Welterweights
Alan Jouban (15-5) vs. Niko Price (9-0)Price was cleanly outstruck by Alex Morono in his last fight. Morono is a clever and determined striker, better than he might seem at range, but he lacks Jouban’s dynamism and precision. Nonetheless, Price survived the counters, slowed the pace and found the opening for a fight-ending shot. True, Nelson probably would have taken out Morono more easily -- Price was floored twice, if only briefly -- but if you know Nelson’s style, you understand the comparison.
Though the 35-year-old Jouban is seven years older than Price, he is the one who has been making great strides recently. Like Price, Jouban made himself known with a series of impressive finishes and exciting fights during the first stages of his UFC career. In the three years since, however, Jouban has displayed newfound discipline and restraint, putting on a few impressively controlled performances without ever losing his reputation for violence. Once a brawler, it could be said that Jouban has turned into more of a boxer-puncher with great kicks.
THE ODDS: Jouban (-165), Price (+135)
THE PICK: Nelson’s toughness and patience gave Jouban problems, but so did the explosiveness. Price has power, but he does not close the gap with anything like Nelson’s trademark speed. One truth caps off this analysis quite nicely: Both Jouban and Price can be caught and hurt early, before they get warmed up. With a deeper bag of tricks and more speed with which to execute them, however, the expectation is that Jouban will get his game going first. The pick is Jouban by first-round knockout.
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