Amir Sadollah has had quite a UFC career.
After defeating CB Dollaway and becoming the winner of season seven of The Ultimate Fighter, Sadollah immediately became a fighter with a target on his back, and he has responded more often than not.
Outside of a controversial knockout loss to Johny Hendricks in his first fight after winning the reality show, Sadollah has been one of the toughest fighters in the UFC’s welterweight division to finish, something that didn’t change in his loss to Dan Hardy at UFC on Fuel 5.
Sadollah was able to stand and trade with a much more powerful striker in Hardy, and he actually won his fair share of the exchanges in the striking department, but Hardy’s raw power in his lead left hook made it seem that he was getting the better of Sadollah.
The fight changed for the worse for Sadollah when he went to get the fight to the mat, an area where many thought he would have the advantage due to his crafty guard and underrated submission skills.
However, Hardy turned the tables on Sadollah and was able to stuff the takedowns of Sadollah and come back and land a few of his own.
The tough loss to Hardy is going to push Sadollah back a bit in the welterweight rankings, but it’s the inconsistency in Sadollah’s record that is going to become an issue soon.
There’s no doubt that Sadollah is a company man and has put on some fun performances during his run inside the Octagon, but his overall UFC record is just 6-4 and with a 1-2 run in his last three fights, Sadollah could be fighting for his job the next time he walks into the cage.
A fight with prospect Stephen Thompson has potential to be fun, but if the UFC wants to give Sadollah an opponent that can match his star power then Yoshihiro Akiyama is the way to go.
A fight between Sadollah and Akiyama would be a ton of fun to watch, but, more importantly, it would prove which one of these fan favorites doesn’t belong inside the Octagon anymore.
It’s a tough situation for Sadollah, but the time has come for him to prove he’s still a threat at 170.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com