UFC Fight Night 57 plays host to a top-three featherweight battle on Saturday night.
No. 2-ranked contender Cub Swanson takes on No. 3-ranked Frankie Edgar with a potential title shot on the line. UFC President Dana White has guaranteed Swanson a title shot with a win, but he has not committed the same to Edgar.
Jose Aldo awaits his next contender. Thus, he will be an interested party this weekend.
Swanson is riding in on a six-fight win streak. Edgar comes in with back-to-back victories in the featherweight division. Each man has a loss to Aldo, but Swanson’s is in this distant past. Much has changed in the past year to make each man a viable contender.
Edgar has a long history in five-round main events, but Swanson’s only shot at headlining was in his most recent outing against Jeremy Stephens.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at what each man has to do on Saturday to come out on top at UFC Fight Night 57.
Edgar’s Keys to Victory
Make Swanson Work
Swanson has only gone the distance once in his career, and that was in his last fight. He showed he has the ability to go five rounds and keep a healthy gas tank. However, he was not being pushed. He controlled the fight.
Edgar’s high output can make Swanson work harder and begin to tax his cardio. If Swanson does begin to slow down, that will only help Edgar take over in the fourth and fifth frames if the fight goes that long.
He cannot allow Swanson to dictate the pace of the fight.
Be Successful Wrestling
Swanson has shown that he can be taken down, and he can be kept down. It is not easy, but it is doable.
That is an area where Edgar can get control of the fight. If he can take Swanson down repeatedly, he will be in no danger of eating a knockout blow. Success in grappling may be the entire key to this fight.
Tighten Up the Striking Defense
Edgar is hittable. He has taken shots in nearly all of his bouts. Eventually, those add up during a fighter’s career.
He has been rocked several times. If Swanson rocks Edgar, he has the killer instinct to finish in violent fashion.
The former lightweight champion has to become better defensively to extend his career. Sooner or later, he won’t be as durable as he as shown in the past.
Swanson’s Keys to Victory
Hit Edgar
This sounds stupid to say—of course he has to hit Edgar. But I am talking about significant strikes, not just touching him with a jab.
Swanson has to test Edgar’s chin in this fight. As previously mentioned, Edgar has taken a lot of damage in his career and is hittable.
Swanson is dynamic in his striking. He is not just one-dimensional in his stand-up. He must use this to his advantage and keep Edgar guessing, and then he can plant the former champion to earn his long-awaited title shot.
Mix It Up
Swanson’s wrestling is underrated, and he should utilize it to surprise Edgar on Saturday.
Even if he is unsuccessful, he will make Edgar start to think about his shots. That will, in turn, open up his striking. He needs to put it in Edgar’s head that he may attempt a takedown. And if Edgar gets comfortable with Swanson’s striking, it will be easier to get a successful takedown.
This is a five-round fight against one of the most well-rounded and accomplished fighters in recent UFC history. He must show all of his skills this weekend.
Stop the Early Takedowns
Edgar will try to take him down, and he will likely try in the early rounds. Swanson must stop the attempts.
Once he stops the early takedowns, he forces Edgar to fight a stand-up fight, and any takedowns that come later will be telegraphed as he becomes more desperate. If Edgar fails early, he is in trouble against Swanson’s power.
The linchpin to the fight comes down to whether Swanson can stop the takedowns.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com