Sengoku 8th Battle Preview

Hatsu Hioki vs. Ronnie Mann

The Breakdown: Arguably the prohibitive favorite going into this tournament, Hatsu Hioki now finds himself amidst a field loaded with premier prospects. Ronnie Mann will be the latest one looking to turn Hioki into a career stepping-stone. While Mann’s muay Thai background and collection of submission skins makes him an interesting opponent for Hioki on paper, most of Mann’s submission prowess is owed to his less than impressive rogues’ gallery. Trying to get buck on the mat with Hioki will end with Mann looking like what you find at the bottom of the trash bin at a pretzel shop.

The X Factor: If Hioki comes in focused on working his ground game, he should run into no problems. The problem with that is Hioki seems convinced that having a long reach automatically makes him a great striker. That unconventional logic has gotten him in trouble before, and Mann has the game to turn the lights out on Hioki’s logic.

The Bottom Line: Consider this fight Hioki’s own version of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” If Hioki remembers that he knows how to use the potty and hit the gogoplata from mount, he’ll have Mann in knots in short order. Bank on Hioki acing his ABCs and making Mann his latest scalp.