Former LSU fullback fighting in UFC 149

Former Louisiana State University fullback Shawn “The Savage” Jordan will face off against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) journeyman Cheick Kongo on Saturday, July 21 in UFC 149. Jordan will be replacing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who withdrew from his match with Kongo because of an injury.

For the second time in his career, Jordan has stepped into a UFC fight on short notice. On July 22, 2011, he faced Devin Cole in a UFC-owned Strikeforce match with only a few days to prepare for the fight. He lost via Unanimous Decision, but earned some deserving attention. He went on to win his next two fights—one in Strikeforce Challengers 19 against Lavar Johnson and the other in UFC on FX 2 against Oli Thompson.

Now training under Jackson’s Submission Fighting camp, Jordan believes he has the experience and the training to compete with the elite of the UFC’s heavyweight division. Using this camp to his advantage, the Savage has sought the help of heavyweight juggernaut Travis Browne, who fought Kongo to a draw at UFC 120 and Jon “Bones” Jones, the current light heavyweight champion.

However, to say that Kongo is a step-up in competition for Jordan would be the understatement of the year. Jordan will be giving up huge advantages in reach, height, and experience. This will also be the second LSU Tiger that Kongo has faced, winning against Pat Barry at UFC Versus 4. That night, Kongo took home awards for Comeback of the Year, Knock Out of the Night and was a candidate for fight of the year.

With that said, if Jordan wins this match, he could crack the Top 10 rankings of the UFC. Even with a loss to Kongo, this could be viewed as a win-win situation for Jordan as long as he isn’t finished inside of a minute. The huge favor he’s doing for the UFC by taking this fight on such a short notice against a legitimate Top 10 UFC heavyweight puts him in the company’s good graces and could ensure some great fights in the future. It also speaks volumes about Jordan’s character, toughness and tenacity to be the best in the UFC.

Prediction: Jordan finishes the fight in the second round, making a definitive statement that he’s here to stay.

Urijah “The California Kid” Faber vs. Renan Barao

Urijah Faber – Sacramento, Calif., 5-6, 135 pounds, 26-5-0
Renan Barao –Natal, Brazil, 5-6, 135 pounds, 30-1-0

Barao by Unanimous Decision

Hector Lombard vs. Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch

Hector Lombard – Cuba, 5-9, 185 pounds, 31-2-1
Tim Boetsch – Lincolnville, Maine, 6-0, 185 pounds, 15-4-0

Lombard by Unanimous Decision

Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn “The Savage” Jordan

Cheick Kongo – Paris, France, 6-4, 240 pounds, 27-7-2
Shawn Jordan – El Paso, Texas, 6-0, 260 pounds, 13-3-0

Jordan by Submission (Kimura)

Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole vs. James Head

Brian Ebersole – La Porte, Ind., 6-0, 170 pounds, 50-14-1
James Head – Highland, Ill., 6-1, 170 pounds, 8-2-0

Ebersole by TKO (Strikes)

Chris “The Menace” Clements vs. Matthew Riddle

Chris Clements – Ontario, Canada, 5-10, 170 pounds, 11-4-0
Matthew Riddle – Allentown, Pa., 6-1, 170 pounds, 6-3-0

Riddle by Unanimous Decision

Court “The Crusher” McGee vs. Nick “The Promise” Ring

McGee by TKO (Strikes)

Roland “Stunning” Delorme vs. Francisco “Cisco” Rivera

Delorme by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo vs. Anthony “The Hippo” Perosh

Perosh by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

Bryan “Kid Lightning” Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon

Caraway by Unanimous Decision

Antonio “Pato” Carvalho vs. Daniel “The Pit” Pineda

Pineda by Unanimous Decision

Mitch “Danger Zone” Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen

Clarke by Submission (Guillotine Choke)