WEC Torres vs. Mizugaki Preview

Apr 03, 2009
Photo by Sherdog.com

Dias will showcase his
slick ground skills.
Rafael Dias vs. Mike Budnik

The Breakdown: A grappler’s special awaits as both Dias and Budnik live or die on their grappling. Unfortunately for Budnik, Dias happens to be one of the best grapplers out of the vaunted American Top Team. Unless Budnik plans on “Hulk”-ing out just as the fight starts, he’ll be stuck fending off the submission onslaught of a superior grappler.

The X Factor: The one troubling part of Dias’ grappling is that he struggles against aggressive ground-and-pound. If Budnik can out-wrestle Dias and stay aggressive without getting careless, he could easily pick apart Dias on the mat.

The Bottom Line: I’ve never seen Budnik show much in the way of ground-and-pound and it’s unlikely he’ll even out-wrestle Dias thoroughly enough to stay out of harm’s way in the first place. This turns into a showcase for Dias and Budnik’s tapping skills.