Breakdown UFC Fight Night

Breakdown UFC Fight Night

Johnson VS Bader

 

            UFC Fight Night, Johnson VS Bader takes place Jan 30, 2016 at Prudential Center Newark, New Jersey. The action starts at 3:30PM ET with Prelims streaming on UFC Fight Pass. Then Fox Sports One begins airing live prelims at 5PM ET and switch it over to Fox for the main card at 8:00PM.

            The Main Event matches #2 Light Heavyweight Anthony Johnson and #4 LHW Ryan Bader. Thirty-one year old Johnson is 20-5 with 14 Knock Outs to date. He comes fresh from one of those KO wins over Jimi Manuwa (9/5/15). Of Johnson’s five losses, four were by way of Rear Naked Choke Submission. He last fell victim to the hold versus LHW Champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 187 (May 23, 2015) in the third round at 2:39. Prior to the loss “Rumble” racked up a nine fight win streak, with six by KO.  

            Ryan “Darth” Bader is 20-4, with five straight, decision wins (he has 10 in career). In 2015 he earned a Unanimous Decision over Rashad Evans, in October and a Split Decision win over Phil Davis in January. Bader was a three time Pac 10 Champion and two time All American wrestler at Arizona State University. He has yet to finish by RNC, but does have 4 Sub wins. Of Bader’s four losses, two have been by Sub and two by KO. In Sept of 2013, Glover Teixeira TKO’d “Darth” at 2:55 of the first round and in Aug of 2012 Lyoto Machida ended his night at 1:32 of the second. Bader also credits six of his wins to KO.

Two Veteran Heavyweights in the Top 10 Do Battle

          Josh Barnett, the #8 ranked UFC HW takes on the #7 ranked HW, Ben Rothwell to move up the Heavyweight ladder. With over forty Pro MMA fights, Barnett has fought for all the big promotions: Pride, Strikeforce, Dream, K-1, Pancrase and this is sixth fight in the UFC. His first fight dates back to 1/11/1997, before fellow main card competitor, Sage Northcutt celebrated his first birthday. In nearly twenty years “The Warmaster” has faced the sports best, early fighters like Dan Severn and Pedro Rizzo to more current names like Travis Browne and Roy Nelson. The Catch-wrestler’s last fight was a UD win over Nelson at Fight Night 75 (9/26/15). The Thirty-eight year old is 34-7 with 20 Sub wins and 8 by KO.

The 6’4” Rothwell owns a similar record at 35-9, but he has 20 wins by KO and 12 by Sub. He is currently riding a three fight win streak, putting those finishing skills to task: Sub over Matt Mitrione by Guillotine last June (1^st 1:54), first round KO of Alistair Overeem (2:19) 9/5/14, and TKO over Brandon Vera in the third (1:54) in August of 2013. Rothwell’s career began 1/6/01 with a 0:21 TKO.

Jersey Native VS #14 BW

            Ramsey, New Jersey’s own Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera steps into the Octagon for the third time, opposite #14 Bantamweight Iuri Alcantara. Although he owns twelve wins by decision, before earning a SD over Pedro Munhoz 11/7/15, “El Terror” was causing just that, with three consecutive KO wins. In July he stopped Marcus Brimmage in the first 1:29 of the contest at UFC FN 72. Rivera looks to improve his 18-1 record.

Alcantara is 32-6-1 with 13 KO and 12 Sub wins to date. He is four of his last five, the stumble: UD loss to Frankie Saenz (2/22/15). “Marajo” recovered with a UD of his own over Leandro Issa (8/1/15).

“Super” Welterweight?

          Sage Northcutt takes his 7-0 (all stoppages 3 sub 4 KO) record to the Welterweight Division to face late replacement, Bryan Barberena. Northcutt packed six fights into 2015 (2 in UFC). Staying busy in 16, “Super” is back following his Dec 10^th Guillotine Sub over Cody Pfister, to make three fights in four months. All of this before his twentieth birthday, in March.

Barberena is 1-1 in the UFC. He lost his last time out against Chad Laprise by UD (4/25/15). On Dec 13, 2014 he made his UFC debut, KO’ing Joe Ellenberger (3^rd 3:24). The KO was the eighth of his career. His record is 10-3.

Breakdown: UFC FN Prelims

Breakdown: UFC FN Prelims

 

            Before the main card starts on Fox, Fox Sports 1 will air UFC Fight Night Prelims starting at 5PM ET. Fight Pass subscribers can view even more prelims, to start streaming at 3:30. The FS-1 card’s main event, between #11 Tarec Saffiedine and Jake Ellenberger, will take place in the Welterweight Division.

Saffiedine saw a five fight win streak come to an end in his last fight, a third round TKO by Rory MacDonald (10/4/14). The twenty-nine year old Belgian is 15-4 in his career with 5 wins by submission.

Jake “Juggernaut” Ellenberger is 30-10 with 18 KO, 6 Sub and 6 Dec wins. Ellenberger’s recent bouts have come against the WW division’s best and Jake has had a rough run, just 1-4 in his last five. At TUF Finale on July 12, 2015 he got caught by, two of “Wonderboy’s” spinning kicks. The second ended his night at 4:24 in the first round.

2 Lightweights, Each Have 6 Submission Wins       

          Olivier Aubin Mercier is 7-1, his only loss came at TUF Nations Finale VS Chad Laprise at 170 pounds. “The Quebec Kid” has won three since in LW division, including two Subs and most recently, Unanimous Decision over Tony Sims (8/23/15). He takes on Carlos Diego Ferreira (in the battle of three named men).

Ferreira is 2-2 in the UFC, his last two, the only losses of his career. Last April he was KO’d by Red Hot, Dustin Poirier (1^st 3:45). Prior to the losses he finished a pair of TUF Alumni: Ramsey Nijem by 2^nd round TKO (8/30/14) and Colton Smith by RNC in the first thirty-eight seconds of the fight (6/26/14).

Middleweights

            Rafael “Sapo” Natal is the #15 ranked MW in the UFC. He holds three straight, decision wins in the division: Uriah Hall SD 5/23/15, Tom Watson UD 1/31/15 and Chris Camozzi SD 9/5/14. The thirty-three year old is 20-6-1 and takes on Kevin Casey.

At 9-3-2 with 3 KO, 3 Sub and 3 Dec wins Casey’s Record is pretty balanced. His last fight ended by accidental eye poke VS Antonio Carlos Jr. in eleven seconds, last December. It’s also worth noting, Casey’s UFC 175 TKO win over Bubba Bush was later overturned by the Nevada Athletic Commission because a post-fight drug test came back positive for anabolic steroid: drostanolone (used in cutting phases by body builders).

Two Ranked Flyweights

            Dustin Ortiz is entering his seventh fight with the UFC, he is 4-2 so far. The #9’s last fight was a third round TKO over Willie Gates (2:58, 8/8/15). He takes on #12 Wilson Reis. Reis is 7-2 in his last 9 and 19-6 on his career with 9 Sub wins. The winner should advance up the rankings toward Flyweight Champion and #2 pound for pound, Demetrious Johnson.

This Weekend is Full of Free MMA

This Weekend is Full of Free MMA

 

            Both Friday night and Saturday night feature free televised MMA events. Friday Jan 29^th Bellator 148 will be aired live on Spike TV. The event takes place in the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Ca. The main event features 11-5 Andy “Stunner” Ulrich taking on Nottingham England’s own 37-13-2 Paul “Semtex” Daley. To read my Breakdown of the Main Card click here: http://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/01/breakdown-bellator-148.html

 

Also on Friday

            Lion Fight 27 brings Muay Thai fighting to AXS TV at 10PM ET. The Main Event is for the Welterweight Championship, Champion Fabio Pinca looks to defend his belt against Challenger Charlie Peters.

            For UFC Fight Pass subscribers Victory Fighting Championship will air live from Baxter Arena, Omaha, NE. The Main event brings UFC Veteran 36-15-1 Josh Neer and 23-11 Anthony Smith. Not many other recognizable names on the card, but great opportunity for fans to pack away some I remember when this fighter… material.

Saturday Night

            The UFC takes over, first on Fox Sports 1 the Prelims to UFC Fight Night begin at 5PM ET. The main event: 15-4 Taric Saffiedine faces 30-10 Jake Ellenberger. Check the blog for Breakdown of FS-1 Prelims here:    http://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/01/breakdown-ufc-fn-prelims.html

Then beginning at 8PM ET on Fox UFC Fight Night Johnson VS Bader airs. The Co-main event squares off to veteran fighters: 34-7 Josh Barnett and 35-9 Ben Rothwell. Also on the card is, recent Phenom “Super” Sage Northcutt. At 7-0 with 4 KO and 3 Submission finishes Northcutt hasn’t seen the third round yet. He takes on 10-3 Bryan Barderena.

The Main Event sees 20-5 Anthony “Rumble” Johnson VS 20-4 Ryan “Darth” Bader. For a full Breakdown of the main card please click here:   http://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/01/breakdown-ufc-fight-night.html

Breakdown: Bellator 148

Breakdown: Bellator 148

 

            Bellator 148 takes place Friday Jan 29, 2016 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Ca. The main event, in the Welterweight division, matches Paul “Semtex” Daley VS Andy “Stunner” Uhrich. If Daley’s name sounds familiar it’s because, in May of 2010 Daley was 2-0 in the UFC with two KO wins, and on the 8^th Daley fought Josh Koscheck. There was building animosity between the two going into the fight. Koscheck out-wrestled Daley for three rounds and after the final bell sounded Daley hit Koscheck with a cheap shot. Dana White said the late punch earned Semtex a lifetime ban from the promotion, forcing Daley to carve a career outside of the UFC.

The Nottingham England native is currently 37-13-2 with 27 Knock Outs. This is his third fight with Bellator, his last: a 2^nd round TKO (1:12) over Dennis Olson in July.

Andy Uhrich has been out of BFC for a while, following back to back losses to Nathan Coy (9/27/15) by Unanimous Decision and Ben Brewer (5/17/14) by KO at 2:40 of the second round. “Stunner” has rattled off 3 straight, his latest a Split Decision over Bobby Cooper at Titan FC 33 (3/20/15). Uhrich, who also fights at Lightweight, will benefit from a three inch height advantage and looking to improve on his 11-5 record.

Rematch from July 17, 2015

            Paul Bradley fights out of Alliance MMA in San Diego. The 5’9” Welterweight has a balanced record 22-6 with 7 KO 7 Sub and 8 Decision wins to date. His last win was a UD over Josh Neer at Bellator 129 (10/17/14). Bradley rematches Chris Honeycutt after an accidental head clash (2^nd round 2:47) caused a no contest awarded.

Chris “The Cutt” Honeycutt is 6-0-1 with 4 KO and 1 sub win. Prior to the No Contest with Bradley, “The Cutt” was 2-0 in Bellator, both by TKO. His last was over Clayton Macfarlane (3^rd 4:16).

Heavyweight Division

            At twenty-nine years old Tony Johnson is 9-2. The Nebraska native’s last fight ended as a SD win over Alexander Volkov (4/10/15). He also holds a win over Derrick Lewis and a TKO of former UFC HW Champ Tim Silvia. He takes on Raphael Butler.

Butler has finished all of his nine wins: six by KO and three Submissions. “The Silencer” has only been out of the first round twice: Richard White made it to the 2^nd before submitting to strikes (3/25/11), and Nick Rossborough fought to a draw (5/9/14). Most recently he stopped Josh Diekmann by Guillotine Choke in the opening 1:04.

Fourteenth Fight in Bellator

          Patricky “Pitbull” Freire is fresh from a Split Decision loss to Derek Anderson in December. This fight with Ryan Couture will be the Brazilian’s 14^th with the promotion. The Thirty year old Lightweight is 14-7 with 9 KO wins. Earlier last year he bested Saad Awad by UD (8/28/15).

Ryan Couture is 10-3, currently riding a four fight win streak. All four of those wins by Rear-Naked Choke. The Las Vegas native has 6 submission wins in his career. The latest over Dakota Cochrane (3/27/15) in the opening (3:23).

 

Bellator 148 Fri Jan 29^th 2016 at Save Mart Center Fresno, Ca. 7:45 PM Prelims 9:00 ET Main Card airs on Spike TV

Newark Still Shoveling Snow

Just Days Before UFC Fight Night

            Newark, NJ and much of the Northeast finds themselves digging out from this weekend’s blizzard. Newark Airport reported an unofficial record snowfall of 28.1 inches, resulting from the Sat-Sun Storm (The National Weather Service will take days to confirm). Power outages, roof collapses and thousands of flight cancellations are just a few of the problems The Blizzard of 16 presented the region.

            Today: Newark Schools remained closed, but LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports are open and with warmer weather (upper 30’s and 40’s) forecasted through Saturday, Fight Night Johnson Vs Bader should not be affected.

 

Velasquez, Then Werdum Pull Out of UFC 196

 

            With no Heavyweight Championship, Super Bowl Weekend event just won’t be the same. Cain Velasquez was forced to withdraw (sighting injury) from his Feb 6 match up with Champion Fabricio Werdum. Stipe Miocic was briefly announced as a late replacement, but Werdum revealed his own injured back as the reason he would be unable to defend the title next Saturday. All of these events took place between Sunday the 24^th and Monday the 25^th.

Johnny Hendricks and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will likely be moved from co-main to main event. #2 Hendricks comes in 17-3 with 8 KO wins, he is the former WW champ and has gotten back in the win column with a UD over Matt Brown since dropping the strap to Lawler last March. “Bigg Rigg” takes on #8 Thompson. The 11-1 Thompson will enjoy a 6” reach advantage. “Wonderboy” has six KO wins, most recently over Jake Ellenberger in July (1^st 4:29).

Great 2016 for UFC So Far

Great 2016 for UFC So Far

 

            Two main events, two of the best fights in each division titles’ history, 2016 has started marvelously for the UFC. On January 2^nd Carlos Condit fought Robbie Lawler to a close decision, causing fans to argue weather Lawler deserved to retain his Welterweight belt that night, at UFC 195.

On the 17^th TJ Dillashaw and Dominic Cruz treated Boston to the Bantamweight Division’s most thrilling title fight to date. Again fans disputed the judges’ split decision for Cruz. With the UFC taking this week off, fans can distract themselves with NFL Divisional Playoff games or shoveling feet of snow, depending on location, but next week’s (Jan 30) Fight Night from Newark, NJ has the potential to keep the company’s 2016 thrill streak going.

            Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs Ryan “Darth” Bader matches the LHW division’s #2 and #4 fighters. #2 Johnson is 20-5 with 14 KO wins. Fresh off one of those KO’s: Rumble stopped Jimi Manuwa last contest at 0:28 of the second round.

He was submitted earlier this year by Daniel Cormier by RNC (3^rd 2:39) at UFC 187. Before the title fight Johnson had racked up nine straight in the win column including six KO’s.   Of his five losses, four are by Sub and one by KO.

Ryan Bader is 20-4 with ten decision wins, currently he is on a streak of five straight decision wins. In 2015 he outpointed, fellow top ranked 205ers: Rashad Evans (Oct) and Phil Davis in January. This clash of styles should offer excitement. Bader has also never lost by decision (2KO, 2Sub).

            If that weren’t enough, the following week (Feb 6) a Heavyweight Championship rematch between 20-5 Champion Fabricio Werdum and the man he took the title from 13-2 Cain Velazquez battle it out, the night before the Superbowl in Las Vegas and on PPV. So far this year the UFC has given us plenty to cheer, as we build up to UFC 200, the potential for great action continues.

Breakdown: Legacy Fighting Championship 50

Breakdown: Legacy Fighting Championship 50

 

            Returning from retirement, Evangelista Santos takes on thirty-five year old Artenas Young. If Santos’ name sounds familiar, he was formerly married to Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. The Invicta Champ was awarded Santos’ nickname in the divorce and continues to use it today.

Santos last fought 4/27/14, a rematch with Melvin Manhoef (Manhoef won the first by 2^nd round TKO 3:51). In the April, 2014 rematch Manhoef improved on previous effort with a TKO in the opening 0:46.

“Cyborg” is 1-3 in his last four, dating back to January, 2011, when he was submitted by Nick Diaz (2^nd 4:50) in the main event for Strikeforce.

In addition to Legacy and Strikeforce, Santos has fought in many promotions, to include: Pancrase, Cage Rage and Pride. He began his career in November of 1997 with a 2^nd round RNC win over Roberto Pereira.

Artenas “The Machine Gun” Young will be fighting in his hometown versus Santos and hopes to halt a three fight skid. The 6’2” Young’s last win was over Jonathan Harris by Unanimous Decision at LFC 25 (11/15/13). His 10-9 record includes 4 KO’s and 5 Decision wins.

Heroes Battle it Out in Lightweight Division

            Jonathan “The Hulk” Harris faces Justin “The Wolverine” Reiswerg in a battle of Texan 155ers. Houston’s Harris is 3-2 in his last 5 LFC bouts, including his 8/28/15 win over Rey Trujillo by UD at LFC 44, improving his record to 10-5.

Reiswerg has lost his last two, to Caddington Banks by UD (LFC 44) and Mike Bronzoulis by RNC 2^nd 4:51 (11/14/14). Prior to the skid “The Wolverine’s” 8-5 record boasts a TKO win and two first round Submissions (5 subs in career).

Also Featured

            Another Houston fighter, Alex “Bet On” Black looks to improve his 8-4 record. Black lost his last fight by 3^rd round TKO to Kevin Aguilar at LFC 39. The loss broke a seven fight win streak, including 4 Subs (2 in the 1^st round). He takes on 7-4 Michael Rodriquez.

Legacy Fighting Championship 50 Jan. 22, 2016 in Houston, Texas airs on AXSTV Live!!!

WSOF 27 Breakdown

WSOF 27 Breakdown

 

            Injury causes a lineup shift, but WSOF 27 is still loaded with intriguing match-ups. Mike Ricci was scheduled to face Caros Fodor in the main event, but Ricci withdrew due to injury. Moving the Light Heavyweight fight between Teddy Holder and Shamil Gamzatov to the main event. Fodor will now face Luiz Firmino in the Co-main.

Expect a Finish

            Teddy “Bear” Holder had his eight fight win streak halted by WSOF LHW and MW Champion David Branch (9/18/15) in the first by RNC. Holder has finished all nine of his wins in the first round (7KO, 2Sub). In fact “Bear” hasn’t seen the second round in his career. He holds 1^st round KO wins over Thiago Silva (WSOF 19) and Sean Salmon (UCC6) to name two of his more recognized victims. His two losses were both by submission.

            Undefeated Shamil Gamzatov has also finished each of his wins: four by KO and five by Submission. The 25 year old Russian hasn’t fought since 10/11/14 when he beat Yuri Gorbenko with a first round Triangle (2:12).

Lightweight Division

Caros “The Future” Fedor is a veteran of OneFC, Strikeforce and UFC. This is his WSOF debut. “The Future” didn’t fight in 2015, but went 2-0 in 2014 with two Sub wins over: Willy Ni (May 30) by Kimura 1^st 3:29 and Vincent Latoel (Sept 12) by RNC 2^nd 4:43. He takes on 33 year old Luiz Firmino. “Buscape” made his pro debut on May 27, 2000. He has fought for M-1, Pride and Dream. Firmino also a bit inactive as late, but is on a five fight win streak, most recently by UD over Tyson Griffin (6/21/14).

Local Striker Looking to Build Momentum

            Tennessee native, Jaleel “The Realest” Willis, makes his WSOF debut as an undefeated Welterweight. Willis is 5-0 with four first round TKO stoppages due to striking. Last January “The Realest” Stopped Dameon Melton in the first 1:25 at V3 Fights. He takes on Chauncey “The Machine” Foxworth. Foxworth enters for his second time as a pro, the owner of a first round KO win over Linc Battee (3:16) Oct 24^th 2015.

Lightweight Sub-Specialists

            Bryce Mitchell made his Pro debut last January 24^th, since “Thug Nasty” has submitted his way to a 4-0 record. All those wins came in the first rounds; most recently Chris Culley tapped at 3:39 (9/26/15). Mitchell faces Jorge Medina. Medina started his 4-2 record with 3 straight sub wins also. He is 1-2 in his last 3 fights, losing by TKO on 3/28/15 to Pedro Gomes (2^nd 4:22).

 

WSOF 27 is January 23^rd at 10pm ET on NBCSN Prelims Streaming live on WSOF.com

Breakdown: UFC FN 81, Boston

Breakdown: UFC FN 81, Boston

 

            Injuries may be the first thing you think of when you think about former Bantamweight Champion, Dominic Cruz, but let’s not discount the dominance prior to the injuries. Cruz TKO’d Brian Bowles in the 2^nd round on March 16, 2010 to become the champion and then defended against the division’s best: Benavidez, Jorgensen Faber and, most recently, a Unanimous Decision over, now Flyweight Champ, Demetrious Johnson (10/01/11).

The Briefest of Injury Timelines:

            May 7, 2012 first reported injury: Forced to pull out of rubber match with Faber at UFC 148.

            Then a second ACL surgery and a pulled groin kept him out of action until September 27, 2014 when he steamrolled Takeya Mizugaki with a first round KO (1:01).

            December 22, 2014 it was reported that Cruz injured the ACL on his other leg and required surgery. This is “The Dominator’s first fight back and just second fight since 2011.

            TJ Dillashaw is riding a confidence wave fueled by three straight finishes in championship fights. At 12-2 with 6 KO’s the 29 year old TKO’d Renan Barao in the 4^th round (0:35) in July of 2015. Prior to that he finished, late replacement fighter, Joe Soto by head-kick (5^th 2:20) Aug 30, 2014.  Don’t forget when Dillashaw shocked the world by outworking Renan Barao before pouring it on the former Champ in the fifth round to earn the TKO at 2:26 and wear the belt home.

            Dillashaw himself was a replacement fighter in the Barao fight. He maximized the opportunity when Raphael Assuncao was forced to withdraw due to an injured rib. TJ lost to Assuncao at UFC FN 29 in Oct, 2013 in a close Split Decision.

Co-Main Event: Lightweight Division

Eddie Alvarez held belts in other organizations, but his journey to UFC gold has begun slowly. The former Bellator Lightweight Champion lost his UFC debut to Donald Cerrone (9/27/14) by UD. In June of 2015 he bounced back with a SD win over Gilbert Melendez. The 32 year old Alvarez is the owner of 14 KO and 7 Sub victories.

March 14, 2015 saw the end of Anthony Pettis’ win streak. Rafael dos Anjos took the LW title from Pettis in a five round domination. Before the loss “Showtime’s” win streak involved two championship Submission wins and two highlight real kicks. In Dec, 2014 Pettis sub’d former Strikeforce LW champ Gilbert Melendez by Guillotine (2^nd 1:53) and Arm-barred the belt away from Benson Henderson (1^st 4:43) on Aug 31, 2013.

On his run toward the belt “Showtime” ended the nights of two contenders by first round kicks: 1/26/13 A body kick to Donald Cerrone at 2:35 buckled Cowboy and the referee stopped the fight, 2/26/14 a head-kick sent Joe Lauzon to the canvas at just 1:21 into the contest.

Heavyweight Division

At 17-3 Travis Browne has only been KO’d twice, unfortunately the more recent was “Hapa’s” last fight (May 23, 2015) by former training partner, Andrei Arlovski in the first 4:41. Prior to that he TKO’s Brendan Schaub in Dec of 14.

Also coming off a loss is Matt Mitrione. “Meathead” shot in for the first take-down of his UFC career and found himself caught in a Ben Rothwell Guillotine (1^st 1:54) in June, 2015. Before the loss MM was on a first round KO streak that victimized: Gabriel Gonzaga (12/13/14 1:59), Derrick Lewis (9/5/14 0:41) and Shawn Jordan (3/1/14 4:59).

The two heavyweights hold 21 KO’s between them (13 Browne, 8 Mitrione). Expect a stand up fight here.

Lightweights:

            Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson is 18-9 with 7 KO and 5 Sub wins. His last contest was a split decision win over Paul Felder. He takes on Francisco Trinaldo who is 18-4 with 6 KO and 5 Subs. Trinaldo is on a 4 fight win streak latest: TKO win over TUF winner Chad Laprise at 2:43 of the first.

Other Fights to Look for:

In the LW division Daron Cruickshank takes on Paul Felder in a possible FON match-up.

WW sees “Killer B” Ben Saunders and Patrick Cote battle it out toward a prospective title run.

At Light Heavyweight two Middleweight contender’s meet: Tim Boetsch and Ed Herman.

How Carlos Condit Becomes Welterweight Champ

How Carlos Condit Becomes Welterweight Champ

 

No easy task, but Condit comes into UFC 195 flexing a skill-set that matches up better than past challengers to Robbie Lawler’s Championship. 20 of Lawler’s 26 wins have come by way of KO/TKO, however Condit is the owner of 15 KO/TKO and 13 Submission wins in his 30 wins (he’s won just 2 fights by way of judges’ decision).

Both fighters prefer to battle it out on the feet, where Condit will have a one inch reach advantage. More importantly the former WEC champ will benefit from a five inch leg reach advantage, normally not a very telling stat, but Condit typically employs a kick heavy arsenal in his fights. A successful Condit will maintain his distance and pick Lawler apart with kicks and punches from distance.

In the past Condit has been susceptible to the take down due to kicks, never afraid to test his BJJ game from his back (remember the 13 subs) “The Natural Born Killer” has been outpointed by fighters like GSP and Kampman for not controlling position. Condit displays a versatile guard, throwing many punches and elbows from his back and also possesses long legs with great flexibility. Robbie Lawler has been known to deliver hard punches in every position, to avoid damage Condit should use his BJJ to get to his feet or sweep.

On the feet Condit utilizes great footwork, moves backward effectively and counters with precision. Important skills when fighting a power striker like Lawler. Tyron Woodley is the only fighter to stop Carlos Condit by strikes. In their match up in March, Woodley landed a leg kick following a takedown that resulted in a TKO loss, due to R leg injury for Condit. This May, the leg appeared to be fine when CC finished Thiago Alves in the 2^nd round at UFC Fight Night 67.

The last WEC Welterweight champ has also worn UFC gold. In Feb of 2012 he bested Nick Diaz for the interim WW belt at UFC 143. Condit is no stranger to five round fights and never appears out of shape. The Albuquerque native is a long time trainee at Jackson-Wink MMA and will take advantage of great coaching.  

Counter striking and effective footwork are the keys to success for Condit. Twenty fighters have fallen in the past to Lawler’s power. Condit has faced many of the division’s best and survived their attacks. Look for Carlos to do the same in this fight, avoid power punches and counter. CC by 3^rd round TKO.