Tag: Mark Munoz

Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi might not be dancing on the cut line, but it’s safe to say both men really need to win to stay relevant in the middleweight division.

Both men lost to Lyoto Machida in their last bouts. The increasingly crowded 185-pound division is ready to push the loser of this bout out of contention.

The Mousasi-Munoz scrap is the headline bout for UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin on Saturday. There’s no television for this event. Only subscribers to UFC Fight Pass will be able to see the bouts.

Here are the vitals.

 

When: Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET

Where: The O2 World in Berlin, Germany

Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass (Subscription Required)

 

Niinimaki vs. Backstrom

Backstrom is undefeated and making his UFC debut at featherweight. At 6 feet tall, you have to wonder how long the 24-year-old will be able to make 145 pounds. For now, he offers Niinimaki a tough test in the latter’s second UFC bout.

Niinimaki beat submission guru Rani Yahya at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale in Nov. 2013.

Niinimaki is the more well-rounded of the two, but Backstrom‘s long reach and varied striking attacks could present a major problem.

Based on the stand-up game, Backstrom should win by decision. RJ Gardner of MMA Corner agrees and also believes this could be one of the best fights of the night. He writes:

“Niinimaki is as tough as they come. He is going to give Backstrom a run for his money, but the youngster will be too much for the veteran. In what will surely be the ‘Fight of the Night,’ Backstrom will win via unanimous decision.”

 

Barnatt vs. Strickland

Not many are talking about this match, but it could be outstanding. This may very well be a preview of two of the division’s top contenders in a few years.

Both Barnatt and Strickland are undefeated middleweight prospects, although Barnatt may eventually have to move to light heavyweight.

He stands 6’6″ and will carry in a four-inch height advantage over Strickland.

That said, Barnatt will have to prove he’s capable of staying on his feet to use that reach. Strickland’s takedown offense has been impressive. He submitted Bubba McDaniels in his UFC debut and will be a big threat on the ground in this one.

Barnatt‘s future is bright, but his takedown defense isn’t good enough to keep Strickland from controlling him on the mat. 

Strickland will win by second-round submission.

 

Carmont vs. Dollaway

This one is going to be good. The key to this fight is Carmont‘s stamina. Dollaway is a vicious competitor who will do anything to win a fight. If Carmont gets gassed, his edges in strength and athleticism won’t be as important, and Dollaway will outwork him for the win.

If Carmont is the strategically aggressive and confident fighter he was against Costas Philippou, then he should win.

Let’s bet on the latter. 

Carmont will win by unanimous decision in a dominant performance.

 

Munoz vs. Mousasi

Per Elias Cepeda of Yahoo Sports, Munoz isn’t hiding his game plan against Mousasi. Munoz said:

“I am confident. I am a wrestler and I’ve done it pretty much all of my life. I know how to do that. I’ve also been in MMA for a long time. I’m confident I can get Mousasi to the ground and I am confident I can keep him there.”

It’s not a bad strategy considering wrestlers like King Mo have dominated Mousasi with takedowns in the past.

It’s also a good approach early in the fight to gain a psychological edge. If Munoz can exert his dominance in grappling, it could demoralize Mousasi and drain him of energy.

Even if he is able to get back to his feet, he may not be able to stand and trade with the powerful Munoz.

The Filipino Wrecking Ball should claim another demolition project with a second-round TKO victory in the main event.

 

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UFC Fight Night 41 from Berlin will feature a number of headline fighters.  However, no match tops the main event middleweight fight between Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi.  With both fighters coming off losses to Lyoto Machida in their most recent appearance, Saturday night’s meeting stands as a critical opportunity for each to rebound.

At 36 years old, Munoz is running out of time, especially with two losses in his last three fights.  He’s unlikely to make a title run at this stage, but the Filipino Wrecking Machine remains as confident as ever about his chances against the younger Mousasi:

Indeed, considering the losses to Machida and Chris Weidman, Munoz is gaining the reputation as a pawn in the success of others.  The veteran fighter is aware of this reputation, and as he tells Fox Sports’ Damon Martin, he is desperate to reverse that trend:

I don’t want to be known as a gatekeeper, nobody does. You want to be known as the best in the weight class, in the division, so I understand that.  Gegard and I are both high up there on the list and with a win over Gegard it’s definitely going to stamp my place to put my name in the hat as a No. 1 contender.

It’s a bit of a stretch, but if Munoz were to defeat Mousasi, he would likely vault into the top five of the middleweight rankings and earn an opportunity to regain the contender tag in his next fight.  Conversely, a loss could send the seventh-ranked Munoz out of the top 10 and into irrelevancy.

If there’s an area where Munoz holds a decisive advantage, it’s in the grappling department, as he could keep Mousasi on the defensive if the fight stays on the ground.  With 160 career significant ground strikes, Munoz ranks third all time among 185-pound fighters, illustrating an avenue to victory in which he simply outworks Mousasi.

However, the Dreamcatcher possesses a significant edge in striking ability, something that could result in a quick fight.  Moreover, as he tells Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com, he’s aware that Munoz will likely try to defeat him based on his NCAA wrestling background:

‘Probably he’s going to surprise me with a little standup before he tries to take me down,’ Mousasi told MMAjunkie. ‘I know his game plan; he knows my game plan. But I have some tricks.’

Munoz made his intentions clear when he gave a recent interview in which he said Mousasi’s wrestling was weak and would be challenged during the fight. At a pre-event media day, he doubled down on those comments and said it wasn’t much of a secret that he would try to use his wrestling to win.

That will be a difficult task for Munoz considering Mousasi‘s fluid movement ability.  The 28-year-old Dutchman possesses much more versatile striking capability; coupled with his well-rounded boxing background, it’s no wonder that he has compiled 18 career knockouts or TKOs.

The ability to fend off Munoz’s early energy could determine the fight’s outcome.  Mousasi has a significant reach advantage on his opponent, so if Munoz wears down chasing after Mousasi‘s legs, a single punch could end the bout:

Mousasi is still trying to force his way to the top of the middleweight discussion, as he has fought just twice since transferring from the defunct Strikeforce division.  Considering where Munoz is at in his career, it will likely take multiple victories for Mousasi to think about challenging either Machida or Weidman.

But as a durable fighter who has never been finished by strikes, Mousasi has demonstrated the killer instinct present in all great fighters.  While it’s Munoz who is desperate to place his career back on track, Mousasi is the younger and superior fighter with higher aspirations. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

This weekend will feature a very important fight in the UFC middleweight division.

Contenders Gegard Mousasi and Mark Munoz will square off on Saturday from Berlin, Germany.

The bout will serve as the main event for UFC Fight Night 41 and will ultimately produce the next top title threat in a budding 185-pound crop.

Here is how the two mean stack up against each other in the always telling head-to-toe breakdown. 

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