The Doggy Bag: Sprechen Sie UFC 122?

Doesn't look like there's a lot to be excited for at UFC 122, but the card does have a couple debuting welterweights. Between Pascal Krauss, Mark Scanlon and Carlos Eduardo Rocha, are there any real "keepers" at 170 pounds who could be great prospects? What will their futures be? It'd be great to see a couple of the debuting fighters on this card steal the show, because it really needs it.
-- Devin from Missoula

Allow me to preface my answer by expressing doubt as to whether any of the three are truly UFC-ready, as so few of European prospects truly are.

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Pascal "Panzer" Krauss

I tend to rate Pascal Krauss the highest: he's the youngest at 23 years old, the best athlete of the three and is coming off a notable win over John Quinn. Krauss is considerably well-rounded and is that kind of athlete who seems predisposed to improving much more with adequate training and more demanding competition.

Krauss' UFC 122 opponent, Kaobon's Mark Scanlon, is returning to active competition this year after nursing injuries through 2009. Scanlon made some waves in October with a vicious knockout over Michael Reid, but the reality is that he has suffered from what a lot of stand-out English fighters outside the UFC suffer: no one notable is willing to fight them. Scanlon has power, some sneaky grappling and he probably will stick around based on his passport. In turn, this will provide him an opportunity to improve much more than fighting guys with losing records on local shows in Merseyside.

Rocha is the wildcard, the fighter with most obvious gaps in his game but with an ace up his sleeve with truly devastating leglocks.

The Brazilian ex-pat is reliant on getting the fight to the round, but the average level of wrestling in Europe is much lower than that in North America. His positional skills on the ground look solid but he is often too aggressive, willing to give up dominant positions for submissions he fails to secure. On the UFC level, I think he lives and dies by the ground game and I don't think his wrestling is up to snuff to guarantee him longevity on the roster.