Every fight counts in the UFC. That's a fact that applies to every event. UFC 193, though, is a special occasion for the fighters who are set to do battle for two reasons.
The first, you ask? Well, as you may have heard, a certain A-list celebrity by the name of Ronda Rousey is set to appear on the card Saturday, and with that, a huge number of new, impressionable fans will be right there, waiting to be impressed. These fans don't know who is a good fighter, who has a bunch of ugly losses to his or her name or who stunk up the joint in his or her last fight.
The brass rings are hanging out there; the fighters just need to grab them.
The second? While the rewards for success are higher than ever, the punishment for failure doesn't get much more severe. The UFC is purging its roster in a way the sports has rarely seen, with dozens of fighters already receiving pink slips. There are more than a few fighters at UFC 193 with shaky career footing right now, and Saturday's event could lead to a half-dozen cuts on its own.
With the stakes this high, who has the most on the line? Who is on a hot, hot seat right now?
Stefan Struve
The Skyscraper has long been one of the greatest "What if?" stories in MMA. At 6'11", sometimes even booked at a full 7'0", he has the physical tools to become a force in the Octagon. Unfortunately, while he has been able to utilize his height on the ground, using his long limbs to pull off submissions that others can't imitate, his striking is just...not good.
Perhaps the greatest talent scout in MMA today, Struve has an uncanny ability to find the next big entrant to the UFC title scene and get knocked out by him. With the sole exception of his fight with Stipe Miocic, he has eaten big punches and collapsed like a push puppet against every present or future top-10 fighter he has gone up against.
For a long while, Struve was able to sandwich wins in between those stumbles, but a health scare (heart) and some fearsome competition resulted in his eating back-to-back losses to Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem. While Struve bounced back with a ho-hum win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in August, he is set to face a formidable grinder in Jared Rosholt at UFC 193.
Fighting with the backdrop of a major roster purge, if he loses here, and loses in boring fashion, he might get bumped from the UFC.
Uriah Hall
Speaking of "What if?" stories, Uriah Hall is set to replace Michael Bisping and face off with Robert Whittaker at UFC 193.
Hall has been an enigma. Ever since his run on The Ultimate Fighter's 17th season, fans have pegged him as one of the UFC's most deadly. His quick, accurate, perfectly executed strikes are capable of catching anyone in MMA, and his ability to finish off wounded opponents is similar to that of Vitor Belfort.
The issue is that Hall picks his strikes very, very carefully. If he doesn't see an opening for a punch or kick, he won't throw anything. Is that smart? That's debatable, because he has fought so tentatively at times that he has dropped decisions to mediocre fighters such as John Howard and Rafael Natal.
Fresh off a win over Gegard Mousasi, however, Hall finds himself in an all-or-nothing position. If he wins—and wins big—he will cement a place in the top 10 and may be one or two fights away from a title shot.
If he loses, that win over Mousasi will suddenly seem like a big fluke, and if Saturday's fight is a snoozer, Hall will be back to square one.
Mark Hunt
Mark Hunt is one of the greatest fan favorites in recent UFC history. Heck, he is undeniably the people's champion in the heavyweight division. With that said, he has not looked good lately.
Hunt is 1-3-1 over his last five fights, and his draw against Antonio Silva in 2013 was something of a gift. Worse yet, those three losses have all come via brutal knockout, with his latest fight being so lopsided that it was difficult to watch.
No, this isn't necessarily indicative of an end to Hunt's career. All of those losses have come against studs, and even the draw came against a Bigfoot who was fueled by heaping helpings of synthetic testosterone.
However, even if he loses his rematch against Silva on Saturday, it's unlikely that the UFC would cut Hunt because of his popularity and the number of promotions that would love to add him to their rosters (imagine Mark Hunt vs. Kimbo Slice!).
Still, Hunt can't take many more losses and remain a credible fighter. At 41 years old, nobody would say he's set to hit his stride or poised for a breakout performance. Hunt is at the point where every fight may be his last, and he needs to make the most out of the opportunities he has left.
Losing another fight is not the way to do that.
