Redeemed UFC Middleweight Uriah Hall Returns To Action Sunday
DALLAS, Texas (105.3 THE FAN) - No one has been more hyped by UFC president Dana White during their time on "The Ultimate Fighter" than UFC middleweight Uriah Hall.
A member of Chael Sonnen's team on season 17, as Hall streaked toward the finals with a highlight reel of impressive finishes, it was White that floated the idea that not only could he see Hall winning the show, but that he could also see him fighting then champion Anderson Silva sooner rather than later. Perhaps due in part to that high praise, it was also White who was openly critical of Hall when he was upset in the finals by Kelvin Gastelum and then lost again to John Howard in his UFC debut. At that point, Hall knew he needed to turn things around quickly and that's exactly what he did, causing the tough as nails veteran Chris Leben to quit on his stool in between rounds, and then taking a unanimous decision over
Thiago Santos while fighting almost the entire fight with a broken and exposed toe. White became a believer in Hall again, and now Uriah finds himself on the main card of a highly anticipated UFC Fight Night card this Sunday (10p ET/7p PT) live on FOX Sports 1.
Listen to Richard Hunter talk to Uriah Hall about changes in opponents and turning his fortunes around:
Richard Hunter talks to Uriah Hall
Hall has actually had three different scheduled opponents for Sunday's fight. The original plan was for him to face #12 Costas Philippou in what would've been a rematch of a fight that took place in 2011 in the Ring Of Combat promotion. Philippou pulled out of Sunday's fight with an injury, and was briefly replaced by UFC newcomer Louis Taylor before he withdrew from the fight with a pulled back muscle. Enter Strikeforce veteran Ron Stallings, who now gets his chance in the UFC by signing with the promotion on a week's notice to face Hall.
Hall tells me it's all of no consequence to him, as he pays attention to his own skill set rather than that of his opponent, whomever he may be. A technical striker, Hall has identified wrestling as a weakness and has trained with the Reign and Extreme Couture camps for this fight to strengthen that aspect of his game.
The first professional loss that Hall ever suffered was to current UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, back when both fighters were outside of the promotion. He tells me that he has his eye on an eventual rematch, this time for the title belt that Weidman holds. First he'll have to earn his way up the rankings, and the next step in that process will be a win over Stallings Sunday night.
UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver is headlined by a featherweight contenders match up between Irish sensation Conor McGregor and veteran Dennis Siver.
Also on the card, lightweight contenders Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Benson Henderson face off in the third fight of their trilogy.
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