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UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski – Idiot’s Guide Preview to Nikita Krylov vs Francimar Barroso
The three things you need to know about the Nikita Krylov continuing his success at light heavyweight, and whether or not he can keep the good times rolling at UFN 87 in the Netherlands.
The man who worships Al Capone takes on the man with no name to casuals this May 8, 2016 at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Light Heavyweight Nikita Krylov vs. Francimar Barroso
3 Things You Should Know
1. Krylov is no longer a punchline of Fedor protégé snark.
Krylov, along with his bizarre fascination with Al Capone, seemed destined for also-ran status. Maybe he could be good in random European shows against hockey players fighting MMA in their spare time, but not against the UFC elite. Since moving down to LHW he has become a much more consistent fighter, and is on a quiet three fight winning streak. He’ll be stepping up in competition against another fighter with little name credibility, but plenty of in cage credibility.
2. At 3-1 in the UFC, Barroso has a few more wins left in his young dinosaur 36 year old body.
Barroso is your average old age destroyer of young worlds on the Brazilian circuit getting primetime for his results. His ceiling as a fighter, and a UFC fighter is limited. But being restricted to gatekeeper status doesn’t make one a bad fighter. Gatekeepers are often some of the most memorable, losing more to chance than choice. Barroso isn’t a great gatekeeper, but no opponent will have fun enduring his gameplan which is why he’s quietly gotten Joe Silva’s respect on the matchmaking card.
3. Somebody’s four has to go to the floor.
Krylov started out with a bunch of raw tools stitched together with chopstick sutures. Since then he’s developed a better sense of defense, and range management. This has allowed his striking to be much more efficient on the pugilism draw. This isn’t that surprising for such a young fighter. He’s 24, and so diligent coaching will go a long way toward either transforming his weaknesses into strengths, or strengthening his strengths to slowly conceal his weaknesses.
Still, a better sense doesn’t translate to great or even good defense. His output is of the “just bleed” variety. Barroso, who likes to opt for heavy inside leg kicks, will get his chances. But Krylov will have a massive advantage on the feet with his dynamic kitchen sink style striking. Barroso will be wise to do what he’s always done: get in, get down, and get out.
Prediction
Krylov isn’t that far removed from being submitted by a Von Flue choke. It’s possible to be a great submission artist that gets caught by a great choke, but if there’s a choke in MMA that prima facie indicts your defensive acumen, it’s the Von Flue choke. Krylov reminds me a lot of a bigger CB Dollaway in the way he’s able to generate offense from all positions but suppresses offense far less capably. It’s a coin toss if Barroso gets it to the ground, but Barroso has been knocked out before because of waiting too long to get going. His wrestling, while technical, isn’t urgent. He’ll need that urgency to stand a chance because nothing is more urgent than Krylov’s offense. Nikita Krylov by TKO, round 1.
The three things you need to know about the Nikita Krylov continuing his success at light heavyweight, and whether or not he can keep the good times rolling at UFN 87 in the Netherlands.
The man who worships Al Capone takes on the man with no name to casuals this May 8, 2016 at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Light Heavyweight Nikita Krylov vs. Francimar Barroso
3 Things You Should Know
1. Krylov is no longer a punchline of Fedor protégé snark.
Krylov, along with his bizarre fascination with Al Capone, seemed destined for also-ran status. Maybe he could be good in random European shows against hockey players fighting MMA in their spare time, but not against the UFC elite. Since moving down to LHW he has become a much more consistent fighter, and is on a quiet three fight winning streak. He’ll be stepping up in competition against another fighter with little name credibility, but plenty of in cage credibility.
2. At 3-1 in the UFC, Barroso has a few more wins left in his young dinosaur 36 year old body.
Barroso is your average old age destroyer of young worlds on the Brazilian circuit getting primetime for his results. His ceiling as a fighter, and a UFC fighter is limited. But being restricted to gatekeeper status doesn’t make one a bad fighter. Gatekeepers are often some of the most memorable, losing more to chance than choice. Barroso isn’t a great gatekeeper, but no opponent will have fun enduring his gameplan which is why he’s quietly gotten Joe Silva’s respect on the matchmaking card.
3. Somebody’s four has to go to the floor.
Krylov started out with a bunch of raw tools stitched together with chopstick sutures. Since then he’s developed a better sense of defense, and range management. This has allowed his striking to be much more efficient on the pugilism draw. This isn’t that surprising for such a young fighter. He’s 24, and so diligent coaching will go a long way toward either transforming his weaknesses into strengths, or strengthening his strengths to slowly conceal his weaknesses.
Still, a better sense doesn’t translate to great or even good defense. His output is of the “just bleed” variety. Barroso, who likes to opt for heavy inside leg kicks, will get his chances. But Krylov will have a massive advantage on the feet with his dynamic kitchen sink style striking. Barroso will be wise to do what he’s always done: get in, get down, and get out.
Prediction
Krylov isn’t that far removed from being submitted by a Von Flue choke. It’s possible to be a great submission artist that gets caught by a great choke, but if there’s a choke in MMA that prima facie indicts your defensive acumen, it’s the Von Flue choke. Krylov reminds me a lot of a bigger CB Dollaway in the way he’s able to generate offense from all positions but suppresses offense far less capably. It’s a coin toss if Barroso gets it to the ground, but Barroso has been knocked out before because of waiting too long to get going. His wrestling, while technical, isn’t urgent. He’ll need that urgency to stand a chance because nothing is more urgent than Krylov’s offense. Nikita Krylov by TKO, round 1.
