WEC 39 Breakdown: The Main Card

Rob McCullough vs. Marcus Hicks

“Razor” Rob McCullough Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 5’9”/155 lbs.
Age: 31
Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Fighting out of: Irvine, Calif.
Team: Team Oyama
Record: 16-5

The breakdown: After losing his WEC lightweight championship to Jamie Varner and being knocked out of the title picture altogether by Donald Cerrone, McCullough looks like a fighter who has lost touch with his former self. He’ll need to rediscover that old form to survive the human wrecking ball that is Hicks. When McCullough is on his game, he makes opponents pay every time they step forward, and against a straight-forward fighter like Hicks, that’s the strategy he must employ.

McCullough has all the tools to get the job done; his hand speed and power remain formidable, and Hicks will come right at him looking to engage. Whether or not McCullough still has it in him to pull the trigger is the mystery on which this fight hinges.

The X factor: There are all sorts of conspiracy theories for why McCullough has been so off his game lately. My personal favorite is that McCullough’s belief that the end of the Mayan calendar marks our doom has begun to affect him inside the cage. Crackpot theories aside, unless McCullough figures out the cure for whatever physical or mental voodoo has him in freefall, it may not be long before “Whatever happened to Rob McCullough?” becomes the vogue question in MMA circles.

Marcus “The Wrecking Ball” Hicks Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 5’7”/155 lbs.
Age: 33
Hometown: Lewisville, Texas
Fighting out of: Dallas
Team: Hicks MMA/Cortez Boxing
Record: 8-1

The breakdown: Once the WEC’s lightweight titleholder in waiting, Hicks’ undefeated run towards the belt was short-circuited by incumbent champion Varner in short order. Rebuilding his title credentials starts with McCullough, and that means a back-to-basics approach built on takedowns and ground control.

Putting too much stock in his striking got Hicks an extra stiff starching from Varner, and it’s time he realizes that his lightweight stock depends on him using his sugar rush ground game to overwhelm opponents. In other words, Hicks needs to forget the striking, inhale all the sugar in the baking aisle of the nearest grocery store and let the rest take care of itself.

The X factor: Despite having a strong jiu-jitsu base and the wrestling to back it up, Hicks cannot seem to avoid getting his licks in on the feet before moving to the ground. That’s an instinct he’ll have to forget, as his short reach and hooking style make him a bad match for McCullough’s rangy right cross.

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The bottom line: Stylistically, McCullough has all the tools to give Hicks trouble, but at this point, banking on McCullough using those tools is a risky proposition. Watch for Hicks to blitz McCullough from the opening bell and snatch hold of his trademark guillotine for a shockingly easy win.