Get the scoop on the televised prelims of UFC Adelaide, featuring former title challengers Yushin Okami and Wilson Reis in action in their respective contests.
In the Fight Pass preview for UFC Adelaide, I couldn’t give an honest reason to tune in. The FS1 prelims are more digestible, but not by much. Former middleweight title challenger Yushin Okami is the most recognizable name and most fans would rather tune out if they see his name on the fight card. Ironic, given he’s the pic for this preview, right? Wilson Reis is another former title challenger – less than 20 months ago – but he hasn’t won a fight since before his title shot. Plus, he’s fighting at the division that’s looking like it’ll be belly-up come January. I suppose Kai Kara-France is fun… though his natural weight is also flyweight. I’m getting depressed now. Just enjoy the preview….
The FS1 prelims begin at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on Saturday.
Yushin Okami (35-11) vs. Aleksei Kunchenko (19-0), Welterweight
As much as I respect Okami’s career and accomplishments, he’s not an entertaining fighter. He may not be plying his trade at middleweight anymore, but his general strategy remains unchanged from his UFC debut 12 years ago: grind out his opponent in a lay-and-prey fashion. Okami may not be as strong as he once was – or as durable – but working his craft in a lower weight division does make him more imposing. It also makes his jab – his lone consistent weapon standing – that much more effective.
Depending on your expectations for Kunchenko in his UFC debut, his performance was either spot on or below what many conceived of his capabilities. Perhaps it was jitters as Kunchenko was overly patient, allowing Thiago Alves to remain competitive on the feet, none of Kunchenko’s notorious bursts of offense revealing themselves. His ability to remain standing will be a major concern given he’s significantly smaller than Okami and Kunchenko’s takedown defense hasn’t always held up.
This fight will be won and lost in the clinch. Kunchenko’s Muay Thai background shines through in close quarters, though he may end up being overwhelmed by Okami’s size. The judges have been emphasizing striking over control far more than they did in Okami’s heyday, meaning Kunchenko has a better chance of outpointing his opponent than he would have in the past. Given that, I think Kunchenko will have just enough room to outpoint his larger opponent. Kunchenko via decision
Wilson Reis (22-9) vs. Ben Nguyen (17-7), Flyweight
Even though this fight probably means about as little as any contest on the card, it should be an entertaining contest. Then again, if fans realized how entertaining flyweights really are, Dana White wouldn’t be so adamant to get rid of the division. Sigh….
Reis has not looked the same since being thoroughly manhandled by Demtrious Johnson. There’s no shame there as Johnson has embarrassed many of his victims. The issue is none of them seemed to fall off a cliff as prodigiously as Reis has, currently riding a three-fight losing streak. Prior to the contest with Johnson, Reis had shown an improved striking game, occasionally displaying some power. Since that time, he’s had zero confidence in his standup, opting to resort almost solely to his grappling roots. He proved against John Moraga he’s still a viable threat on the ground, though ultimately that didn’t prove to be enough.
Nguyen’s historical weakness has been his striking defense. Given the loss of confidence on the feet in Reis, Nguyen has to be feeling pretty good about his chances. A creative fighter with a knack for seeing openings most don’t – both in his striking and in his grappling – Nguyen is a risk-taker who has been able to optimize when to take risks as he gains experience. However, against highly athletic or intelligent opponents, he’s struggled to exploit those holes. Nonetheless, when he finds those holes, his power is prodigious enough for him to turn out his opponent’s lights.
I don’t like what I’ve seen of Reis in the slightest since losing to Johnson. There have been flashes of his old self in his takedowns, but even when he gets the fight to the ground, he reeked of desperation as opposed to the methodical grappler he’s been in the past. Reis isn’t easy to put away – only Johnson and the current champion Henry Cejudo have done so at flyweight – but Nguyen is a rare finisher at 125. Odds are good he secures another one. Nguyen via TKO of RD2
Mizuto Hirota (18-9-2) vs. Christos Giagos (15-7), Lightweight
Hirota has been doing this for a long time. I’m not saying that just because his professional debut came all the way back in 2005. I’m saying that because it shows in his performance. The 37-year old is noticeably slower, a scary thought given he was never very fast to begin with. To be fair, Hirota showed far more energy in his recent contest with Ross Pearson, no longer needing to cut the extra 10 pounds to make the featherweight limit. The durable vet is well-rounded and stays busy on the feet, but doesn’t have much in the way of finishing skills.
Giagos should be in the prime of his career as he’s been around long enough to have seen damn near everything while still youthful enough that his physical skills shouldn’t have eroded yet. GIagos prefers to wade forward throwing heavy hooks while looking for the openings for takedowns. His striking defense can be exploited, but he isn’t quite as hittable as you might think. Though his submission defense has long been a question mark, it has improved over the years and his durability has never been a question otherwise.
Perhaps the most blah fight on the entire card, I can’t trust Hirota anymore. He can’t overwhelm the opposition physically at lightweight as he could at times when he competed at featherweight. He is certainly more crafty than Giagos, but craft isn’t going to be enough to make up for the physical deficiencies he’ll have against his American counterpart. In fact, Giagos physicality and Hirota’s age look like they could be enough for Hirota to suffer his first KO/TKO finish. Giagos via TKO of RD2
Kai Kara-France (17-7, 1 NC) vs. Elias Garcia (6-1), Bantamweight
While I’ll give credit to Garcia for recognizing the best way for him to maintain his job is to pick up a win on short notice, the second part is going to be far more difficult than the first. The cousin of the Pettis brothers is always looking for the home run, but doesn’t seem to realize singles and doubles are the basis for building the foundation of a solid offense. Should the youngster ever learn to set up his unorthodox power shots, he’ll be around for a while as his athletic abilities are on the plus side.
On the flip side, Kara-France has the power to make up for any athletic abilities he might be lacking, more than half his victories coming by way of KO/TKO stoppage. His overhand right in particular is something opponents need to be wary of. While some would say Kara-France has improved his ground game since his stint on TUF 24, he hasn’t exactly faced competition that would test him there. Basically, his ground game is still very much a work in progress.
Many in Australia and New Zealand were excited when they found out Kara-France was signed this past summer. I wonder if that excitement has faded knowing the division is likely on the outs. Nonetheless, Kara-France has a golden opportunity to make a statement. Garcia has the chance to pull off a highlight reel KO, but it’s more likely the Aussie pulls down a win in his UFC debut. Kara-France via TKO of RD2