Surprises and Disappointments is a column featured on MMAOddsbreaker.com after every UFC event, highlighting three fighters who had surprising performances and three fighters who disappointed. Here are the three surprises and the three disappointments from UFC Fight Night 37. Surprises Neil Seery — In a bantamweight bout that most expected to be a blowout, Neil Seery was able to showcase his fine boxing skills, taking tough Brad Pickett all the way to a decision. No one expected Seery to win the fight, so for him to show up and fight his heart out for 15 minutes on just a few weeks’ notice was nice to see, and I expect him to get a fight on the UFC’s Ireland card this summer. Ilir Latifi — Ilir Latifi’s UFC debut last April against Gegard Mousasi was poor, but with a full training camp in tow the Swede was able to showcase his skillset against Cyrille Diabate, defeating the 40-year-old Frenchman with a first-round submission. It was a good win for Latifi, and I expect him to get a step up his next time out. Luke Barnatt — Luke Barnatt was expected to win against Mats Nilsson, but I don’t think anyone expected him to do so in the fashion he did, landing a flush head kick that rocked his opponent and then finishing it up with some hard punches and a knee. Barnatt is now 3-0 in the UFC, and he’s prime for a big fight. He deserves it. Disappointments Melvin Guillard — Melvin Guillard has always been known as a fighter who sometimes doesn’t show up, and against Michael Johnson he certainly did not, dropping a very clear unanimous decision. Guillard did nothing the whole 15 minutes and, at 2-5, 1 NC over his last eight UFC bouts, he could be at the risk of being released from the promotion after such a poor showing. Brad Scott — Brad Scott was the favorite over Claudio Silva because he is a better fighter, but for whatever reason he just didn’t show up to fight and lost a close, yet clear decision on the judges’ scorecards. It’s a disappointing loss for Scott, and it moves him to 1-2 overall in the UFC and on the verge of being in a must-win fight in his next outing. Phil Harris — And in the opening fight of the night, Phil Harris was submitted in mere minutes by Louis Gaudinot to drop to 1-3 overall in the UFC. Much more was expected of Harris, who was fighting in his hometown, but he just couldn’t get it done yet again and there’s no doubt in my mind the UFC will be releasing him very shortly.
