Riding a two-fight win streak over solid fellow Bantamweight competition, Urijah Faber comes into his bout tonight (Sat., Aug. 17, 2013) against Yuri Alcantara at UFC Fight Night 26 with a renewed momentum in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Now prepping striking with coach Duane Ludwig, Faber's stand up and overall game continue to improve despite a long career.
Alcantara, meanwhile, has the opportunity to score a huge win inside TD Bank Garden in Boston, Mass., and make a name for himself; however, style-wise, it's hard to see where he has advantages to apply. Faber's a better wrestler, stronger at the weight, and his submission defense and ability to scramble make him incredible tough for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist to really threaten.
Check out a complete breakdown of the UFC Fight Night 26 main card Bantamweight bout between Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara below:
The Breakdown
Fighting Faber can be extremely frustrating for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu based fighter, as Alcantara is, because he's going to take you down and beat the snot out of you, rarely opening windows to try sweeps or submissions. Forced to battle on the feet, Alcantara's best move is to force exchanges and capitalize on Faber being overly aggressive. In a clinch-heavy, takedown-fest style fight, Faber will grind down and overwhelm almost anyone, especially at 135 pounds, where he's hard to discourage and his conditioning makes him especially tough down the stretch.
The Pick
This one is a stylistically good match for Faber, who has shown patience and smart adjustments in submission wins over Ivan Menjivar and Scott Jorgensen. Look for Faber to scoot in and out, showcasing some quick stand up attacks to keep Alcantara guessing, and then he'll transition into a clinch or takedown. Alcantara is very tough and wily on the ground, but Faber will smash, pass and pile up damage in a hard-nosed bout that becomes increasingly bloody and one-sided, en route to a third-round knockout win.
Faber via knockout
Jason Probst can be reached at twitter.com/jasonprobst