UFC 93 Breakdown: The Undercard

Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway

Tom “The Tank” Egan Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 5’11/170 lbs.
Age: 20
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Fighting out of: Dublin, Ireland
Record: 3-0

The stakes: Normally, this would be the part where I blather on about Egan being a UFC rookie who needs to prove his worth. Let’s be real here: Egan is from Ireland and his opponent, John Hathaway, is from England. If I need to explain why that matters, you should have paid attention in high school world history instead of sitting at home trying to impress your friends by making a bong out of an apple.

Extracurricular activities and nationalistic rivalries aside, we’ve seen the UFC bring in plenty of local talent for European shows before, and those that fail to impress don’t get to make the trip back across the pond.

The breakdown: Egan is getting his big break early in the game with only three professional fights under his belt, but he does have a strong boxing base and the power to back it up. What remains open to debate is how UFC-ready Egan’s grappling is, especially when you consider the ham-and-eggers he’s feasted on thus far.

Testing out your grappling against Hathaway’s swarming ground-and-pound would be worthy of a Darwin award nomination. For that reason, Egan needs to establish his boxing from the opening bell and show Hathaway that stepping forward will carry a heavy toll.

John “The Hitman” Hathaway Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 5’10/170 lbs.
Age: 21
Hometown: Brighton, Sussex, England
Fighting out of: Brighton, Sussex, England
Record: 9-0

The stakes: Besides being the latest avatar for England in its ongoing rivalry with the Irish, Hathaway enters this bout with some hype attached to his name as one of England’s premier welterweight prospects. Whether or not that is a product of Hathaway’s skill or the middling competition that makes up his resume is the question he must answer in his UFC debut.

Given the mutant shark tank that is the UFC welterweight division, Hathaway, and Egan for that matter, had better hope that they can get more than just the locals singing their praises.

The breakdown: This one is simple for Hathaway: Don’t go mucking it all up by trading with Egan. From what I’ve seen of Hathaway’s striking, it’s mostly telegraphed punches that have all the force of a pillow-fight behind them. Keeping the boxing to a minimum would be in the best interests of his baby-face mug.

If Hathaway is serious about keeping his teeth securely in his mouth, he needs to get after Egan early with takedowns and swarm his inexperienced quarry with strikes and submission attempts. From there, Hathaway’s strong positioning and accurate striking should be all he needs to tip the balance in favor of the Britons.


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The bottom line: I’ve never been too keen on doubling down with unproven boxers in MMA, and this bout is no exception. Egan may have the edge on the feet, but he’s not Ireland’s answer to Floyd Mayweather, and Hathaway’s tremendous pace on the mat is something Egan is unprepared for.

Irish Mayweather goes down in the first round thanks to British ground-and-pound. Damn, I shouldn’t have read that Ali biography.