UFC 108 Preview: The Prelims

Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen

The Breakdown: After nearly getting his head kicked off as a light heavyweight, Munoz made the wise decision to drop down to the middleweight ranks. He had a successful 185 debut against Nick Catone and now looks to continue his success by steamrolling Ryan Jensen. Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of Munoz’s fistic career has been his wrestling, which never developed into the dominating skill so many expected it to be.

That unsuspected turn of events will keep Munoz from the upper echelon of the division, but it won’t stop him from working over Jensen, who is essentially a gatekeeper at this point. While Jensen’s grappling will certainly keep this from getting too one-sided, Munoz will simply stay conservative and keep it workmanlike.

The X-Factor: For a guy who should be focused on using his wrestling, Munoz seems awfully preoccupied with showing off his substandard striking every chance he gets. It’s an obvious error in judgment that he must avoid against Jensen, who, despite his collection of submission wins, is no dummy on the feet and more than capable of making Munoz see the error of his ways.

The Bottom Line: Excitement will be in short supply as Munoz overpowers his way to a decision over Jensen, who will find his best efforts to be for naught. A few dicey moments for Munoz will only be the precursor to a takedown as Jensen simply lacks the skills to keep this from turning into Wrestlemania.