An ‘Ultimate Fighter’ Fight Night
Undercard fights
Jan 23, 2008
The lightweight extravaganza continues on through the undercard
with five bouts highlighting some of the division's most intriguing
prospects. Such is the excess of talent that not even Batman
himself could get a spot on the main card.
Possibly punishment for displaying his sub-par break dancing skills one time too many, Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino (10-3) must toil on the undercard against Alberto Crane (Pictures) (8-1), who is looking to erase the memory of Roger Huerta (Pictures) using him as highlight-reel filler.
With Pellegrino coming off a loss to Joe Stevenson, the loser of this
bout could be left with nothing more than a UFC-stamped pink slip
for his efforts. Given the solid grappling credentials these two
bring to the table, expect plenty of ground action with
Pellegrino's superior wrestling and conditioning wearing on Crane
as the bout progresses.
The early going will be interesting. Crane is likely to throw his full arsenal of submissions and sweeps at Pellegrino, but strong jiu-jitsu is no match for a fully loaded utility belt. "Batman" takes this one via unanimous decision.
This is undoubtedly the most interesting bout on the undercard. Hill's 6-foot-4 frame and steel-trap mind had several trainers wondering aloud if they had stumbled across the division's next superstar. Against Veres, he will have to contend with a powerful wrestler that thrives on grinding out opponents. How Hill will react to that comes down to whether you're willing to buy into his hype.
With a solid, strategy-oriented team like MFS backing him, expect Hill to keep Veres at bay with strikes before landing a KO knee off an attempted shot. Where Hill goes from here is anyone's guess, but at least we have our very own MMA version of Tong Po.
Another TUF alumnus with a textbook ectomorphic body type is Cole Miller (Pictures) (13-2), whose long limbs and slick jiu-jitsu will be matched against the powerful striking skills of Iowa's own Jeremy Stephens (Pictures) (12-2).
Having gotten off to a fast 2-0 start inside the Octagon, Miller may be just one more win away from joining the lightweight title race while Stephens is looking to build on a successful rebound win over Diego Saraiva (Pictures).
Worrisome for Stephens is his lacking takedown defense, and there are few lightweights with the skill to survive a mat battle with Miller. Expect some early fireworks on the feet before Miller lands a trip takedown inside the clinch and sends Stephens packing with a textbook mounted triangle late in the first round.
Silky smooth jiu-jitsu may not be in Gray Maynard (Pictures)'s (3-0, 1 NC) arsenal, but "The Bully" has proven that the Xtreme Couture gym knows how to mold wrestlers into mixed martial artists. Tasked with derailing the rise of Randy Couture (Pictures)'s latest protégé is Dennis Siver (Pictures) (11-4), who is settling into his new division quite nicely.
Overmatched against welterweight Jess Liaudin (Pictures) in his UFC debut, Siver notched an impressive KO win over consummate veteran Naoyuki Kotani (Pictures) in his UFC lightweight debut. Against a wrestler of Maynard's caliber, however, keeping matters standing will be an unrealistic goal for the German native.
Forced to work off his back against a bruising wrestler, Siver will have to rely on working a submission against the relatively inexperienced Maynard. Don't count on Maynard being unprepared for such a strategy, as he overwhelms Siver for a ground-and-pound stoppage late in the first round.
Closing things out will be the return of MMA's Dorian Gray, "Handsome" Matt Wiman (Pictures), in a -- you guessed it -- lightweight tear-up against UFC neophyte Justin Buchholz (Pictures).
Another in a long line of mixed martial artists to emerge from Alaska, Buchholz (7-1) actually made a name for himself on the Hawaiian MMA scene by notching four straight first-round wins thanks to an aggressive style that borrows heavily from the "strike first, strike hard, no mercy" mantra of the Cobra Kai.
That whole "strike first" policy could have to go out the window, however, as Wiman (8-3) is likely to force Buchholz to prove himself on the ground from the onset. One-dimensional strikers rarely fare well inside the Octagon. Expect Wiman to put the newcomer away in the second round with mounted strikes.
With his million-dollar mug intact, it's only a matter of time before Wiman starts cutting Ric Flair-inspired post-fight interviews. Come on, you know you want to see it happen.
Possibly punishment for displaying his sub-par break dancing skills one time too many, Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino (10-3) must toil on the undercard against Alberto Crane (Pictures) (8-1), who is looking to erase the memory of Roger Huerta (Pictures) using him as highlight-reel filler.
Advertisement
The early going will be interesting. Crane is likely to throw his full arsenal of submissions and sweeps at Pellegrino, but strong jiu-jitsu is no match for a fully loaded utility belt. "Batman" takes this one via unanimous decision.
Perhaps the only thing subject to more speculation than Batman's
secret identity has been the status of TUF alumnus Corey Hill's MMA career.
Finally settled under the Miletich Fighting System banner, Hill
(1-0) will make his long-awaited UFC debut against "Mighty"
Joe Veres (Pictures) (4-2).
This is undoubtedly the most interesting bout on the undercard. Hill's 6-foot-4 frame and steel-trap mind had several trainers wondering aloud if they had stumbled across the division's next superstar. Against Veres, he will have to contend with a powerful wrestler that thrives on grinding out opponents. How Hill will react to that comes down to whether you're willing to buy into his hype.
With a solid, strategy-oriented team like MFS backing him, expect Hill to keep Veres at bay with strikes before landing a KO knee off an attempted shot. Where Hill goes from here is anyone's guess, but at least we have our very own MMA version of Tong Po.
Another TUF alumnus with a textbook ectomorphic body type is Cole Miller (Pictures) (13-2), whose long limbs and slick jiu-jitsu will be matched against the powerful striking skills of Iowa's own Jeremy Stephens (Pictures) (12-2).
Having gotten off to a fast 2-0 start inside the Octagon, Miller may be just one more win away from joining the lightweight title race while Stephens is looking to build on a successful rebound win over Diego Saraiva (Pictures).
Worrisome for Stephens is his lacking takedown defense, and there are few lightweights with the skill to survive a mat battle with Miller. Expect some early fireworks on the feet before Miller lands a trip takedown inside the clinch and sends Stephens packing with a textbook mounted triangle late in the first round.
Silky smooth jiu-jitsu may not be in Gray Maynard (Pictures)'s (3-0, 1 NC) arsenal, but "The Bully" has proven that the Xtreme Couture gym knows how to mold wrestlers into mixed martial artists. Tasked with derailing the rise of Randy Couture (Pictures)'s latest protégé is Dennis Siver (Pictures) (11-4), who is settling into his new division quite nicely.
Overmatched against welterweight Jess Liaudin (Pictures) in his UFC debut, Siver notched an impressive KO win over consummate veteran Naoyuki Kotani (Pictures) in his UFC lightweight debut. Against a wrestler of Maynard's caliber, however, keeping matters standing will be an unrealistic goal for the German native.
Forced to work off his back against a bruising wrestler, Siver will have to rely on working a submission against the relatively inexperienced Maynard. Don't count on Maynard being unprepared for such a strategy, as he overwhelms Siver for a ground-and-pound stoppage late in the first round.
Closing things out will be the return of MMA's Dorian Gray, "Handsome" Matt Wiman (Pictures), in a -- you guessed it -- lightweight tear-up against UFC neophyte Justin Buchholz (Pictures).
Another in a long line of mixed martial artists to emerge from Alaska, Buchholz (7-1) actually made a name for himself on the Hawaiian MMA scene by notching four straight first-round wins thanks to an aggressive style that borrows heavily from the "strike first, strike hard, no mercy" mantra of the Cobra Kai.
That whole "strike first" policy could have to go out the window, however, as Wiman (8-3) is likely to force Buchholz to prove himself on the ground from the onset. One-dimensional strikers rarely fare well inside the Octagon. Expect Wiman to put the newcomer away in the second round with mounted strikes.
With his million-dollar mug intact, it's only a matter of time before Wiman starts cutting Ric Flair-inspired post-fight interviews. Come on, you know you want to see it happen.
Related Articles
