UFC 149: July 21, 2012 Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada UFC Middleweight Contender Nick Ring (-120) Profile: After being forced out of The Ultimate Fighter 11 due to a severe knee injury, Nick Ring (12-1) had nearly a year of arduous rehabilitation before he could make his UFC debut at UFC 127. After proceeding to win his first two fights in the Octagon and extending his unbeaten streak to 12-0, the 33-year-old Canadian finally lost at UFC 135 via unanimous decision to fellow middleweight contender Tim Boetsch, who is fighting Hector Lombard on the same card in the co-main event at UFC 149. Ring is a solid fighter who also has a 4-1 pro boxing record, which combined with his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu makes him dangerous both standing up and on the ground. UFC Middleweight Contender Court McGee (-110) Profile: After losing in the preliminary rounds of The Ultimate Fighter 11, Court McGee (13-2) found himself filling in for an injured Rich Attonito and running the table to a a victory in the TUF Finale over Kris McCray. He had previously lost in a preliminary bout against Ring but was given another chance following a controversial decision. Since his win over McCray, McGee has seen success in the Octagon with an arm-triangle choke submission win over vet Ryan Jensen and a unanimous decision victory against Yongi Yang. The 27-year-old Utah native suffered his first UFC loss against rising middleweight contender Constantinos Philippou at UFC on FX 2 via unanimous decision. Ironically, Philippou tried out for TUF 11 but did not make the cut. McGee trains out of The Pit in San Diego and has a variety of martial arts to draw upon. Opening UFC 149 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Ring a small -120 favorite (bet $120 to win $100) while McGee opened as a -110 underdog according to the MMA odds. This is the rematch both fighters have been waiting for since TUF 11 ended. Ring could have ended up winning The Ultimate Fighter if he had not suffered a knee injury, which obviously opened the door for McGee. Ironically, Philippou also tried out for the show and was able to prove he should have been one of the contestants in his win against McGee. Ring will likely be fighting with a similar chip on his shoulder as if this were the TUF Finale while McGee will also finally get the opportunity to show his run was not a fluke.
