UFC 71 - The Newbees

Upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship 71 features three fighters new to the octagon who will be matched up against three UFC veterans. Houston Alexander who will be taking on "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine, Thiago Silva who will be taking on James Irvin, and Jeremy Stephens who will be fighting Din Thomas. I thought these new fighters deserved a deeper look as they all walk into the UFC with solid fight records. 205lb MMA fighter Houston Alexander has a record of 6 wins and 1 loss with most of those wins coming via KO or submission. His most recent fights have been in the Extreme Challenge and Gladiator Championship. It appears that his style is ground and pound and says his favorite move is the body slam. One thing of note is that of the 6 fighters he has wins over, they have a combined record of 47 wins and 85 losses. Keep in mind that all of his opponents have never fought in a big show. Houston, you're gonna have a problem with Jardine and I don't think you'll will make his debut walking away with a win. Jeremy Stephens is 155lbs with a respectable record of 8 and 1 and goes by the nickname "Little Scrappy" which I'm guessing is a reflection of his fighting style. He has quick hands and like to strike with 6 of his 8 wins coming via KO. The combined record of his opponents is 53 wins and 43 translating into what I like to call a 1.23 OWLR (A ratio of Opponents Win Loss Records). He'll be fighting a guy with a ton of UFC experience in Din Thomas and is going to have his hands full. If he can manage to pull out a victory (which I don't think he will) he'll get a lot of people's attention. Below is a highlight reel of Stephens Thiago Silva is my pick for the 205lb first-timer most likely to walk away with a victory. He is undefeated with 9 wins. He's a Black Belt in BJJ who likes to strike, including and leg and head kicks. If he uses those kicks effectively, he's going to have a good chance against "The Sandman" who I've never been overly impressed with.