UFC on FX 5 Friday, October 5 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota UFC Welterweight Contender Josh Neer (-285) Profile: Josh Neer (33-11-1) is an MMA veteran who saw his six-fight winning streak come to a thundering halt with a knockout loss to Mike Pyle at UFC on FX 3 in June. The 29-year-old from Des Moines has fought in the UFC in four different stretches with mixed results. Neer fell to Drew Fickett at UFC Ultimate Fight Night in 2005 and then went 4-5 in his next nine bouts over two different stints, including losses to both Nick and Nate Diaz. His most recent run in the UFC started with a second-round TKO of Keith Wisniewski at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson a year ago. Neer followed that up with a first-round submission of Duane Ludwig at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller on January 20 before losing to Pyle. UFC Welterweight Contender Justin Edwards (+225) Profile: Justin Edwards (7-2) is one of those fighters who are killers until they finally make it to the UFC. Edwards started out his career in the Midwest, going 6-0 with six finishes to his name before making it on The Ultimate Fighter 13, where he was a late replacement and then got unceremoniously knocked out by eventual winner Tony Ferguson by an upkick in the first round. Somehow, the 29-year-old Edwards survived getting cut and signed on to fight in the UFC’s welterweight division. He has seen all three of his UFC fights go to the judges, two against him and one for him so far. Another loss could send him packing, as it appears he may be fighting for his job at UFC on FX 5. Opening UFC on FX 5 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Neer a moderate -285 favorite (bet $285 to win $100) while Edwards opened as a +225 underdog (bet $225 to win $100) according to the MMA odds. This is a classic matchup between a UFC prospect and veteran. However, based on their records, you would probably never guess that they are the same age. In fact, the more inexperienced Edwards is actually two months older than Neer, who has 36 more professional fights. That factor alone gives Neer a major advantage here. He has been through the wars and knows what to expect while Edwards has only seen his hand raised once in the UFC Octagon. On a positive note, Edwards has yet to be finished while stopping six of the seven opponents he has beaten. The big question is, can he continue that success against better competition when he still has not proven himself in the UFC?
