UFC 107 Preview: The Prelims

Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson

The Breakdown: Stuck in a rut with two straight losses to his name, Wiman is in desperate need of a rebound against B.J. Penn protégé Shane Nelson, who is still struggling to carve out a niche in the UFC. That task won’t get any easier against Wiman, who looks set to have a field day against Nelson and his all-around mediocre game.

If you’re looking for core weaknesses on Nelson, they’re definitely his consistent lack of a game plan and his habit of telegraphing almost everything he does. The end result is a fighter with no direction in the cage and nothing to make up for it.

Wiman won’t be taking over the division any time soon, but his striking is accurate if somewhat unrefined and Nelson will be hard-pressed stopping him from scoring takedowns at will. Buy into the hype on Nelson’s jiu-jitsu all you like; just don’t put money down on it.

The X-Factor: If there is anything going in Nelson’s favor, it’s that Wiman tends to be wide with his punches, which leaves him open to the counter right hand -- Nelson’s best punch. Unfortunately for Nelson, picking up the timing of a true counterpuncher is even harder than finding a music video on MTV.

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The Bottom Line: One of the upsides of being a quality gatekeeper in the UFC is that you get the occasional bone tossed your way. Sooner or later Wiman will get a dominant position on Nelson and have him playing the three-tap symphony in short order.