UFC 106 Preview: The Main Card

Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni

The Breakdown: Just in case anyone was thinking that being an obnoxious loudmouth could never earn someone a UFC contract, Baroni comes back to prove otherwise for the umpteenth time. Exactly why Baroni was brought back seems obvious -- to help Sadollah pick up a win in the UFC. He spent months on the shelf, only to lose his formal UFC debut in less than 30 seconds.

Thankfully for Sadollah, Baroni will never be confused for Johny Hendricks and has not been the ferocious slugger of old for some time now. The only things that have not changed about Baroni’s style are his perpetually empty gas tank, lackadaisical grappling and wide-open striking defense, none of which bode well considering Sadollah has proven himself a versatile striker with surprising jiu-jitsu skills.

The X-Factor: The multiple injuries that delayed his debut by nearly a year, compounded by the eventual disappointment of his match with Hendricks, have to be weighing heavily on Sadollah, who may be one loss away from being written off en masse.

The pressure of living up to the tag of “The Ultimate Fighter” plays out unpredictably, with some rising to the challenge and others fading from the spotlight that once belonged to them. Sadollah has to overcome the mental obstacles that are part and parcel of beating up men for a living.

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The Bottom Line: This will serve as a get well fight for Sadollah, a man the UFC seems unwilling to sacrifice to the hyper-competitive welterweight division. Look for a solid performance from Sadollah, punctuated by a rear-naked choke late in the second round of a one-sided affair. Not bad for a guy who spent most of his time on “The Ultimate Fighter” getting teased for his hair.