that will please only Dana White. Let's see if Riddle can continue to build on his performance against Clements.

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