AJJ vs. BJJ!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is heading back to Brazil with another Wednesday night (Oct. 9, 2013) mixed martial arts (MMA) card, pitting Welterweight grappling savants Demian Maia and Jake Shields against each other in the main event of UFC Fight Night 29 from Jose Correa Gymnasium in Barueri, Brazil.
The FOX Sports 1-televised card will also feature a second clash between 170-pound contenders when "Stun Gun" Dong Hyun Kim looks to shut down finishing machine Erick Silva. In addition, the next No. 1 Bantamweight title contender could be decided by a fight between T.J. Dillashaw of Team Alpha Male and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) veteran Raphael Assuncao.
There are just four UFC Fight Night 29 "Prelims" bouts this time around, all of which will air on FOX Sports 1 (no Facebook.com!).
Let's take a look at the first two UFC Fight Night 29 "Prelims" below:
125 lbs.: Iliarde Santos vs. Chris Cariaso
Sometimes, you get tossed in the deep end right away.
After putting together a six-fight win streak, including a win over prospect Leandro Higo, Illiarde Santos (27-8-1) was matched up against Iuri Alcantara in his Octagon debut, succumbing to his lethal power punches at the midway point of the first round. Dropping down to Flyweight, he gave former division king Ian McCall a tougher out than expected, but ultimately suffered a second consecutive loss for the first time in his career.
His heavy hands have accounted for twelve of his career wins, with submissions accounting for another six.
The ever-undersized Chris Cariaso (14-5) seemed to have finally found his proper division, mauling Josh Ferguson in his 125-pound debut in July 2011. Since then, however, he’s lost two straight, tapping out to a John Moraga guillotine early in the third and dropping two rounds to the grappling assault of Jussier Formiga.
Like Santos, who he will give up two inches of height to, "Kamikaze" had never previously lost consecutive bouts.
I’m really not sure what to make of Cariaso -- sometimes he’s outstriking Michael McDonald and wiping the floor with Ferguson and sometimes he’s getting worked by Takeya Mizugaki and John Moraga. I was all set to predict Cariaso before I remembered this inconsistency and realized Santos probably has the right style to take him out.
Despite his losses to Alcantara and McCall, Santos is legit. Despite his size, he was the best Bantamweight in Brazil for a while. He’s got good wrestling and the aggression to smother Cariaso’s kicking attack. Cariaso may very well land some good shots and stuff a few takedowns, but his lack of stopping power will come back to bite him as Santos’ power punches and wrestling carry him to a decision win.
Prediction: Santos via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Allan Patrick vs. Garett Whiteley
Allan Patrick (10-0), whose last two names (Silva and Alves) UFC omitted, is an unbeaten Brazilian out of X-Gym, training alongside the likes of "Jacare" Ronaldo Souza. He has competed three times in 2013 already, picking up the Bitetti Combat Lightweight title in May.
Half of his victories are by stoppage, three of those (technical) knockouts.
Garett Whiteley (7-0) -- a training partner of Chris Lytle -- has yet to go the distance in his professional career, ending all but one bout in the first round. Five of those wins have come via punches, two of them inside one minute.
He will have two inches of height on his Brazilian foe.
I know the descriptions of these two were kinda useless, but I haven't got much with which to work. They're both guys who have had success on the regional circuit and probably aren't really UFC material. Neither of them have wins over very good competition, so I have to use my traditional criteria for such a situation:
- Pick the guy who looks like the better wrestler
- Pick the local guy
- Pick the guy whose name most resembles mine
Luckily, Patrick is all three, so let's go with that.
Prediction: Patrick via unanimous decision
Stop by tomorrow for the remaining two UFC Fight Night 29 "Prelims," headlined by a bout between two of the most skilled grapplers in the Featherweight division.