Ricco Rodriguez vs. James McSweeney

Rumors have swirled about which big promotion Ricco Rodriguez(45-11) will sign with, but for some reason UFC, Bellator, and Strikeforce are not lining up at his door of the former UFC heavyweight champion. Ricco(#38 ranked HW) will look to catch their eye though, as he faces TUF 10 fighter James McSweeney(4-6) in England.

Ricco’s comeback from substance abuse and weight problems has been inspiring to those that have fought those same demons. Ricco was tipping the scales upwards of 300 lbs and was featured on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab. Since that time, he’s put together a 10-fight win streak against decent journeymen, but none with a known name such as McSweeney.

James McSweeney earned his way onto The Ultimate Fighter 10 thanks to his affiliation with Rashad Evans and coach Greg Jackson. Rarely does the UFC cast a 3-4 fighter for the show. Yet, McSweeney proved to be tougher than his record and despite a non-existent ground game went on to win his first 2 fights on the show. One of those wins was over rising heavyweight prospect Matt Mitrione. McSweeney eventually was eliminated from the show by Roy Nelson and went on to lose his first 2 official fights in the UFC.

McSweeney made the cut to 205 in his last UFC fight, and Ricco has been attempting to make that same move for the last year. Ricco has not been able to make 205 thus far and that will continue to be a red flag for promotions looking to sign the veteran. As for the fight, this is a complete clash in styles, and as we have seen over and over, a striker with a feeble ground game usually does not come out with their hand raised.