Preview: Bellator 231 ‘Mir vs. Nelson 2’

Ed Ruth vs. Jason Jackson

When Ruth entered the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix, he was hoping he would be competing this weekend; he just wished he would be fighting in the finals instead of a main card bout a day before. “EZ” was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the tournament when he was rear-naked choked by Neiman Gracie. He rebounded from his first career loss with a stoppage win over Kichi Kunimoto. He returns this weekend against the highly-touted Jason Jackson. Ruth has fought his entire career under the Bellator banner, compiling a 7-1 record. The 29-year-old is a three-time NCAA Division 1 National Champion wrestler. He is easily considered one of the very best wrestlers in all of MMA. He can get takedowns from distance or in close quarters. The Pennsylvania native has a smothering top game with brutal ground-and-pound. He has focused on his grappling, competing in the Pan-Am Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu games. He has showed his advancement in BJJ by constantly looking to advance to a better position. If his opponent attempts to get back to his feet, Ruth is great in scrambles to keep the position. The former Nittany Lion can be too confident in his wrestling leaving himself to be taken down by less-accomplished wrestlers in the past. Ruth has made huge improvements in his striking. He is light on his feet and is good at sliding into the pocket attacking with combinations. The new addition to American Kickboxing Academy has a propensity to throw a lot of kicks to the body and sneak some to the head because he isn’t worried about being taken down if his opponent catches a kick. He tends to not bounce his head off the center line, opting to block and roll with the punches, leaving him to eat some hard shots. He also makes the mistake of dropping his hands. EZ lacks true one-punch fight ending power. Ruth likes to push the pace in his matches, but appeared to have gassed out in his loss to Ruth, which is a concern.

Despite being only 28-years-old, Jackson is a true veteran of the sport. Besides fighting in Bellator, he has competed on Season 21 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Dana White’s Contender Series and has held titles in both the Legacy Fighting Alliance and Titan Fighting Championships and holds a first-round knockout of current UFC welterweight Dhiego Lima. The Jamaican born fighter, who now calls Miami home, is on a three-fight winning streak. Jackson is a well-rounded fighter, who does well at varying his attacks. The Hard Knocks 365 product relies more on his speed and athleticism over technique. He likes to dart into range and throw a combination. He will load up on a punch, trying to take his opponent’s head off with every shot. His overhand right is his best strike. This strategy has led him to slow down greatly if his fight reaches the deep waters. He likes to attack the body with kicks and step-in knees. The “Ass-Kicking Machine” will look for takedowns himself with trips from the bodylock being his specialty. He doesn’t defend takedowns well, but is good at scrambling back to his feet. One concern might be Jackson’s chin as he has been rocked and dropped in fights.

Ruth received some criticism after he took a step up in competition and failed greatly against Gracie. I think it might have just been a small bump in the road, though. Jackson is a tough test for the former NCAA champion, but I expect Ruth to pass it with flying colors. He spoke in interviews for this fight that he wants to get back to his roots and use his wrestling more. The prediction is he takes the Floridian down several times in the fight and softens him up with ground strikes. Jackson eventually gives up his back and Ruth finishes him with a rear-naked choke.

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