Uriah Hall was supposed to be the next Anderson Silva of the middleweight division.
His performance on The Ultimate Fighter season 17 was off the charts. It thrust him up the middleweight ranks. The spinning-hook kick KO over Adam Cella remains the greatest knockout in show history. He followed that up with KO/TKO performances over Bubba McDaniel and Dylan Andrews.
Hall made the finals as the favorite over Kelvin Gastelum. Another impressive victory would have moved Hall toward the front of the line right away, but that wasn’t to be. Gastelum edged Hall out, and it brought the hype crashing down.
Still, Hall was expected to be great. The fight against Gastelum was an anomaly. The pressure was just too much, right? Now with that loss he could return to being the next big thing in the UFC. Wrong. He put on another lackluster performance and lost another split decision. This time it was to John Howard.
Following back-to-back losses the hype had all but gone away. Hall was just another TUF product who failed to live up to expectations like Phillipe Nover.
Those who jumped off the bandwagon may be wanting to jump back on after Sunday. Hall has gone from overrated to underrated very quickly. Hall is still a great prospect for the UFC, and he has all the tools to be a legitimate contender in the middleweight division.
There are not many fighters who have the raw abilities of Hall. His athleticism is outstanding, and he can win a lot of fights on the lower level just from that alone, but in the UFC he has to continue developing his skills. If Hall can get his wrestling up to par, he will be a force in the division.
Hall’s performance against Chris Leben at UFC 168 flashed his potential again. Leben is not the Terminator-type fighter he once was, but Hall still embarrassed him in the cage. Leben quit on the stool after just five minutes of being on the receiving end of a beating.
At UFC 175 vs. Thiago Santos he showed he can persevere through pain and adversity. Hall broke his toe in the fight and the bone was exposed. The fight could have been stopped, but Hall kept going. He won a clear-cut decision.
The fight on Sunday looks to be a showcase for Hall. He should be able to dominate a much lesser fighter who is coming in on short notice. It will be what comes after that shows us if Hall can regain his post-TUF standing.
It is far too early to wipe Hall away as a future star. He has the look, the dynamic finishing ability and a likable personality. He just needs a bit more work before taking the next step as a serious threat. To those who are sleeping on Hall—you are making a mistake.
The incredible hype the UFC surrounded Hall with following TUF was deserved, but a little too early. We may be entering a time where the suits want to start promoting Hall with the fervor they once did. Hall has been able to fly under the radar recently, and hopefully he has taken advantage to improve his game.
Hall will take on Ron Stallings this Sunday on Fox Sports 1. Stallings comes in on short notice to take on Hall.
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