Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno
The opening bout of the evening sees the much-anticipated return to UFC of Caol Uno, who will be looking to recapture his long-ago position as a top player in the UFC’s Lightweight division against tough opponent Spencer Fisher.
Uno, once widely regarded as one of the top 155 pounders in the world, has seen mixed results lately, dropping 3 of his last 6 bouts. Fisher, similarly, has seen mixed results after starting off his career with an insane win streak, dropping 2 of his last 5 bouts. Both meen badly need a win to cement themselves as top players in the ultra-stacked Lightweight division.
Spencer “The King” Fisher, who fights out of the Miletich camp in Davenport, Iowa, is a well-rounded martial artist with solid standup, wrestling, and submission offense. To top it off, he has never been submitted in his career, an impressive feat considering that he has fought more than a few quality grapplers. Against Uno, an outstanding grappler, Fisher’s gameplan will probably be to use his wrestling to keep the fight off the ground and try to batter Uno with strikes. While Uno’s standup is technically good, he lacks the power to finish fights with punching, a problem Fisher does not have.
Uno, for his part, will clearly try to take this one to the ground and submit Fisher. While Fisher has never been submitted, Uno’s grappling is world class, and if anyone can pull it off it’s him. His biggest impediment in this fight is going to be age. While 34 is really not that old relatively, Uno has been fighting since 1996, and in recent showings he has not looked as athletic and impressive as he did in his prime. Even the greatest careers have to wind down eventually, and we may well be seeing the beginning of the end for Caol Uno.
In the end, I think Fisher is too big, strong, and well-rounded for Uno to handle. The size advantage alone might cause problems, but it’s Fisher’s wrestling, submission defense, and superior standup that will decide this bout.
I think Uno will show a lot of heart, but come up short, as Fisher neutralizes his takedowns and punishes him with strikes on his way to a unanimous decision.
