UFC Fight Night 77 fight card: Alex Oliveira vs Piotr Hallmann full fight preview

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight fighters Alex Oliveira and Piotr Hallmann will battle this Saturday (Nov. 7, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 77 inside Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Alex Oliveira is doing his best to live up to his "Cowboy" moniker, taking each of his Octagon bouts on short notice. This time, he's been given enough time for a full camp, and the Brazilian hopes to use that to his advantage.

Facing off with Oliveira is Poland's Piotr Hallmann, who's fallen on some difficult times after starting his UFC career off with some impressive performances. If he comes up short here, he's likely going to land on the chopping block sooner rather than later.

Let's take a look at the keys to victory for both athletes:

Alex Oliveira
Record: 13-2-1 (1)
Key Wins: K.J. Noons (UFC Fight Night 67)
Key Losses: Gilbert Burns (UFC Fight Night 62)
Keys to Victory: With a Muay Thai background and solid athletic base, Oliveira has become a fairly well-rounded competitor rather quickly. In fact, he spent the majority of his short-notice debut showing off excellent takedown and submission defense opposite Burns, before finally succumbing to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace's attacks in the last minute of the fight.

This bout with serve as a serious test to Oliveira's defensive wrestling. Hallmann's pressure fighting may not be particularly complex, but he's very good at what he does, working his opponent over with exhausting grappling exchanges that favor "Pletwal's" physical strength.

In order to avoid getting grounded out, Oliveira needs to focus on a couple of things. Namely, the Brazilian needs to keep his back off the fence. He's quicker than his opponent, so if he can avoid being roughed up along the fence, Hallmann will have a difficult time catching him.

In addition, Oliveira needs to step up his volume a bit. Hallmann strikes at a high pace, and Oliveira cannot allow himself to fall behind on the scorecards.

After all, defending takedowns is meaningless if Hallmann lands more shots.

VS.

Piotr Hallmann
Record: 15-4
Key Wins: Francisco Trinaldo (UFC Fight Night 28), Yves Edwards (UFC Fight Night 42)
Key Losses: Al Iaquinta (UFC Fight Night 30), Gleison Tibau (UFC Fight Night 51)
Keys to Victory: Hallmann is very much a grinder. Relying on his physical strength will keeping a high pace -- both with strikes in the clinch and takedowns -- Hallmann wears down his opponents until they break.

In fact, Hallmann has finished 14 of his 15 victories, splitting them evenly between submissions and knockouts.

To defeat Oliveira, Hallmann definitely needs to close the distance. Oliveira is quite dangerous at range with his Muay Thai, and he's significantly longer than Hallmann, as the Brazilian has found success at welterweight as well as lightweight.

Luckily, Hallmann is very experienced at cutting off the cage and closing in on his opponents. That's his usual game after all, and he's been rather successful with it.

Another advantage Hallmann has is his physical strength. Oliveira very often relies on his athleticism to win grappling exchanges, but that's more difficult to do when his opponent is strong than him.

Bottom Line: These two unranked Lightweight competitors are very solid fighters. At ages 27 and 28, respectively, both athletes should soon enter their primes, so this bout is an opportunity for them to display their potential.

For Oliveira, this is especially true. Seeing as this is his first opportunity to fight with a full camp behind him, Oliveira should look better than ever. Considering how good he has looked, that's pretty impressive, and a win here should get him a step up in competition.

On the other hand, a loss would likely demonstrate some of the holes in Oliveira's game. That still wouldn't be the worst thing for Oliveira, as his professional career is young, so he should still be developing.

This is a far more important fight for Hallmann. He's lost his last two fights in odd circumstances -- he looked good opposite Tibau, but failed a drug test, and Hallmann was pretty easily controlling his last opponent before a cut stoppage -- and likely can't afford to lose a third.

Alternatively, Hallmann has an opportunity to remind people of his potential. Hallmann is a tough and gritty finisher, and if he can turn those skills into a victory here, it will definitely win him some job security.

At UFC Fight Night 77, Alex Oliveira and Piotr Hallmann will throw down. Which fighter will have his hand raised?