UFC 154 fight card primer: Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi

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 all-Canadian lightweight clash between Sam Stout and John Makdessi.

The FX preliminary special opens with what could be an entertaining striking affair. Lightweights Sam Stout (18-7-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and John Makdessi (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) mark the only all-Canadian matchup at UFC 154 in Montreal, Quebec.

Stout is a recipient of five FOTN bonuses while Makdessi's kickboxing style has provided some quality entertainment in his UFC career. It's more of a must-win for Makdessi though, as he's dropped his last two. You can catch this fight along with the other three bouts on FX at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.

How do these two stack up?

Stout: 28 years old | 5'9" | 70" reach
Makdessi: 27 years old | 5'8" | 68" reach

What have these two done recently?

Stout: W - Spencer Fisher (UD) | L - Thiago Tavares (UD) | W - Yves Edwards (KO)
Makdessi: L - Anthony Njokuani (UD) | L - Dennis Hallman (SUB) | W - Kyle Watson (KO)

How did these two get here?

"Hands of Stone" has been anything but that in his UFC career, but his only KO out of 7 wins was a stunning left hook that put Yves Edwards out cold at UFC 131. Consistency has been a problem for Stout since he debuted in March 2006 in a thrilling war against Spencer Fisher. He's never won three fights in a row, but he did have a quality decision win over Joe Lauzon in 2010 at UFC 108. Stout's offensive reputation may be overstated, but his chin is excellent. In fact, Stout has never even had a cuts stoppage loss, and his only stoppage defeat was against former LW #1 contender Kenny Florian by submission in 2006. He most recently completed a trilogy with Spencer Fisher back in June, taking the series 2-1.

Makdessi has fought professionally since 2008, going 7-0 in the Canadian regional scene, including a decision win over WEC veteran Bendy Casimir. He had a successful debut at UFC 124, earning an entertaining and dominant victory over Pat Audinwood. Makdessi inserted himself on the 2011 MMA highlight reel with a spinning backfist knockout of Kyle Watson at UFC 129. Unfortunately for Makdessi, that's really the last time he's done anything memorable in the cage. Dennis Hallman easily submitted him at UFC 140, and Anthony Njokuani outpointed him in a rather ho-hum fight at UFC 145. A third successive defeat could see him out of the UFC.

Why should you care?

If this is an all-striking battle, expect this to be one of the contenders for Fight of the Night. Be wary though that Stout holds the wrestling advantage so he could take it to the ground if he wanted to. Hope for the former if you like exciting stand-up battles.

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