UFC 129 Complete Collection Part 2 Of 12: John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to the second part of my special twelve-part series entitled “ufc 129 Complete Collection”. This special series will give fans an ultra in-depth look at the upcoming UFC 129: “St. Pierre vs. Shields” event, featuring breakdowns and commentary on all twelve scheduled fights. For the first part of the series, click here. Now it’s time to focus on the fight that will see John Makdessi take on Kyle Watson.

John Makdessi seemed to be cut from the same cloth as most hot can’t-miss prospects coming into the UFC for the very first time. Makdessi had compiled a perfect 7-0 record since debuting in the sport in 2008, and even better, six of those wins were TKO’s. Despite the fact that he was about four inches shorter than his opponent, Pat Audinwood, Makdessi managed to dominate in his UFC debut, earning a Unanimous Decision win. Makdessi’s dominance was so complete that one judge scored the fight 30-26, giving Makdessi a rare 10-8 blowout round.

His opponent, Kyle Watson, is best known for his time spent on the twelfth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. Before that, however, Watson had compiled a decently respectable (at the very least) record of 12-6. Watson rocketed past much of the competition on the set of TUF Season 12, losing only to Jonathan Brookins in the semi-finals. Watson made his debut in the UFC last December, taking on another TUF 12 castmate that failed to go all the way: Sako Chivitchian. Watson would end up winning his UFC debut by Unanimous Decision, a win that extended Watson’s current win-streak to five straight fights.

I think this fight is a pretty smart move on the part of the UFC, and it should be a real proving point for both men. Watson has a very good submission game, with ten of his thirteen wins by some form of submission. And although Makdessi has been looking flawless so far, a major Achilles Heel of the knockout artist will always be the submission specialist that can get it to the ground, keep it there, and not eat any unnecessary shots while doing so.

But here’s the interesting thing: of Watson’s six losses, three of them have come by (T)KO. That’s a bad, bad record to have when you’ve got someone that started his career by winning six straight fights by TKO, with five due to punches and one due to a doctor’s stoppage. Watson’s chin might as well have a giant bullseye on it.

I’m honestly a bit conflicted when it comes to predicting a winner for this bout. I know both men can finish quickly and dramatically, and I think both men could end up holding a significant advantage depending on who hits first and where the fight ends up. This is definitely one of the better preliminary fights scheduled for Facebook, and I’ll be paying close attention to see which of these two is ready to break out onto the main stage.

And that wraps up the second part of my planned twelve-part “UFC 129 Complete Collection” series, fans and friends. Stay tuned both today and during the next several days for new entries into this special series, leading up to my traditional pre-event pieces like “Top 5 Reasons to Watch”, “Picks and Predictions”, and more.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of this fight?