Must-See Fights of the Week

Joe Soto vs. Diego Saraiva
Bellator Fighting Championships 19, May 20, Grand Prairie, Texas

The common perception is that World Extreme Cagefighting has every valuable featherweight under control, and there is some truth to that notion. While many fans would love to see Hatsu Hioki and Masanori Kanehara make the trip across the Pacific, outside the unique microcosm of Japanese MMA, there is precious little in the way of quality featherweights without a WEC contract. Soto, the undefeated Bellator champion, looks like the best of that bunch and may be the best prospect in the entire division.

An alumnus of the same Iowa Central Community College wrestling team that produced Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez, Soto has the same preternatural affinity for MMA for which his former teammates are known. The difference between them is Soto’s unique penchant for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is rarely seen from collegiate wrestling converts. His opponent, Saraiva, shares the same talent for grappling but seems more concerned with proving himself as a striker.

Best known for his 0-3 run in the UFC lightweight division three years ago, Saraiva struggled primarily because of his insistence on getting into hopeless exchanges on the feet. While he has gone undefeated since cutting down to featherweight, Saraiva still uses a tae kwon do-style stance, which leaves his hands low and legs wide. Having the ability to throw snap kicks from a variety of angles just is not worth completely exposing oneself to leg kicks and head punches. Soto showed his ability to exploit defensive flaws in his bout with Wilson Reis, as he relied on the jab and right cross to force his opponent outside the pocket. There, Reis’ hooking punches and single-leg takedown were effectively neutered. That same jab-right cross combination, as well as Soto’s thudding outside leg kicks, seem like perfect tools through which to pick apart Saraiva on the feet. This bout gets interesting on the mat, as Saraiva excels at setting up sweeps and submissions from the butterfly guard.

Considering Soto likes to keep a high posture from inside the guard, he has to be especially wary of Saraiva grabbing double underhooks from the full butterfly guard and sweeping directly to mount -- one of his favorite techniques. Assuming such a sequence seems far-fetched, but Saraiva has executed that same transition many times before, and his guard-pulling ability allows him to circumvent Soto’s superior wrestling. However, Soto avoided Reis’ ground game like a zombie virus, and his ability to dictate range with punches will make it nearly impossible for Saraiva to get a hold of him.

The other obstacle awaiting Saraiva is largely self-constructed, as he often settles into his guard and becomes passive when initial sweep or submission attempts fail. That will not be a good idea against Soto, who maintains a freakish pace with ground strikes and advances position like its second nature. Basically, Saraiva needs a hall of fame lock-flow to have any chance of winning.

Big ups to Saraiva for reviving his career by cutting down to featherweight and beating decent regional competition like Eddie Yagin and Jorge Evangelista. However, the renaissance ends with Soto, who has Saraiva’s number anywhere this fight goes.