The UFC’s middleweight division is crying out for new contenders and, this Saturday at UFC 135, Tim Boestch and Nick Ring have the chance to make some big waves in the 185lbs. weight class.
Boetsch has recently reinvigorated his career by making the move the middleweight from light heavyweight and, so far, the move have proved fortuitous. He made his 185lbs. debut at UFC 130 and
dominated Kendall Grove en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Nick Ring was cast member on the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter and was never defeated during his time on the show, but was forced to pull out of the tournament with an injury. In fact, Ring has never been defeated and boasts a perfect record of 12-0.
While Ring’s record looks much better than Boetsch’s on paper, he has not competed against the same level of competition that Boestch has faced.
The difference in this fight will likely be the size of Boetsch.
Boetsch wasn’t a big light heavyweight, but in the middleweight he is enormous.
The enormous middleweight’s biggest weapon is his wrestling and I believe his size and grappling will be enough for him to hand Ring his first loss.
I expect we’ll see Boetsch bully and smother Ring for three rounds, earning himself a unanimous decision victory.
Ring does have solid jiu-jitsu skills, but I don’t see him catching Boetsch, who has only been submitted once, in anything.
Prediction: Tim Boetsch via Unanimous Decision (30-27 on all three judges scorecards)