So far in “UFC 143 Complete Collection,” we’ve seen an interesting mix of young upstarts and somewhat-veterans. The UFC 143 prelims have been filled with both fighters still trying to find their foothold in the UFC and fighters making their Octagon debuts.
Part five of “UFC 143 Complete Collection” features both: Matt Riddle is still trying to find his place in the UFC’s Welterweight division, while Henry Martinez will be making his UFC debut.
Matt Riddle was a standout on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. To this day, Riddle’s KO victory over Dan Simmler to get into the TUF house remains one of the most brutal knockouts in TUF history. Pull up the video if you don’t believe me. It’s still very difficult to watch Simmler moan in pain and anguish as he wakes up from unconsciousness to discover that his jaw has been broken in two places.
Riddle actually made his professional mixed martial arts debut inside the Octagon and has since competed in the UFC eight times. Currently, Riddle’s record stands at 5-3 with a majority of both his wins and losses by decision. Riddle is also currently on a two-fight losing-streak.
Riddle’s opponent, Henry Martinez, faces a tough test in his UFC debut. Martinez was added to the card just yesterday, filling in for an injured Jorge Lopez, a pupil of Wanderlei Silva who also would have made his UFC debut at this event. Martinez has less than a week to prepare for what is unarguably the biggest fight of his career so far, and he last competed a little over a month ago.
Currently, Martinez’s record stands at a highly respectable 8-1 with six stoppage wins.
All things being equal, you could probably make a serious case for Henry Martinez beating Matt Riddle. Riddle is on a two-fight losing-streak, and that can really affect a fighter’s confidence, especially since the UFC is both famous and infamous for their policy of “lose three and you’re out,” with only the smallest handful of fighters able to avoid the axe due to that unwritten rule.
Martinez is as good of a prospect as you could expect to see in a fight like this. He actually has more fights on his pro MMA record than Riddle, but then again, Riddle’s eight fights have all been inside the Octagon against UFC-caliber opponents.
Another thing to consider: All things are not equal in this fight.
Henry Martinez only has a handful of days to get to know Matt Riddle. Riddle also has the same handful of days to get to know Martinez, but Riddle has the benefit of a full training camp heading into this event. No matter how hot of a prospect you are, no one fights at their best with less than a week’s notice, especially if you just fought last month.
I’m not counting Martinez out of this fight; in fact, I’m still relatively certain that he could win this fight and even finish Matt Riddle. I just think that there are several outside factors beyond Martinez’s control that give Riddle a clear advantage going into this fight.
In the end, I’m predicting that the outcome of this fight rests solely on Martinez’s shoulders, and how he’ll react and adapt to making his UFC debut with only a few days to really train.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
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