Admittedly, the UFC on FX 3 fight card is a little short on star power.
While the event, scheduled for Friday night at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, features plenty of action, headlined by a UFC Flyweight Championship tournament rematch between Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall, most of the names filling out the card aren't especially familiar to most UFC fans. In fact, the 24 fighters on the UFC card average just three UFC fights apiece.
Standing out among the group, however, is one Josh Neer, who will be climbing into the Octagon for the 13th time on Friday night when he takes on Ian McCall. Neer's record in those fights is an undistinguished 6-6, but when you consider how long Neer has fought to build that record, it becomes significantly more impressive.
Neer, fighting in the first year of the UFC's seven-year deal with Fox Sports, made his UFC debut seven years ago, in the first year of the UFC's old deal with Spike TV. He lost to Drew Fickett that night, and wasn't seen in the Octagon again for five months, when he returned to defeat Melvin Guillard. A win over Joe Stevenson followed, but losses to Josh Burkman and Nick Diaz sent Neer back to the independent circuit. He would return some two years later to give it another go, winning in his return bout against Din Thomas, but going 1-3 in his next four fights to be given his walking papers once again. Undaunted, Neer won six of his next seven fights to earn yet another opportunity in the UFC, where he's gone 2-0 with wins over Keith Wisniewski and Duane "Bang" Ludwig.
It's been a long road for Neer, but he may yet have a long road in front of him. With 43 fights on his résumé, Neer is only 29, seven years younger than his opponent on Friday night, Mike Pyle. And, while Neer may have taken his share of licks in the UFC, he has never been afraid to go for it. Of his 33 career wins, only four are by decision, with 17 coming by knockout and 12 by submission. That's undoubtedly won him some fans in the UFC front office, and should continue to win him fans as his UFC career progresses.
With fights against Stevenson, Guillard, the Diaz brothers and Eddie Alvarez, Neer has battled some of the best in the world, and with four separate stints in the UFC, he's certainly shown a great fighting spirit. He may not have the biggest name, but that could easily change, since "The Dentist" always delivers in the cage.