UFC 183 is now in our rear-view, having produced a night of many surprises and disappointments. Unfortunately, some disappointments will not go unpunished, so following the night of scraps, here are a couple of fighters we may no longer see compete inside the Octagon… ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK: Tom Watson In a fight many expected him to win in impressive fashion, the Brit was outworked on the feet, where most everyone expected him to hold the advantage heading into the bout. His opponent Rafael Natal dominated every round to win a completely one-sided unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards, with one judge giving the Brazilian a 30-26 score on his card. With the incredibly disappointing and downright poor performance by the Brit, he falls to 1-3 in his last four bouts and faces potential contract termination. If he did not look so bad against Natal, getting dominated in the area he was expected to hold the advantage, I would have said he would for sure get another fight in the UFC. However, being 1-3 after an awful outing like that is not where you want to find yourself as a fighter. If they keep him around, I think it will likely be just to use him for a UK card or possibly feed him to a superior middleweight who they want to see get a win. Whether he gets the immediate cut or gets one last crack, I think the 32-year old’s days inside the Octagon are numbered. (Note: I just had to fact check his age, and I could have sworn he was anywhere from 34-38. This man has not worn punches well.) Andy Enz Referred to as “one of the worst fighters on the UFC roster” by MMAOddsbreaker’s own Adam Martin, Enz fell to 0-3 inside the Octagon at this past Saturday night’s (Jan. 31, 2015) UFC 183, suffering a first round T/KO against the Brazilian Thiago “Marreta” Santos. It marked the first time the Alaskan has been stopped in his professional mixed martial arts victory, and following a loss like that when he had his back against the wall, I expect he will be receiving his walking papers from the promotion. However, he is still young at 23 years of age, and training at the MMA Lab in Glendale, AZ under the tutelage of John Crouch, he could definitely string some wins together and return for a second UFC stint with a whole new set of tools. For a fighter his age who already has more than 30 minutes of Octagon experience and Crouch as his coach, the sky is the limit, if he is fully dedicated to the sport. However, that is a big if. Enz is not very good now, but he made it to the UFC once and can only improve. I expect he will return to the regional circuit this year following his release, and he is someone we should keep an eye on to see how he looks from fight to fight on his road back to the Octagon.
