UFC 191 fight card: Jan Blachowicz vs Corey Anderson full fight preview

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight veterans Jan Blachowicz and Corey Anderson will go to war this Saturday (Sept. 5, 2015) at UFC 191 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Blachowicz entered UFC with plenty of experience. Already a fairly complete product, Blachowicz impressed in his Octagon debut with a quick finish but came up short in his next match up.

On the other hand, Anderson entered the Octagon with just three professional fights on his record. While he's been semi-successful despite the inexperience, Anderson is still very much a work in progress.

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

Jan Blachowicz
Record: 18-4
Key Wins: Ilir Latifi (UFC Fight Night 53), Houston Alexander (KSW 20), Goran Reljic (KSW 22)
Key Losses: Jimi Manuwa (UFC Fight Night 64)
Keys to Victory: Blachowicz is a very talented kickboxer and is a rather well-rounded scrapper. His takedown defense is pretty solid, and the Polish athlete has finished seven of his opponents via submission.

In this bout, Blachowicz needs to maintain the distance and avoid takedowns/the clinch. Luckily, that's a fairly standard game plan for him, so this bout should fall right into his wheelhouse.

While Blachowicz isn't a particularly powerful puncher, his kicks definitely land with a serious impact. In Anderson's last bout, his opponent landed dozens of hard low kicks that did have an effect on the TUF winner.

Blachowicz should look to copy that strategy. If he can make Anderson hesitate to come forward, then the fight will quickly become much easier for him.

In addition, Blachowicz should be looking to counter from the start of the bout. Anderson is aggressive and throws a high-volume of punches, but he also leaves plenty of openings. If he uses them properly, Blachowicz's counter punches and low kicks will definitely stymie the young "Beast."

VS.

Corey Anderson
Record: 5-1
Key Wins: Matt Van Buren (The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale), Justin Jones (UFC 181)
Key Losses: Gian Villante (UFC on FOX 15)
Keys to Victory: Anderson is one of light heavyweight's very few young prospects. He's just 25 years old, and he's already a very competent fighter. In addition to a solid wrestling background, Anderson has developed a pretty decent boxing game and has some powerful kicks as well.

The biggest asset to Anderson's game is currently his conditioning. Anderson has excellent cardio and throws at a very high pace, which allows him to wear down his opponent and become more effective as the fight wears on.

While Anderson doesn't have a ton of experience, he does have a major advantage in the form of athleticism. As Jimi Manuwa made fairly obvious, Blachowicz simply isn't a very high caliber athlete and struggles when matched up with one.

To take full advantage of his athleticism, Anderson needs to do a couple of things. Most importantly, Anderson must start quickly and keep his output high. If he can prevent Blachowicz from establishing his range, that would be huge.

In addition, Anderson should look to clinch up against the fence and control his opponent with dirty boxing. Blachowicz simply doesn't hit all that hard, so Anderson should be able to close the distance and rack up some points for Octagon control.

Bottom Line: Light Heavyweight is perhaps the thinnest division on the roster at the moment, and these two fringe contenders have an opportunity to make a statement.

Despite Blachowicz's loss to Manuwa, we still don't really know where his ceiling is, since Manuwa is a fairly unique fighter. If he looks good in victory, it could push him into the Top 10.

On the other hand, a loss does dampen any hopes of Blachowicz ever climbing much higher in the rankings. He's a complete fighter in the prime of his career, so this is probably as good as he'll ever be.

This is a big opportunity for Anderson as well. He's only two years into his professional career, and he's already set to throw down with one of the top fighters in the world. If he comes out on top, it says very good things about his future.

If Anderson does fall to Blachowicz, he's in an awkward position. He's clearly talented -- and a very valuable prospect for UFC -- but he'd be on a two fight loss streak. In that situation, he would definitely need a couple easier fights to rebuild his confidence and grow his skill further.

At UFC 191, Jan Blachowicz and Corey Anderson will throw down. Which Light Heavyweight will remain standing when the dust settles?