UFC 112 Preview: The Prelims

Paul Taylor vs. John Gunderson

The Breakdown: After a quality run as a welterweight gatekeeper, Paul Taylor is cutting down to lightweight for reasons apparent to no one. Contrary to popular belief, shedding weight does not address the takedown defense issues that led to him being typecast in the first place. Luckily for the Englishman, though, years of delivering quality violence has earned him an advantageous matchup against John Gunderson.

The problem with Gunderson is that he’s a straight-up top-control grappler who doesn’t have the wrestling to consistently ground opponents. Further complicating matters for him is a weak guard, as evidenced by how Rafaello Oliveira handled him at UFC 108.

While Taylor is no brick wall when it comes to stopping takedowns, he’s no freebie either and that’s about all it takes to stop Gunderson in his tracks. On the feet, this fight is a glorified sparring session for England’s favored fistic son considering Gunderson’s poor footwork and habit of dropping his lead hand. Even if Gunderson manages to score a few takedowns, he’s not such a dominant grappler that he’s going to instantaneously pass guard and turn Taylor’s skin inside out with telekinesis. In other words, Gunderson should ditch the telekinesis aspect of his training camp.

The Bottom Line: Taylor isn’t going to knock out B.J. Penn any time soon, but he’ll eventually settle into his customary role of exciting gatekeeper. Step one will be a solid decision win over a guy who probably isn’t much longer for the UFC.