Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweights Kevin Lee and Michel Prazeres will battle this Saturday (Feb. 14, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 60 on FOX Sports 1 from inside the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
After putting on an impressive, albeit losing performance against Al Iaquinta, Lee managed to put together a pair of nice wins over Jesse Ronson and Jon Tuck. Now, the 22 year old looks to take another step forward against his tough opponent.
Like his foe, Prazeres also lost his debut on short notice but still put forth a quality showing. Then, he dropped down a weight class and really showcased his talents, which were highlighted by an utterly dominant victory over Roger Huerta's protege and so called "next GSP," Mairbek Taisumov.
Let's take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man.
Kevin Lee
Record: 9-1
Key Wins: Jon Tuck (UFC 178), Jesse Ronson (TUF 19 Finale)
Key Losses: Al Iaquinta (UFC 169)
Keys to Victory: Despite his youth, Lee is already a fairly well-rounded scrapper. In addition, he's quite an athletic fighter, which says very good things about his potential ceiling.
Though Lee has four submission victories in his career, any attempts to grapple with Prazeres would be a truly terrible idea. His opponent lives up to his "Trator/Tractor" nicknames and smashes his opponents into the mat.
Instead, Lee needs to take advantage of his more developed kickboxing skills and athleticism. If he can keep his feet moving and prevent his opponent's attempts to get a grip on him, his chance of victory will skyrocket.
Lee should also look to punish his opponent's body. Not only does throwing strikes to his opponent's midsection increase his accuracy, but it will keep his level low, making him more difficult to take down. Perhaps most importantly, it will slow down his opponent if he manages to land consistently.
As the younger fighter, Lee should have no problem pushing a hard pace for the entire 15 minutes. His opponent, on the other hand, is a thickly-muscled fighter, who can intensely grapple for about two rounds before his takedowns lose a bit of their drive.
If he's forced out of his comfort zone, Prazeres will slow down earlier. Add some body shots into the mix, and Lee could find himself in an excellent position to capitalize late in the fight.
Michel Prazeres
Record: 18-1
Key Wins: Mairbek Taisumov (UFC Fight Night 38), Jesse Ronson (UFC 165)
Key Losses: Paulo Thiago (UFC on FX 8)
Keys to Victory: Prazeres has proven to have a very difficult style to deal with. By constantly attacking his opponent with takedowns and pressure, he's often able to exhaust his opponent's defenses and break his will.
Though Prazeres can finish his opponent with his jiu-jitsu ability, he's usually more of a grinder. While transitioning between top positions, Prazeres keeps on heavy top pressure and simply wears away at his foe.
In this bout, Prazeres should follow his usual game plan. His opponent is talented but unpolished, which means he's not likely to be truly prepared for Prazeres' grinding style. It's not coincidence that many, many talented prospects suffer a tough loss at the hands of pressure wrestlers like Prazeres.
It's simply a tough thing to deal with.
Therefore, Prazeres should immediately put the pressure on his foe. That will prevent his opponent from settling into a rhythm and dictating range, which means Prazeres will be able to get his hands on Lee early in the bout.
When that happens, the Brazilian excels at chaining takedowns together and generally making his opponent miserable. If he gets his smothering offense going early, it's likely to be a very long night for Lee.
Bottom Line: Both men are trying to make a name for themselves in the UFC's most crowded division.
Lee possesses many of the signs of a future top contender. He made it to the UFC very quickly and is clearly an athletic talent. With that in mind, the UFC is giving him match ups around the middle of the division and hoping to bring him up slowly. Therefore, even with a victory, Lee's not likely to earn an immediate high profile pairing, but it will continue to build name recognition with fans.
On the other hand, this is a much more vital fight for Prazeres. He's over 30 years old and his style is not necessarily fan friendly, so the time is now for him to make an impact on the division. To do that, he definitely needs the victory here.
For either man, a loss puts them deep in the middle of the lightweight pack. Lee has plenty of time to recover from that and earn some signature wins, but Prazeres may not have the opportunity.
At UFC Fight Night 60, Kevin Lee and Michel Prazeres will look to move forward inside the lightweight division. Which man will leave the Octagon with a victory?