Hector Lombard picked up another win in the UFC’s welterweight division with a convincing victory over Jake Shields.
Shields entered the fight ranked No. 6 in the division, and Lombard came in ranked at No. 12. Lombard will almost assuredly move into t…
Hector Lombard picked up another win in the UFC’s welterweight division with a convincing victory over Jake Shields.
Shields entered the fight ranked No. 6 in the division, and Lombard came in ranked at No. 12. Lombard will almost assuredly move into the top 10 following his UFC 171 decision win.
Lombard controlled the fight throughout but did not push the pace enough to illicit a finish. If he was hoping to show the UFC matchmakers that he should be considered for the next title shot, he failed. Regardless, the talented judo machine marches up the ladder.
Social media was active throughout the fight but slowed down just as the action did inside the cage.
Pre-fight
Round 1
Lombard touched up Shields and cut him open. The Cuban also tossed Shields around the cage with his judo. Shields had virtually no response to Lombard’s brute strength. Shields was knocked down, bloodied and offered little in the way of offense.
Round 2
There was more of the same, but with a little less of the face-punching. Lombard was more controlled in the second round. He was content to hold position on the ground and not give Shields any opportunities for a submission.
Round 3
There was even less action in the third frame, but Shields nearly came away with a walk-off win as the clock ticked down. He grabbed on to a guillotine choke, but time expired before he could get a tap from Lombard. That was about the only bit of action in the five minutes.
Post-fight
Lombard moves on in the division, and Shields’ place in the UFC has to be called into question. After a poor showing against Lombard, it is conceivable that the UFC cuts him following UFC 171. Only time will tell, but there is no shortage of talking points following the fight.
Hector Lombard elevated his stock in a big way at UFC 171, as he dismantled No. 6-ranked welterweight contender Jake Shields for 15 minutes inside the UFC Octagon.
After a disappointing stint at middleweight to begin his UFC career, Lombard has r…
Hector Lombard elevated his stock in a big way at UFC 171, as he dismantled No. 6-ranked welterweight contender Jake Shields for 15 minutes inside the UFC Octagon.
After a disappointing stint at middleweight to begin his UFC career, Lombard has re-emerged as a legitimate contender at welterweight. His knockout of Nate Marquardt at UFC 166 made this notion a talking point among mixed martial arts fans and critics, and his 15-minute romp of Shields on Saturday solidified it.
Despite his displeasing, methodical style, Shields has defeated the likes of Carlos Condit, Dan Henderson, TyronWoodley, YushinOkamiand 25 others throughout his professional career. The dude can fight, and he can defeat high-level opposition.
But he could do nothing to Lombard Saturday evening in Dallas.
Lombard won the stand-up and the grappling battle, securing an easy decision victory.
With the win, he dives into title contention inside the UFC’s welterweight division, which is a surprising development after his uninspiring 1-2 stint at 185 pounds earlier in his UFC career.
What we’ll remember about this fight
Lombard outgrappled Shields.
Coming into the fight, many people saw two possible outcomes: an early Lombard knockout or a grinding Shields decision.
They were wrong.
Lombard threw Shields around the Octagon and thoroughly dismantled him on the feet, cruising to a well-earned unanimous-decision victory.
What we learned about Lombard
Lombard’s cardio can hold up for 15 minutes against an elite grappler.
That’s good news in a division that is dominated by strong wrestlers.
Additionally, he still flexes his judo black belt from time to time. Previously, “Lightning” fell into the trap of relying too much on his vicious knockout power, but he cleverly mixed up his grappling and striking in this one. The combination was too much for Shields to handle.
Well done, Mr. Lombard. You are for real. After all this time, you are ready for the big show.
What we learned about Shields
His one-dimensional skill set has no power here.
Against Lombard, he looked to grapple—and only grapple—and his face (and record) suffered.
Lombard teed off at will on the feet and controlled the fight from top position once it hit the mat. He tossed around Shields like an inexperienced teenager during his first grappling lesson, and aside from a late guillotine attempt, the former Strikeforce champ mounted precisely zero offense.
For Shields, who could have made a splash and staked his claim for a welterweight title shot with a win, this was a supremely disappointing effort.
What’s next for Lombard?
The win was excellent, but he needs one more before he receives a title shot. If neither Carlos Condit nor TyronWoodley looks impressive later in the evening, Lombard should receive the winner in a No. 1 contender’s bout.
Alternatively, Rory MacDonald needs a fight. That makes sense, too.
What’s next for Shields?
If Shields doesn’t get Jon Fitch’ed (or YushinOkami‘ed)—that is, cut after one loss and a series of lackluster wins—I foresee a fight with the loser of Condit vs. Woodley on the horizon.
That, however, might be too kind after his completely uninspired performance.
Rick Story also lost earlier in the evening at UFC 171, and he may prove a more reasonable opponent moving forward for Shields.
Either way, it is clear that he removed himself far from title contention with his poor showing Saturday evening.
Anyway, that doesn’t mean UFC 171 won’t be fun to watch, because honestly, this is a talent-rich card with some very competitive match-ups. In the main event, Johny Hendricks and (incredibly) Robbie Lawler will fight for the UFC’s vacant welterweight title, while a quartet of other 170-pounders (Condit, Woodley, Shields, Lombard) jockey for their place in the divisional pecking order. Plus: The always-entertaining Diego Sanchez will shed some more brain cells in a scrap with the undefeated Myles Jury.
Live UFC 171 results will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for extra analysis and updates. And as always, thanks for being here.
Anyway, that doesn’t mean UFC 171 won’t be fun to watch, because honestly, this is a talent-rich card with some very competitive match-ups. In the main event, Johny Hendricks and (incredibly) Robbie Lawler will fight for the UFC’s vacant welterweight title, while a quartet of other 170-pounders (Condit, Woodley, Shields, Lombard) jockey for their place in the divisional pecking order. Plus: The always-entertaining Diego Sanchez will shed some more brain cells in a scrap with the undefeated Myles Jury.
Live UFC 171 results will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for extra analysis and updates. And as always, thanks for being here.
UFC 171 Prelim Results
– Kelvin Gastelum def. Rick Story via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27).
– Jessica Andrade def. Raquel Pennington via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Dennis Bermudez def. Jimy Hettes via TKO, 2:57 of round 3
– Alex Garcia def. Sean Spencer via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
– Frank Trevino def. Renee Forte via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Justin Scoggins def. Will Campuzano via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Sean Strickland def. Robert “Bubba” McDaniel via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:33 of round 1
– Robert Whiteford def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
Round 1: After some feeling-out, OSP lands a body kick and goes right into a successful takedown. Very slick. OSP in side control but Krylov locking his head down, trying one of those one-arm guillotines from the bottom that never ever work. So, St. Preux sets up a Von Flue choke, putting his shoulder on Krylov’s neck and squeezing it together with his free arm. Krylov goes limp and referee Dan Miragliotta jumps in. Ovince St. Preux def. Nikita Krylov via submission (Von Flue choke), 1:29 of round 1.
Jake Shields vs. Hector Lombard
Round 1: Lombard takes the center of the cage, swings his way into a clinch, and dumps Shields on his ass. Shields gets up. Lombard lands hard and Shields falls to the mat. He ain’t following Shields down there, though. Shields gets up, Lombard lands hard. This really isn’t going well for Jake. Shields shoots and Lombard sees it coming, easily defending. They clinch agains the mat. Nice dirty boxing from Lombard and Shields scampers away. Shields shoots from a mile away and fails. Lombard abuses Shields with more punches. Shields is bleeding badly from near his left eye. Shields shoots, Lombard assaults him with punches and a kick, bashing Shields to the mat and getting on top. Shields trying to box Lombard off his back. The referee is getting impatient, saying “c’mon guys” over and over again even though both guys are staying active. Shields locks Lombard down in the last ten seconds, and survives to the second round. 10-9 Lombard, easy.
Round 2: Shields with an inside leg kick. Then he goes high. Lombard comes in slugging, but doesn’t land anything cleanly. Lombard fires a few more punches to get Shields covering up, then trips him to the mat again. Shields establishes full guard. Lombard doing very little from the top, partly due to Shields controlling his position. The ref breaks ‘em. Lombard might be slowing down. He’s flat footed right now, and the ref warms them for not engaging on the feet. They lock lead-hands in a pro-wrestling style test of strength. Shields shoots, Lombard sprawls. Shields throws an upkick and gets to his feet. Body kick Shields. Lombard lands a short left when Shields rushes in, then flips Shields to the mat again. The ref immediately says “c’mon guys.” Man, fuck that guy. Lombard in Shields’s guard. That’s the round. I’d give it to Lombard 10-9, but it was much closer than the first.
Round 3: Shields goes high with a kick. He tries it again, Lombard catches it and swings a big counterpunch. Lombard front-kicks Shields in the balls and gets warned for it. Shields goes back in pretty quickly, tries for a takedown, and gets reversed by Lombard, who gets on top of him once more. Lombard tries some actual ground-and-pound for a change, but it doesn’t last long. The ref stands them up. Shields shoots, Lombard sprawls right on top of him. Shields’s face is a bloody mess. Shields throwing some very ineffective strikes from the bottom. Lombard seems content to ride out the round on top of Shields. The ref stands them up again. Joe Rogan is burying Lombard’d performance, saying he’s “doing just enough to win.” In the waning seconds of the fight, Shields goes for a guillotine after Lombard tries for a takedown and it actually looks really tight, but the clock runs out.
Hector Lombard def. Jake Shields via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28). “Somebody gave Lombard the last round just because of that guillotine,” Rogan says.
Diego Sanchez vs. Myles Jury
This might the first time I’ve actually seen Myles Jury. They say he’s undefeated in the UFC, but shit, I wouldn’t know. Sanchez’s nose looks like it’s still broken from his fight against Melendez. He’s wearing a mohawk in the classic crazy-guy style.
Round 1: Both guys throwing at air for a while. Sanchez tries a spinning side kick and Jury nails him with a counterpunch. Sanchez backs up then starts giving Jury the “come on!” hand gesture. Jury tries a head kick. Sanchez barrels in with punches and lands one clean. They clinch on the fence. Sanchez looks to set up a takedown, but Jury spins out and escapes. Jury with a body kick, Sanchez returns fire. Jury catches a kick from Sanchez. Leg kick from Jury lands clean. Sanchez wades in brawling and Jury has to retreat. Jumping front kick from Sanchez, and a body kick that lands. Jury lands a punch that briefly wobbles Sanchez. He goes for the head kick, then tags Sanchez with a right hand. Jury scores a takedown in the last 30 seconds and drops a bomb from above. Sanchez threatens with a leg lock and Jury has to stop attacking and defend it. The round ends. Probably 10-9 Jury.
Round 2: Leg kick Jury. Sharp body kick from Sanchez. Sanchez swings wildly, and Jury has to get the eff out of dodge. Jury lands a monster overhand right that wobbles Sanchez, who grabs his eye in pain and surprise. Sanchez’s left eye is gashed. But Sanchez lands hard on Jury in a striking combo. Jury pops an uppercut when Sanchez is coming in, and ducks away. Jury sticks the jab. Sanchez’s face is looking rough. Sanchez lands a hard body kick. Sanchez lands a hard right hook as Jury shoots for a takedown, successfully. Sanchez grabs an arm-in guillotine. It looks tight, but Jury gives the ref a thumbs-up. Sanchez eventually has to let it go and they’re soon back on their feet. Jury lands a punch, Sanchez throws back. That’s the round.
Round 3: Jury jabbing. Then a leg kick. Sanchez tries a jumping front kick. Sanchez runs forward charging in with punches, as he likes to do. Head kick Jury. Sanchez fires another series of punches but can’t land much. Body kick Sanchez. And a leg kick. Sanchez fires to the body. Jury is doing a lot of avoiding at this point. He lands a counter-punch and slips out of the way. Nice flying knee from Jury nails Sanchez in the face. Jury takes Sanchez to the mat. Sanchez punches him off and lands a couple of upkicks to Jury’s body. They scrap on the mat and Sanchez attempts another guillotine as time runs out.
Myles Jury def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28). Joe Rogan asks Jury if anything surprised him about fighting Diego Sanchez, and he says, “not to sound cocky, but it surprised me how easy I beat him.” Wow. Kind of a dick move, bro.
Carlos Condit vs. Tyron Woodley
Round 1: Woodley lands a nasty straight right and Condit is back on his heels already. Woodley does it again. He storms Condit with a flurry of strikes. Condit throws a side kick and Woodley smacks him again. They clinch against the fence, and Woodley lands a sharp elbow. They trade knees. Woodley slips in an uppercut. They separate. Condit fires some kicks that miss but lands a nice left hand. Condit shoots forward with a superman punch, and Woodley grabs him and deposits him on the mat. Condit working some high guard and threatens with a triangle. Woodley picks him up and tosses him to get out of it. Condit gets to his feet. Woodley ducks under a high kick and takes Condit to the mat again. Condit is up. Woodley lands a spinning elbow as Condit rushes in, but Condit attacks to the bell. Good round; I’d give it to Woodley 10-9.
Round 2: Leg kick Condit. Then high kicks with both legs. Woodley brushes Condit back with a big right hand. Woodley blasts forward and gets a takedown. Condit grimaces; he might have gotten injured on the way down. Woodley in Condit’s guard. The ref stands them up after a brief stalemate. Woodley lands a nasty leg kick, Condit spins around and goes down holding his right knee. The fight is over. Tyron Woodley def. Carlos Condit via TKO, 2:00 of round 2. Woodley makes his case for a title shot. In the replay, you can see that Woodley connected with Condit’s left knee, but Condit’s right knee visibly collapsed while he was spinning around on it. Pretty nasty. Condit might be gone for a while.
Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
Lawler made his MMA debut three months after George W. Bush’s first inauguration. And here he is. It’s rare you get to see a man’s final shot at greatness, but this is probably it.
Round 1: Sharp leg kick from Hendricks to start. Lawler swarms and lands a bunch of hard punches. Hendricks fires his left hand from long distance. Lawler lands an uppercut as Hendricks charges in. They clinch against the fence. Hendricks disengages. Again, Hendricks shoots in and Lawler bashes him with an uppercut, then a couple more strikes before they separate. Hendricks lands another nice leg kick. And one to the inside. A 1-2 from Hendricks lands. Lawler lads a right hook as Hendricks advances. Hendricks throws his left hand, a leg kick, and shoots in. Dirty boxing from Hendricks against the fence. Hendricks works some knees to the thighs as the round ends. Hard to score…I’d give it to Lawler for landing the harder shots.
Round 2: Lawler with a left hand, and another. His leg is swelling up from Hendricks’s kicks, though. Lawler lands again. Hendricks storms forward, brawling at Lawler. He lands a punishing leg kick. Hendricks pawing with the jab. Hendricks lands punches, a knee, more punches, and finishes with a leg kick. More punches from Hendricks. He’s really turning it on now. Lawler lands a left. Hendricks throws punches to get inside and finishes with a hard inside leg kick. But Lawler catches Hendricks with a stiff punch. Leg kick Hendricks, left hand from Lawler. Knee and punch from Hendricks. Lawler ambling toward Hendricks, and Hendricks is pot-shotting him at will. They start slugging at close range. Lawler lands a head kick, but Hendricks returns with more punches. Lawler doesn’t know anything other than go forward, and it’s not working out for him tonight. Clear 10-9 for Hendricks.
Round 3: Lawler lands a leg kick of his own. But Hendricks returns it. A knee to the dome from Hendricks, a leg kick from Lawler. Lawler just stealing Hendricks’s gameplan now. But Hendricks lands a long series of punches and knees. Left hand from Hendricks lands. They trade hooks. Lawler staggers Hendricks with a punch, and pursues, smelling blood. Lawler landing some nasty shots, and Hendricks is wobbly but somehow he’s staying on his feet. Lawler chasing him around the cage landing shot after shot. Hendricks shoots for a desperation takedown, but Lawler defends it. Still, Hendricks gets a moment to clear the cobwebs, and he’s back to landing punches of his own. Knee and punches from Hendricks. Hendricks pops some jabs to the bell. What a crazy round. Both of these guys have iron chins.
Round 4: Lawler remains the aggressor, marching forward and landing punch after punch. Hendricks lands his leg kick again but Lawler appears unfazed and goes back to landing power shots. Hendricks shoots and is stuffed. His face is badly bloodied, due to a cut near his right eye. Lawler pops a jab, follows with a hook. Hendricks lands a pair of left hands. Lawler with a hook. He jacks Hendricks’s head back with an uppercut, but Hendricks fires right back. Lawler with a jab. Lawler lands a hook as Hendricks is throwing. Lawler landing that jab again. Leg kick from Hendricks lands. Hendricks shoots and lands a takedown. The round ends.
“YOU HAVE TO WIN THIS ROUND RIGHT FUCKIN’ NOW!!” Marc Laimon screams at Hendricks.
Round 5: Lawler with a big left hand. Hendricks is trying to keep the pressure on Lawler, stalking him around the cage. Hendricks shoots, Lawler defends. Hendricks with some knees to Lawler’s leg from a clinch against the fence. The ref breaks them. Lawler jabs. A punch and hard leg kick from Hendricks. And again. Hook/cross from Lawler. More punches from Lawler wobble Hendricks, but Hendricks lands some hard shots of his own, and Lawler stumbles back. Hendricks with an uppercut, followed by more punches. Two big punches and a leg kick from Hendricks. Hendricks shoots for the takedown and gets it. Lawler looks annoyed. Hendricks throws in some punches to Lawler’s head against the fence, and the round ends.
Johny Hendricks def. Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision (48-47 x 3). Hendricks is the new UFC welterweight champion, and he and his cornermen absolutely lose their shit in the cage. “Robbie’s fuckin’ tough,” Hendricks tells Joe Rogan. “God dang.” Hendricks thanks the fans, his wife, his daughters, his team. He says he knows he’ll face Lawler again. Great fight.
UFC 171 on Saturday night is headlined by the highly anticipated title bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler for the vacant crown. That fight, however, is not the only welterweight scrap on the card.
UFC 171 features four more …
UFC 171 on Saturday night is headlined by the highly anticipated title bout between Johny Hendricks and RobbieLawlerfor the vacant crown. That fight, however, is not the only welterweight scrap on the card.
UFC 171 features four more clashes at 170 pounds, and three of those bouts have at least one ranked fighter. The fight card in Dallas will shake up the welterweight division.
The six fighters participating in those fights are trying to get into title contention. They want to stake their claim in the division and challenge the winner of the main event.
Who will come out on top? Who will insert their names in the list of contenders? Let’s take a look in advance of UFC 171.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. No. 14 Rick Story
Story has not had back-to-back wins since early 2011 when he was inching close to being a contender. He was derailed by Charlie Brenneman and never got back on track. A win over Gastelum will put him back into consideration.
Gastelum won the 17th season of The Ultimate Fighter by stunning the highly touted Uriah Hall. He followed that up with a stellar showing against Brian Melancon last August. The undefeated prospect can thrust himself into the welterweight rankings with a win over Story.
Both fighters will have to do a bit of work before joining the upper echelon of the division, but they are not far off. This is an important fight for both men and the division.
Story has a win over Hendricks, and Gastelum is a fast-rising prospect. They have good stories to assist in their marketing ability, should they reach contention.
Who can take that next step?
One has to wonder how Gastelum‘s rough weight cut will play against the ever-tough Story. I was firmly in Gastelum‘s camp until the weigh-ins. Story is an uphill battle for someone who struggled to make weight.
Story is not going to relent, and Gastelum will wilt as the fight goes on.
Prediction: Story defeats Gastelum by decision.
No. 6 Jake Shields vs. No. 12 Hector Lombard
The battle between Shields and Lombard may be the most intriguing stylistic matchup on the UFC 171 card.
The fight may or may not produce some of the most exciting action, but the technical acumen of both men make this one hard to predict.
Lombard has a strong judo background and incredible power in his hands, but he has struggled against strong grapplers. Can Shields use his wrestling and ground control to stifle the hard-hitting Cuban? Perhaps, but Lombard should be able to get back to his feet.
If Shields can keep Lombard down and win the fight, he will have one of the best cases for receiving the next title shot. Lombard would likely need at least one more fight, but a win would elevate him into the list of contenders, which is where he wants to be.
Shields has taken tough shots before, but if Lombard lands early, it will be goodnight moon. I sense that Lombard will connect and end this fight early.
Prediction: Lombard defeats Shields by KO in the first round.
Condit has the best claim to being the next title contender, and a win should cement that. He is the No. 2-ranked welterweight and the former interim champion and had a close decision loss to UFC 171 title challenger Hendricks.
Woodley is 2-1 in the UFC, and the former Strikeforce welterweight contender can make it two straight with a victory over Condit. He can ruin “The Natural Born Killer’s” title bid and join the premier contenders in the division.
Woodley has a good wrestling base with a lot of punching power. Condit is the total package. If Woodley can dictate where the fight takes place, he has the inside track to win in a three-round bout, but Condit is one of the best game-planners in MMA today.
The former Strikeforce contender has good odds to upset his opponent, but Condit is simply too well-rounded. He can win on points, but I expect him to touch up Woodley and finish him. Condit‘s striking has improved greatly over the years, and the angles he comes from will frustrate and confuse his opponent in Dallas.
Condit will put on a show en route to stating his case as the rightful next title challenger.
Prediction:Condit defeats Woodley by TKO in the second round.
Someone is getting put to sleep at UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler this weekend. It’s a fact. With 26 knockouts between the main eventers alone, I will reiterate: Peoples is getting put to sleep at UFC 171. And for the first time since UFC 168, those peoples won’t be the audience (*swishes three-pointer*)
Aside from providing some prime opportunities for fans to witness a highlight reel knockout, UFC 171 is also a gambler’s paradise, so join us after the jump for a look at all the UFC 171 betting lines (courtesy of BestFightOdds) and our time-tested advice.
Stay the Hell Away From:
Raquel Pennington (+220) vs. Jessica Andrade (-280)
Andrade as a -280 with a loss to Liz Carmouche and a decision win against 36 year old veteran Rosi Sexton inside the Octagon is rather steep. Jessica may be the better fighter on paper, but it is hard to gauge the improvements made by Raquel since her decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi. Dana had implored Raquel to “let your hands go” during the TUF 18 season, seemingly underlining unrealised potential in the 25 year old Colorado Springs native. Will Raquel come out striking and use her size advantage to control Jessica, or will Andrade find a way to push the ground attack and control the fight on the mat? Too hard to tell from here, best to pass over and simply enjoy.
By Dan George
Someone is getting put to sleep at UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler this weekend. It’s a fact. With 26 knockouts between the main eventers alone, I will reiterate: Peoples is getting put to sleep at UFC 171. And for the first time since UFC 168, those peoples won’t be the audience (*swishes three-pointer*)
Aside from providing some prime opportunities for fans to witness a highlight reel knockout, UFC 171 is also a gambler’s paradise, so join us after the jump for a look at all the UFC 171 betting lines (courtesy of BestFightOdds) and our time-tested advice.
Stay the Hell Away From:
Raquel Pennington (+220) vs. Jessica Andrade (-280)
Andrade as a -280 favorite with a loss to Liz Carmouche and a decision win against 36 year old veteran Rosi Sexton inside the Octagon is rather steep. Jessica may be the better fighter on paper, but it is hard to gauge the improvements made by Raquel since her decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi. Dana had implored Raquel to “let your hands go” during the TUF 18 season, seemingly underlining unrealised potential in the 25 year old Colorado Springs native. Will Raquel come out striking and use her size advantage to control Jessica, or will Andrade find a way to push the ground attack and control the fight on the mat? Too hard to tell from here, best to pass over and simply enjoy.
In his last three outings, Bermudez has won via back-to-back split decisions and a unanimous decision, respectively, yet still comes in as a better than 2 to 1 favorite to walk away with a win against grappling ace Jimy Hettes. Looking at the three straight first round losses via submission on Bermudez’s record, coupled with Jimy’s 10 submission victories in 12 career fights, the scales begin to lead towards an upset victory for Hettes. Bermudez holds a decided striking advantage and most likely will try to keep this fight standing, but as seen in the past, Bermudez may over commit and follow the fight to the ground where he falls into Jimy’s wheelhouse.
On the side of Hettes, if he can emulate his fight with Nam Phan and stick to Bermudez, there is a great chance that as the fight goes on Hettes finds a way to either submit Dennis or steal enough rounds to pull off a decision victory here.
This will be Jake’s third consecutive outing as the underdog and for the third straight time he will look to reward those who believe he can pull off the upset win. Lombard is most likely being looked at through the Jake Ellenberger lens, meaning he is favored to stop Shields takedowns early and use his decided striking advantage to put the former Strikeforce champion away. While Lombard has returned to welterweight and still has plenty of punching power, what is less clear is whether or not he still has sufficient strength in the grappling department to deal with a guy like Shields if the fight does go to the ground.
Demian Maia found out the hard way that Shields has an incredible ground game and in the event this fight does go to the ground, this is where Jake can cash big.
Too hard to pass over Sanchez as an underdog against a rising undefeated prospect who has had Michael Johnson as his toughest test thus far inside the Octagon. Diego is notoriously hard to finish and tends to catch the eye of the judges more often than not with his unique style of fighting, which is something Jury has yet to experience inside the Octagon. Jury may very well find his range and keep Diego at bay, but the high probability this fight goes to decision will give Diego the time to perhaps get inside and pressure Jury in a way that could force the usual wild brawl Sanchez tends to thrive in.
Johny is the right favorite but is way overpriced when looking into this fight and where the potential advantages are for Robbie Lawler. Both men are southpaws and it is Lawler who is 2” taller and will have a 3” reach advantage, possibly gaining a small edge in the stand up department. This seemingly small edge is only amplified when underlining how heavy both fighter’s hands are coupled with their willingness to keep the fight standing. Johny will most likely be the one to initiate the takedown, but Lawler showed in his bout with Koscheck that he can effectively use his butterfly guard to get back up and fight where he is strongest.
Robbie’s record at Welterweight is 11-2, with one loss coming via injury (hip dislocation) to Pete Spratt and of course the only KO loss of his career to Nick Diaz, not once has he been a victim of being out grappled like he was at 185lbs. With this in mind, if the fight stays standing, taking Robbie at 3 times your bet could be the best good dog pick of 2014.
Krylov certainly looked night and day from his debut against Soa Palelei with a stunning KO victory over Walt Harris in his last outing in the Octagon. Krylov will be making his Light Heavyweight debut this time around and it will be as a replacement for Thiago Silva (who’s kind of a shitty person and is no longer welcome in the UFC) on short notice. OSP has the benefit of a full camp and should be able to use some GnP to fend off the submission specialist Nikita while maintaining control on top either pulling off the decision victory or even stopping Krylov due to strikes.
Tyron Woodley is looking to jump into the Welterweight top ten rankings in a big way by taking on the UFC #2 ranked Welterweight Carlos Condit. Many like Woodley to use his wrestling pedigree to exploit Condit in this fight and grind out a win, as we have seen both Condit become a victim of this as well as Woodley often come out the victor while employing this style of attack against his opponents. Condit has shown some improvements in his ground game, notably being able to stand up after being taken down by Johny Hendricks several times in their razor close affair back at UFC 158. Condit’s advantage in the stand for this fight could be the difference if he is able to use leg kicks to keep Woodley off balance and unable to drive forward for takedowns.
Condit is yet to be KO’d and Woodley is not the best striker he has faced, not by a long shot — Woodley will most likely have to stick to a one dimensional approach of going for the takedown, something Condit may be more than ready for considering his losses to GSP and Hendricks previously. Carlos is coming off an ultra impressive FOTN KO of Martin Kampmann and seems to have enough tools in his belt to ensure he is next in line for a title shot at 170lbs.
The winner of a UFC 171 bout between Carlos Condit and Tyron Woodley is most likely to produce the next welterweight title challenger.
Still, a Saturday matchup between Jake Shields and Hector Lombard will also be important in sorting out the lan…
The winner of a UFC 171 bout between Carlos Condit and TyronWoodley is most likely to produce the next welterweight title challenger.
Still, a Saturday matchup between Jake Shields and Hector Lombard will also be important in sorting out the landscape of a Georges St-Pierre-less 170-pound class.
With wins over Woodley and Demian Maia since returning to the division, Shields is the No. 6-ranked contender. Because his fight with the NCAA All-American wrestler was so closely contested and due to his lack of finishes, Shields appears to have fallen behind Woodley in the race for a shot at UFC gold.
At UFC 166, Lombard made a successful move to the 170-pound class. Following a disappointing loss to middleweight YushinOkami, Lombard rebounded by stopping Nate Marquardt with strikes in the first round.
Will the former Strikeforce champion or former BellatorMMA champion take a step closer to the UFC Welterweight Championship? Here is a closer look at how Shields and Lombard match up in all areas.
Hector Lombard picked up another win in the UFC’s welterweight division with a convincing victory over Jake Shields.
