Preview: Dream 7

"Wicky Akiyo" Akiyo Nishiura vs. Abel Cullum

If you want raw, uncut, unbridled action on this card, here is your most likely bet.

Both "Wicky Akiyo" and Abel Cullum have aggressive offensive games but with particular liabilities that should make for 15 minutes of high-paced action in all positions. Nishiura relies on his striking, which is colorful, explosive and unorthodox, not terribly unlike his artwork that is displayed in his tattoos and his fight shorts, both of which he designs himself. The 21-year-old Cullum, while by no means a shoddy striker, is at his best on the ground, where he's lithe and dynamic, great in the transition game and scrambles, and a great submission finisher.

The bout isn't short on relevance, either, as both are in need of a breakout win into the spotlight. Nishiura was denied his moment in the limelight in December, when Yuji Hoshino edged him out in the Cage Force featherweight tournament final. Cullum fell short against hot prospect Wilson Reis in his first major, marquee moment, fighting for EliteXC's featherweight crown last September. In what should be a crackling contest, both now have the opportunity to get that nagging, attention-grabbing victory.

Though it may be true in a basic way, it would be a simplification of matters to say that Wicky would prefer to stand and Cullum would prefer the bout on the ground. Cullum is longer, rangier and will be able to land kicks at distance, while Nishiura will have no qualms about getting on top and dishing out some ground-and-pound, where he can be rather effective.

The fight may hinge on the takedown department. Cullum is extremely slick and versatile on the floor but struggles to get it there on his own. He is more of a sweep-and-submit sort than a real top gamer. The weakest part of Nishiura's game is his straight takedown defense, so he is obviously insulated in that Cullum offers no major threat to his own shortcomings. What's more, Cullum's aggressive submission offense will have to be constant to stay in control against Nishiura, as it's unlikely that he'll be able to simply catch him and submit him. As poor as his defensive wrestling may be, Nishiura's ability to escape submissions and get back to his feet is truly fantastic. More than that, Nishiura actually has decent takedowns of his own, despite not exactly having figured out the intricacies of the sprawl quite yet.

This may be one of the few bouts where FEG's non-conformity to more universal MMA rules may have influence. One of Nishiura's biggest problems in most bouts under the 10-point must system is that as a flimsy wrestler, he's liable to lose five-minute segments in which he gets stuck to the canvas. However, judging bouts on the whole, as is done in Dream, is beneficial to Nishiura. He nearly always lands the larger, more damaging blows on his opponents and seldom takes any real punishment on the ground once he's taken down.

For Cullum to win, he would have to work expertly from range, landing jabs and kicks while dodging the wild, winging punches of Wicky Akiyo. If and when the bout hits the floor, Cullum will likely be the man on the bottom. He'll have to do what Akitoshi Tamura did to Nishiura, constantly threatening with submissions, controlling the bout from his back and not allowing him any ability to ground-and-pound or step out of his guard and get back to his feet. While he's a brilliant young talent, it's hard for me to imagine Cullum being so perfect in both respects. Expect hot competition, up-and-down offense and a close Wicky Akiyo win on the scorecards.