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UFC 188: A Complete A-to-Z Preview

(Think this is some brilliant guerilla marketing? Just wait until you try the Pollos Locos Velasquezamos Gorditas, hitting a Taco Bell near you!)

By Nasir Jabbar

Some of UFC’s marquee Hispanic fighters are graced to appear on the promotion’s second trip to Mexico at UFC 188 this weekend, none more prominent than heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. The injury prone Velasquez (well, calling him “injury prone” might be an understatement. The man’s spent more time in the ER than Tim “The Toolman” Taylor) returns to the octagon to take on interim-champion Fabricio Werdum for the unified heavyweight title, and in the night’s co-main event, Mexican-American Strikeforce vet Gilbert Melendez faces former Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez.

The main-card is rounded off with a important women’s strawweight bout and a couple of intriguing match-ups below, so by now you should know how it works — I’ve compiled an comprehensive A-to-Z list previewing the heck out of UFC 188. Join me?

The post UFC 188: A Complete A-to-Z Preview appeared first on Cagepotato.

(Think this is some brilliant guerilla marketing? Just wait until you try the Pollos Locos Velasquezamos Gorditas, hitting a Taco Bell near you!)

By Nasir Jabbar

The main-card is rounded off with a important women’s strawweight bout and a couple of intriguing match-ups below, so by now you should know how it works – I’ve compiled an comprehensive A-to-Z list previewing the heck out of UFC 188. Join me?

A is for AKA
Following Daniel Cormier‘s title triumph, can teammate and good friend Velasquez hold onto his strap, and make it two UFC belts for the San Jose team, AKA? Not bad for a “stone age” gym.

B is for “Bust His Ass Up”
Gilbert Melendez recently delivered some riveting pre-fight verbal’s aimed at Eddie Alvarez at the UFC 188 presser, claiming he will “bust his ass up.” Well, riveting for Gil, anyway.

C is for Cain
The heavyweight champ has been on the shelf for fifteen months while rehabbing his injuries, but finally makes his return. Velasquez was supposed to be the promotions main vehicle venturing into Mexico the first time around, but injuries postponed that. Can Cain stay healthy for the rest of the week? Recent history says “Probably not!”

D is for Do Yourself A Favour
Do yourself a favour and re-watch this:

E is for Ears
Remember when Leslie Smith’s exploded at the UFC’s debut event in Mexico? Yeah, that was gnarly.

F is for Fighting Irish
It’s not long now until the eagerly anticipated dust-up between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, but in the meantime, UFC 188 will feature another Irishman in the shape of McGregor teammate (and r/MMA P4P king) Cathal Pendred. “The Punisher” is currently riding a 3-fight win streak since entering the promotion, even if the last victory was the result of a horrible hometown decision.

G is for Going Down
After suffering his long-awaited UFC debut to Donald Cerrone, Dana White encouraged Alvarez to switch divisions by going down to featherweight, a move Alvarez said could only be achieved by cutting off a limb.

H is for Hot Potatoes
New territories mean local ring girls, which mean these hot potatoes will once again strut their stuff. CagePotato, bless you. (Ed note: You’re welcome.)

I is for It’s Been A While
It’s been a long, long time since Velasquez has entered the cage, as his AKA buddy Daniel Cormier’s career shows. In the time since the heavyweight champ’s last fight, “DC” has beaten up a barista on short-notice, ragged dolled ‘Hendo’, had a brawl in the MGM lobby, lost to Jon Jones and then captured the light-heavyweight title. *And breath*.

J is for Jealously
The rise of Paige Van Zant has been something, after one UFC bout she was signed up to a exclusive Reebok deal, and was then thrust into the limelight with a fight featured on big FOX. This has been pretty much the talk of the town in the women’s strawweight division with most having a say on it. UFC 188 competitor Tecia Torres even admitted that she was jealous of the meteoric rise of the budding prospect. Torres looks to mount a challenge for the title as she takes on fellow TUF 20 alum Angela Hill.

K is for Knee
Velasquez is returning after suffering a torn meniscus and MCL in his knee, yet feels confident that ring rust will not play a factor on Saturday night.

L is for Latin America
The Zuffa promotion is continuing its global expansion, with Latin America one of their main focuses. With the introduction of TUF: Latin America and the popularity of the sport in this continent, countries are now clamouring for live events with many untapped markets in the region.

M is for Mexican War
Melendez and Sanchez engaged in what was being dubbed as a Mexican war, and when Melendez and Alvarez meet in the octagon, I can only imagine something very similar going down. Call it the Mexi-Puerto Rican Missile Crisis, maybe?

N is for Native
Even though all but one bout on UFC 188 features an Hispanic fighter, only five of them are native Mexicans. If the UFC are trying to convert boxing fans, the promotion really needs homegrown fighters to really capture the Mexicans hearts.

O is for Olympian
After campaigning to get on the card, the former Olympic gold-medallist, Henry Cejudo, gets to fight in Mexico. The unbeaten flyweight has the potential to be a big hit in Mexico with his rags-to-riches story and fluency in Spanish. A victory over Chico Camus could see him leapfrog the other flyweight contenders and land him that title shot.

P is for Partisan
The last visit to Mexico was a huge success at the gate with a complete sell-out, expect the same for UFC 188 with a strong partisan crowd.

Q is for Quirky
The interim-champion is one quirky individual.

R is for Rumblings
Sponsorship rumblings and grumblings from discontented fighters continue ahead of UFC 188 with Gil Melendez, who recently stated that he would of had to “get a real job” if it wasn’t for his sponsors.

S is for Superfight
Even with his legal woes, Velasquez still thinks a super fight with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is a possibility. And honestly, Jones might just have his sh*t together by the time Cain comes back from his whatever injury he acquires this weekend.

T is for There Can Only Be One
“There can only be one champion” is the motto for this event as the heavyweight champion and interim champion look to unify the belts. Carrying on…

U is for Unification
The main-event is the first UFC unification bout since UFC 154, where GSP and ‘NBK’ fought for the unified welterweight title.

V is for ‘Vai Cavalo’
Due to the withdrawal of Velaquez at UFC 180, ‘Vai Cavalo’ took it upon himself to embrace the adoring Mexicans, and the Brazillian did a pretty swell job by giving renditions of famous Latin songs and seemingly getting the home support.

W is for Welterweight
Kelvin Gastelum, who was forced to move up after failing to make the welterweight limit, is hoping a good performance will allow him return to the welterweight division.

X is for ‘Xtra
Will there have to any ‘xtra lbs dropped after the scheduled weigh-ins with notably weight-cutting failures in Cejudo and Gastelum stepping on the scales?

Y is for Yair Rodriguez
After winning TUF: Latin America, Rodriguez now takes on Charles Rosa. Considering his previous foes have been Hispanic fighters on local regional shows, fighting the Boston native is a big step-up.

Z is for names ending in Z
Six fighters name end with the letter Z. Mind = blown.

The post UFC 188: A Complete A-to-Z Preview appeared first on Cagepotato.

UFC 188 Weigh-in Results: Velasquez vs. Werdum Fight Card

UFC 188 hits Mexico City on Saturday, but the 24 fighters will hit the scale to make weight Friday evening.
Most important is the main event. Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and interim champion Fabricio Werdum will have to make the generous heavyw…

UFC 188 hits Mexico City on Saturday, but the 24 fighters will hit the scale to make weight Friday evening.

Most important is the main event. Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and interim champion Fabricio Werdum will have to make the generous heavyweight limit to make their title fight official. The five-round championship tilt will unify the belts to give fans one true champion.

In the co-main event, lightweights Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez square off in a fight that could contend for Fight of the Year.

Nine other fights fill out the card unless the weigh-ins go awry. Bleacher Report will keep tabs on everyone who steps on the scale with complete weigh-in coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

UFC 188 Fight Card

Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum
Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt
Yair Rodriguez vs. Charles Rosa
Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill
Chico Camus vs. Henry Cejudo
Efrain Escudero vs. Drew Dober
Alejandro Perez vs. Patrick Williams
Francisco Trevino vs. Johnny Case
Augusto Montano vs. Cathal Pendred
Gabriel Benitez vs. Clay Collard
Albert Tumenov vs. Andrew Todhunter

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UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and interim titleholder Fabricio Werdum will battle to become the undisputed king of the weight class on Saturday in Mexico. The epic clash is the main event of UFC 188 and one of the more highly anticipated figh…

When

Saturday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Where

Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico

TV and Live Stream

UFC Fight Pass for prelims, 6:30 p.m. ET
FX, 8 p.m. ET
Pay-per-view for main card, 10 p.m. ET

After missing all of 2014 with injuries, Velasquez returns to the Octagon determined to prove he’s the only heavyweight worthy of wearing gold around his waist. But Werdum has something to say about that. During Velasquez’s absence, the 37-year-old Brazilian established himself as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world not named Cain.

The Velasquez-Werdum clash was originally set for November 2014, but the latest Velasquez injury forced him out of the title defense. Mark Hunt replaced him, and Werdum stopped the rugged veteran with a flying knee to win the interim belt and set up Saturday’s clash.

Werdum already owns one win over a historic opponent. He defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in 2010 while in Strikeforce. Werdum knows what he’s up against with Velasquez, and he seems confident he’ll be victorious. He points to Velasquez’s layoff as a factor.

Per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Werdum said, “I’ve gotten better and improved so much, and he hasn’t fought in two years. It’s going to be pretty hard for him.”

Velasquez is aware of the potential effects of his layoff, but he has seemingly honed in on a bit of trash talk that came from his opponent during the build for the fight. Per the following video from MMA Fighting on YouTube, Velasquez has lost respect for the “two-faced” Werdum because of comments the Brazilian made about his Mexican heritage:

Werdum said he only pointed out that Velasquez wasn’t born in Mexico and that he had spent more time in the country than Velasquez had. Per BJPenn.com, Werdum said Velasquez isn’t “Mexican, Mexican.”

Come Saturday, Werdum will have to tame an aggressive and agitated Velasquez. While it won’t be a popular pick, I’m predicting Werdum shocks the world again and beats Velasquez. As good as Cain is, styles make fights.

Velasquez has never faced a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner on Werdum’s level. Truth be told, there probably isn’t a fighter in the upper weight classes whose grappling skills compare to Werdum’s. Velasquez is deadly when in top position, but Werdum is likely most dangerous off his back.

Velasquez’s aggression could work against him in this instance.

Also, Werdum’s striking has improved by leaps and bounds over the last five years. He proved that in his unanimous-decision win over Travis Browne and his stoppage victory over Hunt. In a major shock, Werdum will submit Velasquez in the second round to win the undisputed heavyweight title.

The co-main event has Fight of the Night written all over it. Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez will battle in an important lightweight scrap. Both men came from other organizations with a good amount of hype and sparkling reputations.

Neither man has accomplished what he set out to do since arriving in the UFC. Melendez has had two failed title shots against Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, and Alvarez lost his only bout with the promotion to Donald Cerrone. Neither man is in any danger of being released, but the pressure will be on considering the expectations and skill level.

Melendez is extraordinarily well-rounded even though he doesn’t possess dynamic striking power. Alvarez has more pop, but there’s more depth to Melendez’s game. It’s a tough fight to call, as it could go either way, but if money were on the line, I’d take Melendez by split decision in an epic bout.

Both fighters have proved they aren’t afraid to engage in spirited and entertaining brawls. This one could add to the UFC’s catalog of epic fights.

Here’s a look at the rest of the card and predictions for each fight. Just below the predictions table is a closer look at one other intriguing bout from the card.

Cejudo Smash

Henry Cejudo is on a collision course with UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. He faces two impediments. One is consistently making weight. The other is Chico Camus, his opponent Saturday night.

The latter will likely be easier to overcome.

While Cejudo has made weight for his last two bouts, it’s been a struggle for him throughout his short MMA career. The Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling from the 2008 Beijing Games is better than Camus in every way.

Patrick L. Stumberg of MMA Mania feels the same way:

This is one of those fights where one guy is just flat-out superior to his opponent at everything. What does Camus do? Wrestle and strike from distance with speed. What does Cejudo do? That, only significantly better. He’s also got quite a bit more power than Camus on the feet.

This is as close to a guarantee as you’re likely to find on this card.

Cejudo‘s massive head makes him one of the toughest flyweights in the world to stun with strikes. He’s not as fast as Johnson, but he possesses sneaky athleticism and lower-body explosion, so he can close distance quickly—especially when shooting for takedowns.

Cejudo also packs knockout power in his hands.

Camus is always active, tough and game, but he’s going to run into a buzz saw Saturday night. Cejudo will win by TKO and likely call out Mighty Mouse after his victory. It’s an intriguing fight and one the fledgling division needs to create some excitement.

Maybe then Johnson and Cejudo will get the respect they deserve.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Once a Dream Fight, Melendez vs. Alvarez Still Worth the Price of Admission

Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez both took the scenic route to the UFC.
For better or worse, Alvarez and Melendez each spent the heart of their careers toiling in smaller organizations, where they both became lightweight champions and gained reputati…

Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez both took the scenic route to the UFC.

For better or worse, Alvarez and Melendez each spent the heart of their careers toiling in smaller organizations, where they both became lightweight champions and gained reputations as fearsome, all-action fighters.

Had their UFC 188 co-main event gone down a few years ago—say, anytime from 2009-11, the approximate span when Alvarez’s reign in Bellator MMA and Melendez’s dominance over Strikeforce overlapped—it might have been considered a bona fide dream fight.

As it stands, their scrap will still likely be worth the price of admission and is the odds-on favorite to scoop up Fight of the Night honors.

To hear Melendez tell it, it’s a matchup he’s wanted for a long time.

There appears to be no shortage of healthy competition between these two.

“I had always wanted to fight Eddie because I thought he was one of the toughest guys outside of the UFC,” he told fellow fighter Josh Samman in an interview for Bloody Elbow recently. “Pro Elite and Strikeforce did a co-promotion at one time, and I was hoping they would do another, and I pushed for that fight. I think he took that as an insult because I wanted to challenge him.”

That was then, obviously. By now, both Melendez and Alvarez have crossed over the summit and started the descent into the shaded side of their professional lives.

Melendez is 33 years old and has gone 1-2 since his UFC debut in 2013, though both losses came against standing 155-pound champions. Alvarez is 31 and, owing to a lengthy contract dispute with Bellator and an injury here and there, he’s only fought once since November 2013. That was a loss to Donald Cerrone at UFC 178.

Neither guy is necessarily about to drop off the radar but, despite their respective Top 10 rankings (Melendez is No. 4, Alvarez No. 9) both need this win to stay in the thick of the crowded lightweight contender scene.

Alvarez especially could use a lift. It’s been nothing but bad news for him for a while now.

After losing his Bellator lightweight title to Michael Chandler in a fight-of-the-year-quality brawl in 2011 he rebounded for two straight wins. But Alvarez’s Bellator contract ended after a first-round KO victory over Patricky Freire in October 2012 and the former champ was determined to test the free-agent market. What followed was a lengthy contract dispute that threw the next 10 months of his fighting career into limbo.

In August 2013, Alvarez finally settled with Bellator and recaptured the title from Chandler in another classic battle. A proposed rubber match between the two was scratched when Alvarez suffered a concussion in training. In the meantime, Bellator underwent significant regime change and new CEO Scott Coker elected to let Alvarez chase his dream in the UFC.

What followed didn’t go down exactly as he planned.

It was shocking to see Alvarez show up at UFC 178 looking at least a full weight class smaller than his longer, rangier opponent. Cerrone kept him at the end of his jab—not to mention a series of thudding knees—en route to a unanimous-decision win that spoiled Alvarez’s long-awaited debut and thrust the considerable hype he’d spent 11 years building into serious doubt.

In the wake of that loss, UFC president Dana White said what a lot of fans and analysts were thinking, encouraging Alvarez to consider dropping to the featherweight division. The longtime professional seemed to take that as a borderline insult.

“I can’t cut to 145 (pounds),” Alvarez told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “I’d have to cut a leg off…I don’t want to go that route where I’m going into fights dehydrated. I used to fight at 170 pounds. I was 10-0 at 170 with eight knockouts. I’m not going to listen to somebody from the outside tell me what weight I should be fighting at.”

Melendez, meanwhile, has emerged from three up-and-down appearances in the Octagon with his reputation smelling just slightly better.

He engaged in an instant classic brawl against Diego Sanchez at UFC 166. His split decision loss to Ben Henderson in April 2013 was one of those decidedly typical Henderson bouts that could’ve gone either way. Melendez even won a round against then-champ Anthony Pettis at UFC 181 before Pettis stunned him with a punch and choked him out in the second.

The complete package has preserved Melendez’s reasonably high ranking, but prompted close observers to wonder if his time as a legitimate contender for the gold had passed. Luckily for him, the belt has already jumped from Henderson to Pettis and now to Rafael dos Anjos during his short UFC tenure, so nearly all the division’s top challengers remain viable.

Melendez has also been slightly better than Alvarez at navigating the choppy political waters outside the cage.

He came to the UFC along with the rest of the spoils of the Strikeforce purchase at the beginning of 2013. Since then, he’s been through one contract negotiation with the UFC and came away as that rare fighter who was able to turn the situation into a personal victory.

After toying with the idea of signing with Bellator, Melendez was able to score a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter and the resulting title shot against Pettis. It is believed he is now one of the highest-paid athletes in the fight company.

Strictly in terms of wins and losses though, Melendez has certainly been less successful than he would have liked since making his way to the UFC. At this point, he’s at that somewhat pivotal point in his career where 2-2 sounds an awful lot better than 1-3.

All of the recent strife experienced by both fighters might turn out to be good news for fans on Saturday night.

Both Melendez and Alvarez are highly regarded technicians who take pride in their exciting, brawling styles. They each head into this fight in slightly precarious, if not out-and-out desperate positions. With these two, it’s easy to imagine that desperation turning into determination, and making for a pretty entertaining fight.

Neither guy may ever again soar to the great the heights of their earlier careers, but they are both still fully capable of stealing the show.

That makes their co-main event one you don’t want to miss.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 188 Predictions: Main Card Staff Predictions

The Octagon returns to Mexico City this Saturday for UFC 188. The pay-per-view event is headlined by a heavyweight match in which one of two champions will unify the title.
Cain Velasquez is a two-time champion in the division. He defeated Junior dos S…

The Octagon returns to Mexico City this Saturday for UFC 188. The pay-per-view event is headlined by a heavyweight match in which one of two champions will unify the title.

Cain Velasquez is a two-time champion in the division. He defeated Junior dos Santos to recapture his title back in 2012 and has since defended it twice. Injuries have limited his activity, but the champ remains one of the best mixed martial artists in the world.

Fabricio Werdum is the interim heavyweight champion. He defeated Mark Hunt for the honor last year, capping off a five-fight win streak with a second-round TKO. That victory came on the UFC’s first visit to Mexico City.

Beyond the main event, UFC 188 features an additional four main card fights and a total of 12 overall.

Bleacher Report’s team of some good prognosticators and some…struggling ones is here to give you their picks for the UFC 188 main card. It’s Riley “Kingslayer” Kontek, Sean “Stormborn” Smith, James “Mother of Dragons” MacDonald, Scott “Hodor” Harris and Craig “Aegon” Amos back with their predictions for this monumental occasion.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 188: Keys to Victory for Velasquez, Werdum, Melendez and Alvarez

Heavyweights Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum will throw their belts in the fire this Saturday at UFC 188 in hopes of capturing ultimate glory.
Both men possess their own dangerous skill sets in a matchup that could produce one of the best heavyweigh…

Heavyweights Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum will throw their belts in the fire this Saturday at UFC 188 in hopes of capturing ultimate glory.

Both men possess their own dangerous skill sets in a matchup that could produce one of the best heavyweight title fights in recent memory.

Plagued by injuries and overexhausting training camps, Velasquez will attempt to bypass cage rust after missing nearly two years of action. The reigning Mexican champ will need to overcome the world-class grappling of Werdum, who is one of the best ground specialists this sport has ever seen.

It’s the dream matchup that the division needed, as Velasquez has begun to separate completely. But that’s not the only top-tier tilt scheduled to play out this weekend.

Lightweight standouts Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez will finally lock horns in a divisional matchup that encompasses Fight of the Night potential.

As former 155-pound champions who were once considered two of the best fighters in the world not competing under the Zuffa banner, Melendez and Alvarez have the professional demeanor to get the job done on any given night. Their skill sets should mesh nicely, and the winner should see a significant bump toward title contention.

As UFC 188 sets to deliver on all cylinders, here are the keys to victory for Velasquez, Werdum, Melendez and Alvarez.

Keys to victory for Velasquez

Constant pressure

Plain and simple, Velasquez needs to overwhelm with cardio and score in bunches.

As the most durable heavyweight to ever step foot inside of the Octagon, the champ is at his best when he’s in control and imposing his will. Whether that takes place against the cage or on the ground is up to Velasquez, who needs to advance with caution when testing the grappling of Werdum.

In any case, the AKA standout will fare well if he can make the Brazilian resort to his reserve tanks early.

Play it safe

In order for Velasquez to significantly overwhelm the interim champ, he needs to look for takedowns and finish with authority.

While he should fare well in full guard by utilizing his strong ground-and-pound, Velasquez must remain patient and pick the most intelligent windows of opportunity, because the deeper you press Werdum on the ground, the more prolific his effectiveness off his back becomes.

The idea is not to give him openings to surprise and implement his grappling. If Velasquez can do that, then his game plan should fall right into place.

Keys to victory for Werdum

Remain active

If there was ever something easier said than done, it would be the notion of Werdum outworking Velasquez.

The heavyweight champion often mirrors the output of a welterweight, so matching his intensity, drive and persistence is nearly impossible. But that doesn’t mean Vai Cavalo can’t remain active off his back and score points with consistency.

He’ll have to protect his chin and transition with confidence, but landing some shots out of his defense should throw a wrench in Velasquez’s gears.

Land early

In a landscape where any heavyweight can land the “right punch,” Werdum does possess the striking power to knock Velasquez out.

It’s unlikely at best, especially considering Junior Dos Santos remains the only fighter to ever finish Velasquez, but the Brazilian’s offensive capabilities have evolved over his past few fights.

If he can utilize his dexterity and rangy attacks, then he could dent the champ before the real race begins. Of course, this all depends on Werdum’s ability to circle away and remain on his feet.

Keys to victory for Melendez

Strike with conviction

The former Strikeforce champion remains one of the best technical punchers in the division today.

As someone who can press the cage, get inside and land dirty boxing, Melendez has the ability to outpoint, outproduce and outshine some of the most game strikers.

While Alvarez isn’t Anderson Silva, the Philadelphian can throw some mean leather and take punishment to boot.

That means that Melendez will have to pour it on Alvarez early and often. He needs to strike with meaning and aim for an overwhelming first round.

Play it smart

Alvarez is an emotional fighter. He plays off the actions of his opponent and the influential cheers from the crowd.

That means that Melendez can be the more level-headed fighter in this matchup should he choose to take on that role.

Of course, we’ve seen him wind up and exchange without hesitation to find ways to win in the past. But his most strategic approach to this important lightweight bout remains with his willingness to fight cautiously and force Alvarez to make mistakes.

Keys to victory for Alvarez

Utilize his wrestling

As one of the better boxers in the division, Melendez infuses precision and consistency in ways that many other fighters fail to do.

While Alvarez can find success on his feet, he should be actively looking to secure a takedown at any time.

Melendez is active off his back and possesses solid scrambling abilities, but Alvarez is a reputable grappler with explosive takedowns. Not for nothing, but he probably would have wrestled in college if he hadn’t made his professional MMA debut at the age of 19.

In any case, Alvarez will find success on the ground and should mix up his looks on his feet in order to get there.

Pace himself

Melendez is as durable as they come. He can fight five rounds against any lightweight in the world and is a guy who maintains pressure and potency at all times.

That means that Alvarez has to be in tip-top shape to compete at full capacity should this fight turn into a 15-minute war of attrition.

We’ve seen the former Bellator lightweight champion slow down from implementing wild offensive sprints, but if he can pace himself, he should remain dangerous in each round.

For more UFC news and coverage, Follow @DHiergesell

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