CreepyWatch: Ian McCall Gets Booked for UFC 163, Could Really Use a Win Here


(Now there’s a guy who’s probably tied some women to railroad tracks in his day. Photo via CageWall.com)

Once upon a time, Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall was considered by many to be the #1 flyweight fighter in the world. Of course, this was back in 2011, when the UFC didn’t have a flyweight division, and the 125-pound MMA scene in America was pretty much limited to the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino.

Public opinion of McCall has changed dramatically since then. First, he went 0-1-1 in a pair of fights against Demetrious Johnson during the UFC’s inaugural flyweight tournament in 2012, and followed that up by losing a decision to Joseph Benavidez at UFC 156 this past February. (Along the way, he soldiered through problems both personal and legal.) So even though McCall is still officially listed as the UFC’s #3 flyweight contender — despite being winless in three Octagon appearances — it’s clear that his back is against the wall, and his next fight is of the “must win” variety.

On Saturday, the UFC announced that Ian McCall will return at UFC 163: Aldo vs. Pettis (August 3rd, Rio De Janeiro) against Iliarde Santos, a Brazilian scrapper who lost his UFC debut last month when he was KO’d by Yuri Alcantara. On paper, this is a fight that McCall should win. Unfortunately, paper goes out the window when you’re talking about UFC events in Brazil, where Brazilian fighters have been winning over 80% of the time when matched up with non-Brazilian opponents. (Brazilians enjoyed a 7-0 sweep against foreigners at UFC on FUEL 10, by the way.) Can McCall rescue his UFC career with a win against Santos? Or will he just give the bloodthirsty — and occasionally shirtless — Brazilian fans another reason to celebrate?

The current UFC 163 fight-lineup is after the jump…


(Now there’s a guy who’s probably tied some women to railroad tracks in his day. Photo via CageWall.com)

Once upon a time, Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall was considered by many to be the #1 flyweight fighter in the world. Of course, this was back in 2011, when the UFC didn’t have a flyweight division, and the 125-pound MMA scene in America was pretty much limited to the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino.

Public opinion of McCall has changed dramatically since then. First, he went 0-1-1 in a pair of fights against Demetrious Johnson during the UFC’s inaugural flyweight tournament in 2012, and followed that up by losing a decision to Joseph Benavidez at UFC 156 this past February. (Along the way, he soldiered through problems both personal and legal.) So even though McCall is still officially listed as the UFC’s #3 flyweight contender — despite being winless in three Octagon appearances — it’s clear that his back is against the wall, and his next fight is of the “must win” variety.

On Saturday, the UFC announced that Ian McCall will return at UFC 163: Aldo vs. Pettis (August 3rd, Rio De Janeiro) against Iliarde Santos, a Brazilian scrapper who lost his UFC debut last month when he was KO’d by Yuri Alcantara. On paper, this is a fight that McCall should win. Unfortunately, paper goes out the window when you’re talking about UFC events in Brazil, where Brazilian fighters have been winning over 80% of the time when matched up with non-Brazilian opponents. (Brazilians enjoyed a 7-0 sweep against foreigners at UFC on FUEL 10, by the way.) Can McCall rescue his UFC career with a win against Santos? Or will he just give the bloodthirsty — and occasionally shirtless — Brazilian fans another reason to celebrate?

The current UFC 163 fight-lineup is after the jump…

Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis
Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida
Josh Koscheck vs. Demian Maia
Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson
Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh
Cezar Ferreira vs. Clint Hester
Robert Drysdale vs. Ednaldo Oliveira
Josh Clopton vs. Rani Yahya
Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes
Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes
Ian McCall vs. Iliarde Santos
John Lineker vs. Phil Harris
Viscardi Andrade vs. Bristol Marunde