Sherdog.com Preview: Fedor vs. Lindland
Undercard fights
Apr 13, 2007
Continuing his futile quest to avoid becoming MMA's answer to Ozzie
Canseco, Aleksander
Emelianenko (Pictures) finds himself paired off against
the suddenly relevant Eric
Pele (Pictures). No stranger to toiling in
relative anonymity, Pele has revitalized his career thanks to a
stunning victory over super heavyweight wunderkind Antonio Silva (Pictures). That most unexpected of
victories is the reason why Pele now finds himself facing off
against a man who carries the name of a MMA legend.
In a career marked by the expectations that come with being the younger brother of a MMA legend, Aleksander has found living up to his brother's standard to be as impossible as everyone else who has tried.
Evaluated on his own however, Emelianenko has obvious potential
given his impressive wins over Sergei Kharitonov
(Pictures) and Assuerio Silva (Pictures). It is a testament to his own
potential that Aleksander remains in the minds of MMA fans despite
a pair of embarrassingly one sided submission losses to Josh Barnett (Pictures) and Fabricio Werdum (Pictures). Whether or not Aleksander will
ever be more than a talented striker in a division full of them
remains to be seen but at this stage in the game, a loss to Pele
would cripple his chances of ever becoming more than Fedor's little
brother.
No such burdens exist for Pele, who has spent most of his career as just another super heavyweight willing to bang it out with anyone placed in front of him. That perception quickly changed however when Pele scored the biggest win of his career against the aforementioned Antonio Silva (Pictures) in what was a huge upset. Now Pele finds himself burdened with the expectations of those who expect a worthy follow up lest they simply write him off all over again.
Unfortunately for Pele, Emelianenko is not an immobile target and holds a marked advantage in just about every category outside of sheer girth that you could care to name. While Pele is content to brawl in hopes of landing a knockout blow, Emelianenko makes surprisingly good use of movement and angles for a man his size to find the holes in his opponent's defense. Against Pele, those holes will be numerous and Emelianenko's almost simian reach should be enough to keep Pele at bay while unloading the occasional barrage.
Just how many of those barrages Pele can take remains to be seen but given Emelianenko's aggressive style and accuracy, the over/under isn't favoring Pele. Neither should you. Expect Emelianenko to come out looking to make a statement against an overmatched opponent and look for that statement to come late in the first round in the form of a TKO.
As one of the few young talents that Bodog has discovered, undefeated Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) represents the long-term hopes of the fledgling organization so he'll be putting a lot more than just that shiny undefeated record on the line against battle tested Nick Thompson (Pictures). A journeyman for virtually his entire career, Nick Thompson (Pictures) is just looking to pick up a quality win and perhaps find a permanent home under the Bodog banner.
Whoever succeeds will have to negotiate quite the style clash as Alvarez is a head first striker who loves to overwhelm his opponent's through a combination of accurate striking and sheer aggression while Thompson is your classic cagey veteran who loves to pounce all over mistakes. Whether or not there will be any openings to take advantage of is the question given Alvarez's penchant for putting his opponents away before they get a chance to offer anything in return. Thompson would be best served crowding Alvarez early on and perhaps bring matters to the ground, where Thompson would have an actual chance to put Alvarez in a situation where his striking is no longer a concern.
That's not to say that Alvarez's past opponents simply stood in the pocket with a big "HIT ME!" sign hanging around their neck but Thompson simply has no chance of winning this fight if he obliges Alvarez on the feet.
The kicker here is that Thompson isn't a particularly good wrestler and Alvarez is clearly the stronger, more explosive fighter. Not to mention fending off takedowns becomes a fair bit easier when your opponent has to worry about a fist being driven through their face.
The fact that Alvarez has driven his fist through the face of many worthy opponents such as UFC veterans Derrick Noble (Pictures) and Aaron Riley (Pictures) is what should concern Thompson more so than anything. Keeping that in mind, look for Alvarez to come out looking to shuck off any attempted takedowns and fire away with impunity. Given how badly Thompson reacted to Karo Parisyan (Pictures)'s ground-and-pound in their bout at UFC 59, it's hard to imagine Thompson doing anything but buckling under the pressure from the all out assault of a superior striker.
Thompson could make things interesting if he puts Alvarez on his back and is able to advance position but there is no reason to believe Thompson's sub-standard wrestling will win the day. Instead, look for Alvarez to come out as he usually does and to end up with his usual result, a first round knockout.
In a rematch of their bout from late last year, Roman Zentsov (Pictures) will once again lock horns with Kristof Midoux (Pictures). A contrast in career paths, Zentsov has found his stock on the rise thanks to a pair of KO victories in PRIDE over quality strikers Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) and Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) while Midoux is just looking to get above the .500 barrier thanks to losses in three of his last four bouts. Considering Midoux finished his last bout against Zentsov prone on the mat, you've got to give the man credit for his willingness to step in there again.
Then again, plenty of fighters are willing to step in and fight but it takes a special breed to put the work in beforehand that leads to success. That will be the question entering this bout for Midoux, whether or not he has added a new wrinkle to his game that will enable him to beat a guy who he is expected to lose to. Ironically, Zentsov found himself in the same position entering his bout with Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) walked away with a memorable knockout victory and a legion of new fans. Perceptions change rapidly in this sport; a big win or for that matter, a big loss, are all you need to find yourself with a whole new set of expectations on your lap.
Zentsov must live up to the expectations that go along with his revitalized career and against Midoux, he has a chance to show off his striking oriented game against an opponent who doesn't pose much of a threat on the feet. However, the threat becomes real the second this fight hits the ground since Midoux is a solid grappler and Zentsov has always been lacking in that regard. A classic striker vs. grappler angle with a bit of a twist, neither man is a particularly good wrestler so who keeps the fight in their domain is anyone's guess.
I'm willing to side with Zentsov given his victory in their first bout and the fact that Midoux has made a career out of coming up short in big spots. After more than eight years in MMA it's hard to expect Midoux to suddenly start winning big fights, especially against an opponent whose already figured out the formula for beating him once before. If anything, expect Zentsov to come out more aggressive than he did in their first bout so as not to give Midoux any chance of turning the bout into a grappling affair. Midoux's shoddy wrestling won't hold up in the face of Zentsov's accurate striking and this time, Midoux won't get to hear the sound of the bell for the second round. Zentsov walks away with a knockout victory late in the first round.
Showing their dedication to a rising sport, Bodog's second female MMA bout of the evening matches a pair of quality bantamweight grapplers in Amanda Buckner (Pictures) and Hitomi Akano (Pictures). Both women have a stated preference for the ground and the submission skills to back it up. A win here not only sends you up the rankings but makes you the face of Bodog's burgeoning female MMA division. High stakes for both ladies but neither is a stranger to quality opposition.
Buckner's career is highlighted by wins over Megumi Yabushita (Pictures) and Julie Kedzie (Pictures), who is on the undercard of this event as well. A strong grappler who isn't afraid to mix it up on the feet, Buckner presents a tough style for her opponents thanks to her aggressive approach on the ground where she seems as comfortable advancing position and securing a submission as she does sitting in the guard and dropping in punches. Against Akano however, she'll find the going to be a bit tougher than usual.
Akano may not be as willing to exchange punches as Buckner is but she does make up the difference with a smooth ground game and surprisingly strong wrestling base which allows her to really impose her will once she gains the top position. It is who gains that top position that will determine our victor as a slugfest is unlikely to break out between these two, especially considering what's at stake it would be hard to imagine either woman relying on something besides their bread and butter to win. While neither woman has a marked advantage on the ground, Akano should be able to secure the takedown more often that not against Buckner who often leaves herself open for easy takedowns thanks to her aggressive style.
Buckner will be hard pressed trying to catch Akano with a submission from her guard and is likely to find herself frustrated as Akano racks up points thanks to her steady ground control and guard passing. Buckner could make it a fight if she can land a big shot on Akano off a restart or at the start of a round but Akano's a game opponent who has plenty of experience on her side. It won't be particularly exciting, but look for Akano to grind out a unanimous decision win.
A couple of young fighters on a losing skid are hoping to get their careers back on track as Red Devil's own Andrei Semenov (Pictures) takes on American Top Team's Jorge Santiago (Pictures). Given that this is the opening match of the televised portion of the card, both fighters are being handed an opportunity to not only impress the higher ups of Bodog but also a pay-per-view audience looking to see whether or not the product lives up to the hype.
For his own sake, Semenov is hoping he does a better job of living up to the hype this time around. It wasn't that long ago that the Russian was a rising star in the UFC middleweight division before a one sided thrashing at the hands of Ivan Salaverry (Pictures) derailed his career. Since then, Semenov has had trouble regaining the form that made him a fan favorite, relying more on uninspired decision wins of late to boost his résumé than the usual mix of striking and grappling prowess that won him his fans in the first place.
Against Santiago, Semenov will find himself faced with an opponent more than willing to bring out the best in him, lest he end up with another loss on his record. While Santiago may not be the most physically imposing guy around, his skills more than make up the difference as he proved in his UFC debut against Justin Levens (Pictures), a fight he won via knockout early thanks to a well-placed knee. Just as quickly as Santiago found himself in the good graces of the UFC, he found himself headed out the door thanks to back-to-back losses Chris Leben (Pictures) and Alan Belcher (Pictures) in a pair of competitive fights that turned hard against Santiago.
History however is on Santiago's side here given how well he responded to consecutive losses against Jordan Radev and Joey Villasenor (Pictures) earlier in his career.
In Semenov's case, we're still waiting to see if the light bulb goes off and he realizes it's time to start cashing in on his potential. Santiago won't be particularly concerned with Semenov's struggles and is likely to come in looking to put on a show for the pay-per-view audience given how well he responded to the bright lights of the UFC, putting on three quality scraps in his time there.
Typically, Semenov doesn't react well when his opponents put the pressure on him and I expect Santiago to do just that. It'll be interesting to see how Semenov responds to someone willingly striking with him but given the lack of motivation he's shown in recent fights, don't anticipate much of a change. Santiago will come in guns a blazing and use his strong Muay Thai to disrupt Semenov's more orthodox boxing style while occasionally mixing things up with a big takedown to keep Semenov from getting any ideas about unleashing a flying knee or anything of the sort. To his credit, Semenov is notoriously difficult to finish and Santiago will find that out for himself but it won't keep him from winning. Santiago wins an impressive unanimous decision in one-sided fashion.
In a career marked by the expectations that come with being the younger brother of a MMA legend, Aleksander has found living up to his brother's standard to be as impossible as everyone else who has tried.
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No such burdens exist for Pele, who has spent most of his career as just another super heavyweight willing to bang it out with anyone placed in front of him. That perception quickly changed however when Pele scored the biggest win of his career against the aforementioned Antonio Silva (Pictures) in what was a huge upset. Now Pele finds himself burdened with the expectations of those who expect a worthy follow up lest they simply write him off all over again.
Considering his opponent, those pesky submissions should be the
last thing on Emelianenko's mind since Pele is basically a mammoth
human being who knows how to string together a few punches. That
may seem like something of an indictment of Pele's abilities but
then again, when you weigh well over 300 pounds landing even one
punch, never mind several, is normally a pretty good recipe for
success.
Unfortunately for Pele, Emelianenko is not an immobile target and holds a marked advantage in just about every category outside of sheer girth that you could care to name. While Pele is content to brawl in hopes of landing a knockout blow, Emelianenko makes surprisingly good use of movement and angles for a man his size to find the holes in his opponent's defense. Against Pele, those holes will be numerous and Emelianenko's almost simian reach should be enough to keep Pele at bay while unloading the occasional barrage.
Just how many of those barrages Pele can take remains to be seen but given Emelianenko's aggressive style and accuracy, the over/under isn't favoring Pele. Neither should you. Expect Emelianenko to come out looking to make a statement against an overmatched opponent and look for that statement to come late in the first round in the form of a TKO.
As one of the few young talents that Bodog has discovered, undefeated Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) represents the long-term hopes of the fledgling organization so he'll be putting a lot more than just that shiny undefeated record on the line against battle tested Nick Thompson (Pictures). A journeyman for virtually his entire career, Nick Thompson (Pictures) is just looking to pick up a quality win and perhaps find a permanent home under the Bodog banner.
Whoever succeeds will have to negotiate quite the style clash as Alvarez is a head first striker who loves to overwhelm his opponent's through a combination of accurate striking and sheer aggression while Thompson is your classic cagey veteran who loves to pounce all over mistakes. Whether or not there will be any openings to take advantage of is the question given Alvarez's penchant for putting his opponents away before they get a chance to offer anything in return. Thompson would be best served crowding Alvarez early on and perhaps bring matters to the ground, where Thompson would have an actual chance to put Alvarez in a situation where his striking is no longer a concern.
That's not to say that Alvarez's past opponents simply stood in the pocket with a big "HIT ME!" sign hanging around their neck but Thompson simply has no chance of winning this fight if he obliges Alvarez on the feet.
The kicker here is that Thompson isn't a particularly good wrestler and Alvarez is clearly the stronger, more explosive fighter. Not to mention fending off takedowns becomes a fair bit easier when your opponent has to worry about a fist being driven through their face.
The fact that Alvarez has driven his fist through the face of many worthy opponents such as UFC veterans Derrick Noble (Pictures) and Aaron Riley (Pictures) is what should concern Thompson more so than anything. Keeping that in mind, look for Alvarez to come out looking to shuck off any attempted takedowns and fire away with impunity. Given how badly Thompson reacted to Karo Parisyan (Pictures)'s ground-and-pound in their bout at UFC 59, it's hard to imagine Thompson doing anything but buckling under the pressure from the all out assault of a superior striker.
Thompson could make things interesting if he puts Alvarez on his back and is able to advance position but there is no reason to believe Thompson's sub-standard wrestling will win the day. Instead, look for Alvarez to come out as he usually does and to end up with his usual result, a first round knockout.
In a rematch of their bout from late last year, Roman Zentsov (Pictures) will once again lock horns with Kristof Midoux (Pictures). A contrast in career paths, Zentsov has found his stock on the rise thanks to a pair of KO victories in PRIDE over quality strikers Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) and Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) while Midoux is just looking to get above the .500 barrier thanks to losses in three of his last four bouts. Considering Midoux finished his last bout against Zentsov prone on the mat, you've got to give the man credit for his willingness to step in there again.
Then again, plenty of fighters are willing to step in and fight but it takes a special breed to put the work in beforehand that leads to success. That will be the question entering this bout for Midoux, whether or not he has added a new wrinkle to his game that will enable him to beat a guy who he is expected to lose to. Ironically, Zentsov found himself in the same position entering his bout with Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) walked away with a memorable knockout victory and a legion of new fans. Perceptions change rapidly in this sport; a big win or for that matter, a big loss, are all you need to find yourself with a whole new set of expectations on your lap.
Zentsov must live up to the expectations that go along with his revitalized career and against Midoux, he has a chance to show off his striking oriented game against an opponent who doesn't pose much of a threat on the feet. However, the threat becomes real the second this fight hits the ground since Midoux is a solid grappler and Zentsov has always been lacking in that regard. A classic striker vs. grappler angle with a bit of a twist, neither man is a particularly good wrestler so who keeps the fight in their domain is anyone's guess.
I'm willing to side with Zentsov given his victory in their first bout and the fact that Midoux has made a career out of coming up short in big spots. After more than eight years in MMA it's hard to expect Midoux to suddenly start winning big fights, especially against an opponent whose already figured out the formula for beating him once before. If anything, expect Zentsov to come out more aggressive than he did in their first bout so as not to give Midoux any chance of turning the bout into a grappling affair. Midoux's shoddy wrestling won't hold up in the face of Zentsov's accurate striking and this time, Midoux won't get to hear the sound of the bell for the second round. Zentsov walks away with a knockout victory late in the first round.
Showing their dedication to a rising sport, Bodog's second female MMA bout of the evening matches a pair of quality bantamweight grapplers in Amanda Buckner (Pictures) and Hitomi Akano (Pictures). Both women have a stated preference for the ground and the submission skills to back it up. A win here not only sends you up the rankings but makes you the face of Bodog's burgeoning female MMA division. High stakes for both ladies but neither is a stranger to quality opposition.
Buckner's career is highlighted by wins over Megumi Yabushita (Pictures) and Julie Kedzie (Pictures), who is on the undercard of this event as well. A strong grappler who isn't afraid to mix it up on the feet, Buckner presents a tough style for her opponents thanks to her aggressive approach on the ground where she seems as comfortable advancing position and securing a submission as she does sitting in the guard and dropping in punches. Against Akano however, she'll find the going to be a bit tougher than usual.
Akano may not be as willing to exchange punches as Buckner is but she does make up the difference with a smooth ground game and surprisingly strong wrestling base which allows her to really impose her will once she gains the top position. It is who gains that top position that will determine our victor as a slugfest is unlikely to break out between these two, especially considering what's at stake it would be hard to imagine either woman relying on something besides their bread and butter to win. While neither woman has a marked advantage on the ground, Akano should be able to secure the takedown more often that not against Buckner who often leaves herself open for easy takedowns thanks to her aggressive style.
Buckner will be hard pressed trying to catch Akano with a submission from her guard and is likely to find herself frustrated as Akano racks up points thanks to her steady ground control and guard passing. Buckner could make it a fight if she can land a big shot on Akano off a restart or at the start of a round but Akano's a game opponent who has plenty of experience on her side. It won't be particularly exciting, but look for Akano to grind out a unanimous decision win.
A couple of young fighters on a losing skid are hoping to get their careers back on track as Red Devil's own Andrei Semenov (Pictures) takes on American Top Team's Jorge Santiago (Pictures). Given that this is the opening match of the televised portion of the card, both fighters are being handed an opportunity to not only impress the higher ups of Bodog but also a pay-per-view audience looking to see whether or not the product lives up to the hype.
For his own sake, Semenov is hoping he does a better job of living up to the hype this time around. It wasn't that long ago that the Russian was a rising star in the UFC middleweight division before a one sided thrashing at the hands of Ivan Salaverry (Pictures) derailed his career. Since then, Semenov has had trouble regaining the form that made him a fan favorite, relying more on uninspired decision wins of late to boost his résumé than the usual mix of striking and grappling prowess that won him his fans in the first place.
Against Santiago, Semenov will find himself faced with an opponent more than willing to bring out the best in him, lest he end up with another loss on his record. While Santiago may not be the most physically imposing guy around, his skills more than make up the difference as he proved in his UFC debut against Justin Levens (Pictures), a fight he won via knockout early thanks to a well-placed knee. Just as quickly as Santiago found himself in the good graces of the UFC, he found himself headed out the door thanks to back-to-back losses Chris Leben (Pictures) and Alan Belcher (Pictures) in a pair of competitive fights that turned hard against Santiago.
History however is on Santiago's side here given how well he responded to consecutive losses against Jordan Radev and Joey Villasenor (Pictures) earlier in his career.
In Semenov's case, we're still waiting to see if the light bulb goes off and he realizes it's time to start cashing in on his potential. Santiago won't be particularly concerned with Semenov's struggles and is likely to come in looking to put on a show for the pay-per-view audience given how well he responded to the bright lights of the UFC, putting on three quality scraps in his time there.
Typically, Semenov doesn't react well when his opponents put the pressure on him and I expect Santiago to do just that. It'll be interesting to see how Semenov responds to someone willingly striking with him but given the lack of motivation he's shown in recent fights, don't anticipate much of a change. Santiago will come in guns a blazing and use his strong Muay Thai to disrupt Semenov's more orthodox boxing style while occasionally mixing things up with a big takedown to keep Semenov from getting any ideas about unleashing a flying knee or anything of the sort. To his credit, Semenov is notoriously difficult to finish and Santiago will find that out for himself but it won't keep him from winning. Santiago wins an impressive unanimous decision in one-sided fashion.
