After losing a major headliner as well as shuffling other fighters around due to injuries, this weekend’s all heavyweight main card seems to finally be in place—hopefully.
UFC 146 will feature an unprecedented amount of top heavyweight talent, despite the loss of some major MMA stars from the event. While all eyes will still be on the title battle between champion Junior dos Santos and challenger Frank Mir, there’s another match-up that catches my eye.
Taking the fight on 12 days notice, veteran knockout artist Lavar Johnson will be stepping in for fan favorite Mark Hunt against the towering Stefan Struve. In a battle between a heavy-handed striker and a slick submission artist, this bout has all the makings of a classic—and will definitely not be going the distance.
Johnson has a penchant for the dramatics, emphatically staking his claim in the UFC’s heavyweight division with back-to-back Knockout of the Night performances in his first two fights with the promotion. Owning wins over veteran strikers such as Pat Barry and Joey Beltran, Johnson is a serious threat on his feet and will test Struve’s chin.
While not taking a lot of damage in his utter dismantling of Barry, a great battle that could have taken Fight of the Night if it went out of the first round, it will be interesting to see if he can get his game plan together in such a short amount of time.
As a fearsome young heavyweight with amazing physical and technical gifts, Struve is no slouch and can exploit Johnson’s weaknesses if he gets sloppy.
With all three of his UFC losses coming by way of KO, Struve will be weary of Johnson’s hands and will likely look to get the fight to the mats. Interestingly, this is Johnson’s weak point, as the heavy-handed veteran has tasted defeat four times in his career via submission.
Since both men are great at each other’s weaknesses, this fight will be a test of wills. The victor will have to impose his style and pressure his opponent, or else suffer another embarrassing finish in defeat.
Johnson will have to sprawl heavy and look to beat Struve on the inside, avoiding the Dutch heavyweight’s reach so he can blast him with a power shot from up close.
Struve’s plan should be the exact opposite as the towering UFC vet will try to keep the fight on the outside before looking to take Johnson down.
What makes this bout so exciting is that both Johnson and Struve know how to execute exciting finishes. With five fight night bonuses between them, regardless of who comes out on top, expect them to add a Fight of the Night award to their collections before Saturday night is over.
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