UFC Light Heavyweight bout: Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic
Odds: (-110 Soszynski /-120 Reljic )
Betting Pick: Soszynski
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In a very important fight for both of their UFC futures, IFL veteran “The Polish Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski and Goran Reljic will meet at 205 pounds. Both guys have dropped two of their last three, and with roster cuts probably coming in the wake of UFC’s merger with WEC, a win here is a must for both men if they want to remain under contract.
Goran Reljic, a skilled grappler who also has decent striking, looked impressive in his UFC debut, knocking out Wilson Gouveia. Since then though, he has dropped two in a row, which puts his future with the company in serious jeopardy. His submissions are very good and he has a lot of punching power, but he is hampered by a lack of takedowns which prevents him from imposing his will on the ground. Still, he is a threat to finish anywhere the fight goes, and that makes him a dangerous opponent.
Soszynski, who found his way to the UFC after the IFL folded, is also a fairly well-rounded guy. He doesn’t work well off his back, but his submissions from top position are very good and he has heavy hands and good boxing. His biggest advantage going into this fight is that he is clearly a better wrestler than Reljic, which means that he will be the one controlling position on the ground. His wrestling is also going to make it harder for Reljic to commit to power punches in the standup.
I think this matchup favors Soszynski stylistically. Both guys have serviceable boxing with good power to go with good submission games, but Soszynski’s superior wrestling is going to make the difference. Reljic is unlikely to submit Soszynski off his back, and “The Polish Experiment” has good ground and pound that he should be able to use to earn the unanimous decision.
Prediction: Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous decision.
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