UFC on Versus 5: On the Chopping Block

Who needs a win in the worst way?

I’ve heard various people call these kinds of features — the ones that speculate about whether an athlete is going to get cut if they lose — malicious in the past. Not just mine, either; they say this of the myriad other incarnations of this post you can find on other sites.

The main complaint seems to be that we’re talking candidly about people losing their jobs, placing odds on whether it will happen, and — this is my favorite — reveling in their potential misfortune.

Yeah — I don’t revel.

Here’s the thing: in today’s economic climate, losing your job is a potential hazard for all of us, myself included. What strikes me as even more curious is that I’m pretty certain hockey writers who call for a player’s benching or their need to return to the minors don’t get called malicious; same goes for baseball too. I know there are differences in there — minor leagues, still have a contract, yadda yadda yadda — but the general sentiment is there: this guy isn’t performing and here is what I think is going to happen if he doesn’t turn it around.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the fighters needed a win to maintain their job in the UFC.

Alex Caceres (5-3)
Odds: 2-1

You’d probably recognize him if I referred to him as “Bruce Leroy,” the pseudo-character he created for himself as a member of The Ultimate Fighter in Season 12. Whatever you want to call him, the 5-3 fighter needs to bounce back from a loss in his UFC debut or he’ll find himself back on the regional circuit.

Normally, I would give a kid with an 0-1 record in the UFC and a 1-3 mark over his last four fights lower odds than the 2-1 offering listed here, but Caceres has a TUF tie and people seem to like his gimmick. I was at his fight in Seattle against Mackens Semerzier and it all week it looked to me like Caceres was just happy to be there. While I understand the sentiment and soaking up the bright lights, you’ve got to want more than to be there; you’ve got to want to stay there and excel.

I’m not sure Caceres has developed that yet, and if he can’t get through unbeaten newcomer Jim Hettes (8-0), he might not get the chance to stay around anyway.

Jason Reinhardt (20-2)
Odds: 1-9

If we’re being perfectly honest, I’m not sure how he survived to this point.

Reinhardt was beaten in quick fashion by Tiequan Zhang last time, his second loss in as many UFC bouts during his career. He’s a fortysomething veteran who found a bunch of success on low-level regional shows, but hasn’t been able to translate that to success in the UFC. A loss here to promising Edwin Figueroa (7-1) would be his second consecutive defeat and likely spell the end of the line for Reinhardt.

TJ O’Brien (16-4)
Odds: 1-9

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