Jorge Rivera, Jim Miller, Pat Barry and the Top 5 Moments of UFC on FX 1

UFC on FX 1 was a strong numbered-event debut for the UFC on FX and a further indication that the UFC is ready and willing to bring big fights to their Fox partners.

But which stars shined brightest and what moments will fans be talking about in the following weeks? Here’s my take on the matter: my top five best moments of UFC on FX 1: Guillard vs. Miller.

5. Nick Denis KO’ing Joseph Sandoval

It was pretty tough to choose only two preliminary bouts to be featured on this Top 5, since five out of the six prelims of this event ended via dramatic stoppage, with three straight first-round stoppages to start off the show.

I didn’t know a whole lot about Nick Denis, but thanks to some insightful commentary, I learned that he apparently has a lot of hype and interest surrounding him. Seeing him absolutely blitzkrieg and KO his opponent with a barrage of short elbows to the head went a long way towards proving that hype. I definitely know who Denis is now, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on where he goes from here.

4. Josh Neer Submitting Duane Ludwig

Even if you weren’t a fan of either of these two (and I’ve pointed out several times that I’m not), you can certainly appreciate how fun of a fight this was for the short time that it lasted. It had all the makings of a very good brawl, but I won’t penalize Josh Neer for seeing an opportunity and pouncing on it. My interest in Neer is steadily growing, and while I wouldn’t call myself a fan just yet, I’m certainly interested in seeing where he goes from here and how good of a run he can go on this time around.

3. Jorge Rivera’s Comeback TKO victory in His Final Fight

Before this fight, it was said that Rivera would retire win or lose. So I’m very glad that Rivera won by putting on a classic performance: he survived under adversity, he displayed good striking and a big heart and he ended up pouncing on the smallest of opportunities and turning a near-defeat into a triumphant comeback.

I’ll probably type up a “How I’ll Remember Jorge” piece in the next few days, but I’ll say this right now: For his penchant to finish fights dramatically, his willingness to stand and bang and because of his absolutely hilarious personality, I’m definitely going to miss Jorge Rivera.

2. Pat Barry KO’ing Christian Morecraft

Now that Chris Lytle has retired, I honestly think Pat Barry has taken Lytle’s place as my premiere “dark-horse favorite." It’s simple, really: Barry has a magnetic personality, and he fights in this crazy “kill or be killed” style that keeps resulting in dramatic finishes.

Every time I see Pat Barry fight and after every interview I hear or read where he comes off as such a genuine, kind, hilarious person…my respect and appreciation of Barry grows, and my feelings of joy when he wins and heartbreak when he loses grows. Seeing Barry win again and get back on the right track was definitely the No. 2 moment of the night.

And my personal pick for the best moment of UFC on FX 1 is…

1. Jim Miller Submitting Melvin Guillard

I don’t know what else Jim Miller needs to do in order to get people to notice him, and I hope a big win in the main event of an FX show is the final straw. There can be no denying it now: Miller is in the Top 5 of the UFC’s Lightweight division.

It was heartbreaking to see Melvin Guillard lose again, but I felt very vindicated when Jim Miller gave us another awesome fight and another quality finish. Miller put the division on notice several fights back; hopefully, this fight was the one where he put the UFC fans on notice. Miller definitely deserves to be talked about a whole lot more.

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.