Breakdown: UFC 196
FS-1 Card
Before Featherweight Champion, Conor
McGregor and the number five ranked Lightweight in the UFC, Nate Diaz meet in
the center of the octagon, Saturday March 5th at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas,
Nevada, Fox Sports-1 will air four, live
prelimary bouts. Headlining the free card on FS-1 will be Welterweights,
Brandon Thatch versus Siyar Bahadurzada. This is a must win for both fighters,
they’re each coming off two losses and are likely fighting to remain in the
UFC.
With eleven
wins, Thatch has a perfect finishing rate, including eight wins by KO/TKO and
three stoppages by submission. In fact “Rukus” has only been out of the first
round twice, both losses: 2/14/15 Benson Henderson sunk in a fourth round
rear-naked choke (3:58), the other was the single time the Elevation Fight Team member has heard the final bell, in his second
career fight a Split Decision Loss in 2008. The 6’2” Denver native owns six
KO/TKO wins in under a minute.
Despite
being three inches shorter than Thatch, Siyar Bahadurzada will enjoy a two inch
reach advantage Sat. night. “The Great”
was born in Afghanistan and now trains with the Blackzilians in Florida. Bahadurzada has been on the shelf since
losing to John Howard 12/28/13, by Unanimous Decision. He dusts off his 21-6-1
record, including eleven KO/TKO stoppages and six wins by Sub to face Thatch. “The
Great” KO’d Paulo Thiago in just 0:42 in his UFC debut 4/14/12.
Another Barnburner at
Welterweight
Thirty-one year old Eric “The Tiger”
Silva is just 3-3 in fights that have gone to decision, but in his eighteen wins,
eleven have come by Submission and four more by way of KO/TKO. Silva was one of
juggernaut, Neil Magny’s four victims in 2015, suffering a Split Decision loss
in August last fight. Prior to that, the BJJ and Judo Black Belt collected two
more first round Subs, he has totaled eleven career first round stoppage wins.
He caught Josh Koscheck’s neck in a Guillotine Choke 3/21, forcing the tap at
4:21, choking Mike Rhodes with an Arm Triangle (1:15) 12/20/14. He takes on TriStar’s Nordine Taleb.
Taleb is
fighting in his fifth UFC match (3-1). The one loss came by Submission, last
fight 4/1/15, when Warlley Alves sunk in a second round Guillotine (4:11).
Taleb was born in France, but now trains in Montreal and is the winner of ten
of his last twelve efforts. The 170 pounder also has a 2-1 record in Bellator,
before competing on Team Canada on The
Ultimate Fighter: Nations season.
High School Wrestling
State Champs Meet at Featherweight
Darren “The Damage” Elkins is a former
Indiana state High School Wrestling Champion, collecting a 191-9 HS record. He
also has a brown belt in BJJ. Alternating wins and losses the former Local 597
Pipefitter, is 3-3 in his last six. He looks to build on the momentum of his
Oct. 24th UD win over Robert Whiteford last fight. Elkins is the
number eleven ranked FW in the UFC, appearing in his thirteenth match with the
promotion (9-4). His overall record is 19-5 with five KO/TKO and five Sub wins
to date. He faces Chas “The Scrapper” Skelly.
Skelly is
also a former HS Wrestling State Champ and College All-American. In his 15-1
career “The Scrapper” has eleven finishes, five in the opening round. The Texas
native is the winner of his last four, including two second round finishes in
2015: a TKO (4:59) of Jim Alers 2/14 and a rear-naked choke sub (1:56) of Edimilson
Souza 11/7.
Clash of Styles at
185lbs
Eight of Vitor “Lex Luther” Miranda’s eleven wins have
been by KO/TKO. The Ultimate Fighter
Brazil Season 3 finalist has won his previous two by TKO: a second round
(2:38) stoppage of Clint Hester 8/1/15 and a first round (4:59) head kick to end
Jake Collier’s night 12/20/14. He takes
on accomplished grappler, Marcelo “Margao” Guimaraes in Guimaraes’ fourh UFC
fight (2-1). Last time out he earned a SD over Andy Enz 6/28/14.
To read my coverage of the Main and Co-Main events at UFC 196 click here: http://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/03/breakdown-ufc-196.html
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