With the start of The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comback less than 3 weeks away, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the fighters that will appear on the show and do a little TUF4 preview. Of course, I know that the spoilers are already out there, thanks to Beatdown Radio, but for those who do not already know the outcome (and even those who do) now is a good time to get acquainted with the fighters. TUF 4 will feature MMA veterans with the middleweight winner getting a shot at the UFC Middleweight Title in the first half of 2007, and the welterweight winner getting a shot at the UFC Welterweight Title in the first half of 2007.

Fighter Name: Mikey Burnett
Age: 32
Record: 5-2
UFC Record: 2-1
Key Wins: None
Key Losses: Pat Militech

Mikey Burnett is really an unknown to present-day MMA. Burnett has not fought since UFC 18 back in 1999. Burnett’s only contact with MMA since then has been as a “celebrity” referee at different events. You know about as much as I do about Mikey.

Fighter Name: Shonie Carter
Age: 34
Record: 34-15-6
UFC Record: 3-2
Key Wins: Jason Black, Matt Serra, Chris Lytle
Key Losses: Pat Militech, Miky Pyle, Karo Parisyan, Ronald Jhun, Jon Fitch

“Mister International” is taking one last stab at making a run at a title shot. Shonie has been fighting MMA since 1997, and has plenty of experience coming into TUF 4. However, while always exciting to watch with his spinning backfist, Shonie has never been able to defeat any top-level fighters and has even struggled with B-level fighters. I don’t expect much in the cage from Shonie, but he should provide hours of laughs in the house.

Fighter Name: Matt Serra
Age: 32
Record: 5-4
UFC Record: 4-4
Key Wins: Yves Edwards, Ivan Menjivar, Jeff Curran
Key Losses: Shonie Carter, Karo Parisyan, B.J. Penn, Din Thomas

Matt “the Terror” Serra began fighting MMA in 2001 and has fought some big names in the sports. Seven of Serra’s nine fights have gone to decision, so we know he can last with anyone. Can Serra step up and avenge a few of his losses against some of his fellow contestants? I think he has a good shot.

Fighter Name: Rich Clementi
Age: 29
Record: 23-10-1
UFC Record: 0-1
Key Wins: Brian Dunn, Joe Jordan
Key Losses: Caol Uno, Marcus Aurelio, Yves Edwards, Pete Spratt

Clementi’s only appearance in the UFC was in 2003 against Yves Edwards. Clementi has fought everywhere and against a wide range of opponents. Like Shonie Carter however, he doesn’t have any impressive victories and has lost to most decent fighters. I don’t expect much from Clementi but he could provide a few sparks in the cage.

Fighter Name: Pete Spratt
Age:
Record: 14-7
UFC Record: 2-2
Key Wins: Rich Clementi, Robbie Lawler
Key Losses: Georges St. Pierre, Carlos Newton, Chris Lytle, Ronald Jhun

Pete “Secret Weapon” Spratt is another fighter who has taken on some of the biggest names in MMA, and unfortunately come out on the losing end. Spratt has the potential to strike with the best of them and has a decent submission game as well. His back-and-forth win/loss record has kept him from being in a big name promotion consistently.

Fighter Name: Chris Lytle
Age: 32
Record: 21-12-5
UFC Record: 2-4
Key Wins: Pete Spratt, Ronald Jhun, Pat Healy
Key Losses: Robbie Lawler, Nick Diaz, Shonie Carter, Dave Menne, Koji Oishi

Chris “Lights Out” Lytle is another very experienced fighter who has won the majority of his fights by way of submission. One of my favorite fights to watch is Chris Lytle’s fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 45. The aggression and emotion these two showed made for a very memorable fight. Nearly all of Lytle’s losses have come by way of decision, so he is a very tough fighter to knockout.

Fighter Name: Din Thomas
Age:
Record: 17-6
UFC Record: 2-2
Key Wins: Matt Serra, Jens Pulver
Key Losses: Amar Suloev, Caol Uno, B.J. Penn

Dim Thomas is an American Top Team fighter well schooled in submission fighting and Vale Tudo. Thomas has the potential to be one of the best fighters in this group, but his desire needs to match for him to succeed.

Fighter Name: Jeremy Jackson
Age:
Record: 8-4
UFC Record: 0-1
Key Wins: Nick Diaz, Shonie Carter
Key Losses: Nick Diaz, Joe Stevenson, Jake Shields

Jeremy Jackson’s lone appearance in the UFC came in 2003 at UFC 44 where he suffered his second straight loss to Nick Diaz. Jackson had previously beated Diaz by TKO in the first round at an Ultimate Athlete competition in 2002. Jackson has some firepower but doesn’t have much success in the larger shows.

Overall, the welterweight division for TUF 4 has some excellent fighters with a good amount of experience. I look for each fight to be good from start to finish. We aren’t dealing with new “rookie” MMA fighters as we have seen before on previous TUF seasons.

Who are your favorites to win the welterweight division? Leave some comments and let’s discuss…