Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Get the scoop on the early fights of UFC 253 out of Fight Island, headlined by former kickboxing phenom Brad Riddell looking to turn away skilled Brazilian Alex da Silva.
It’s hard not to get amped for UFC 253 when you see the hype video for the main event. The feud between Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa has been brewing for quite some time and someone’s “O” has got to go. The problem is with the rest of the card….
I won’t crap on the co-main event, though I will get to the rest of the main card later. But the prelims? There isn’t much there. Every single contest on the prelims features at least one competitor who either hasn’t established they belong in the UFC or no longer look like they belong. In fact, I’m depressed every time I see Diego Sanchez pop up on a fight card. That doesn’t mean the prelim contests aren’t matched up intelligently or that they won’t be competitive, but I wouldn’t discourage fight fans to skip the prelims so they don’t burnt out by the time they get to the main event. Just sayin’….
- He may not be anywhere close to a household name, but Brad Riddell has been developing into a favorite of the MMA community after just two UFC contests. An experienced kickboxer prior to moving into MMA, Riddell has proven to be a whirlwind of violence… when he’s been able to stay on his feet. Not that his takedown defense has been utter crap, but opponents are aware of the danger he poses on the feet and know his experience on the mat is limited. The question is whether Alex da Silva has the wrestling chops to make that an effective strategy. The Brazilian has displayed better ground skills since making it to the organization, but his opposition hasn’t been particularly skilled at preventing takedowns themselves. Da Silva is a sound kickboxer with a good jab, but he doesn’t possess the same fearlessness Riddell has, nor does he have the power. Even if he can get Riddell to the mat, Riddell has been very difficult to keep down. He’s bound to secure his first UFC finish sooner rather than later. Riddell via TKO of RD2
- Once upon a time, seeing Diego Sanchez’s name on a card elicited excitement. It meant we were in store for a gritty, hard fought performance; most likely a brutal slugfest. Now, after 15 years in the UFC, it elicits feelings of depression. Sanchez no longer has the durability required to go the distance in those type of contests, having been KO’d in a depressing manner several times. Thus, he’s had to change things up, returning to his roots as a control wrestler/grappler. Even that is limited in its success as he has lost a step or two and never had much striking power to begin with. Even if he hadn’t lost a step, he would be at a MAJOR physical disadvantage to his opponent, Jake Matthews. Matthews has had several stops and starts to his UFC career, yet is still only 26. Despite his relative youth, he’s now battle-tested with a boxing game that has come along nicely over the years. If Sanchez wasn’t so physically degenerated, I’d consider the possibility of him outwitting Matthews as the Aussie has been prone to being outwitted by cagey vets. Instead, the gulf between Matthews and Sanchez in terms of physicality is way too great for the original TUF winner to bridge. Matthews via KO of RD1
- Strictly looking at his UFC record, Shane Young is still very much a mystery. His lone UFC loss came to Alex Volkanovski, but his two wins were over Rolando Dy and Austin Arnett. A loss to Volkanoski is nothing to be ashamed of, but those wins aren’t anything to sing about. Upon watching his film, he’s the type of competitor fans would hope the UFC holds onto for a while. A pressure fighter who works at an insane pace, mostly behind his jab, Young’s arsenal of strikes runs incredibly deep. He’ll punctuate a long combination with standing elbows, but he can wrestle a bit too. That wrestling ability might come in handy with his dance partner, Ludovit Klein. A native of Slovakia, Klein is more than willing to throwdown with anyone and he appears to be the more powerful striker between the two, head kicks being his specialty. However, he’s also proven to be prone to being taken down with great regularity. While he’s not a bad scrambler, it could cause serious problems for him as Young should easily be able to secure a takedown if momentum begins swinging in favor of Klein. Young should wear down enough to secure a late stoppage. Young via TKO of RD3
- While there is a lot of good prospects that come from DWCS, many of them tend to make it to the big show sooner than they should. Given William Knight is already 32-years old, so the UFC bringing him in makes sense, especially given he secured two wins on the noted feeder system. However, it could be argued Aleksa Camur would have been better off marinating a bit longer on the regional scene. Sure, he’s athletic and has plenty of power, but he’ll be only 25 on fight day and is still figuring out his identity as a fighter. He’s got a deep arsenal of strikes, but he’s a spaghetti flinger at this point: randomly throw everything he has at the wall to see what sticks. Then again, Camur is likely to better establish a feel the more experience he gets. Knight has secured a couple of come-from-behind wins on the DWCS, showing toughness and relentlessness in the process. A quick twitch athlete with good wrestling and explosion, he’s also on the smaller side for 205. Camur isn’t a massive light heavyweight himself, nor is he an overpowering wrestler who would overwhelm Knight. However, he’s durable and has a good killer instinct when his opponent is hurt. It’s a coin flip, but I’m leaning towards Camur. Camur via TKO of RD2
- Jeff Hughes is tough. Very tough. While being a training partner with Stipe Miocic was one of the biggest reasons he made it to the UFC, his ability to take a beating and keep moving forward was just as meaningful to him getting a spot on the roster as anything else. It has to be as he doesn’t have much else to offer physically as a positive. He doesn’t hit exceptionally hard. He’s on the short side for heavyweight. He doesn’t offer much explosion either. Hughes does have a good understanding of angles and is a sound boxer, but his physical limitations, well, they limit what he can do. He’ll welcome back Juan Espino after nearly two years away, rehabbing from several surgeries. Espino, one of the winners of the final season of TUF, has an imposing frame and an advanced grappling game rarely seen at heavyweight. The question is whether he’ll be able to get Hughes to the mat, something that has proven difficult for Hughes’ past opponents. Espino isn’t a skilled wrestler, is now 39, and is coming off the long layoff. It’s hard to trust he’ll be good to go. Hughes via decision
- Am I the only one who is surprised Khadis Ibragimov is still on the roster? I’m not saying the 25-year old Russian isn’t talented. He’s got an ideal frame for the division with a long reach, has KO power, and can wrestle. The problem is that he has a very low fight IQ, resulting in him losing his first three UFC contests. The idea of pacing himself has never crossed the mind of Ibragimov, nor has tightening up his striking technique. Going for broke while swinging like a madman leaves him gasping for air in a big hurry. By that point, his already poor defense is basically nonexistent. However, the fact he’s still on the roster means the UFC sees something in him. It also means they’re giving him every opportunity to succeed. Danilo Marques doesn’t look like the type of fighter the UFC would take a look at. Sure, his 9-2 record is solid, he has some finishing ability in his fists and in his subs, and his 6’6” frame is a unique challenge at light heavyweight. However, his lanky frame and limited athleticism makes for an awkward striker, he has zero quality wins, and is already 34 years old. I feel like a fool picking either fighter, but I’ve got to pick someone. Ibragimov via KO of RD1