Tim Hague (top) | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Heavyweights
Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague
Mitrione continues to improve after his hot-and-cold performances on Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as the former NFL player has shown stout hands and a sense of the timing, space management and tactics he needs to succeed in MMA.
Despite a limited background in the sport, Mitrione seems to be at home standing, letting his hands go with nice, comfortable combinations. At times, he seems a little too relaxed, but he does not come off like a ship lost at sea when pinned against the cage or on his back.
Hague, meanwhile, is one of those huge guys that present problems for anyone not at the elite level. At 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, he’s a handful if he presses you against the cage or gets you on the ground. He will likely have the takedown advantage, and while he has proven willing to throw hard standing, Mitrione is the better technical striker. That advantage means less between heavyweights, simply because they generate more knockout power, pound-for-pound.
For Hague to win, he has to execute in a series of well-timed attacks, pinning Mitrione against the cage, taking him down and punishing him from top while running him out of gas and keeping him on the defensive. For Mitrione to emerge victorious, he will need to land effectively when avoiding tie-ups and pop up when taken down without taking too much damage from the powerful Hague.
The Pick: The guess here is that a back-and-forth fight ensues through the first two rounds, before Hague eventually pulls ahead en route to a third-round ground-and-pound stoppage or a hard-earned decision win.
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