UFC 111 Preview: The Main Card

Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek

The Breakdown: Perhaps the most underappreciated lightweight around, Jim Miller, gets a chance to shine on the main card, but he’ll have to do it against Canadian grappling guru Mark Bocek. While both fighters have amassed solid Octagon records, their biggest opportunities in the UFC have uniformly ended in defeat.

The trend seems set to end for Miller. His whole game is kryptonite to Bocek, who wants nothing more than to work his vaunted Brazilian jiu-jitsu from top control. That’s unlikely against Miller, who is not only the superior wrestler but also a surprisingly talented striker as he showed in his dissection of Duane Ludwig at UFC 108.

Bocek struggles mightily when he can’t impose his one-dimensional style on opponents. His iffy conditioning is only exacerbated when he has to struggle for takedowns. Miller is accustomed to facing quality grapplers and has shown a tremendous aptitude for not only avoiding submissions but advancing position and forcing opponents on the defensive. Playing defense is not something Bocek wants to do if he has any intention of escaping the prospect of a pink slip.

The Bottom Line: This just isn’t the kind of matchup Bocek can win, and it’ll show early as Miller scores takedown after takedown while handily winning the striking exchanges. Opportunities will be few and far between for Bocek. Miller will build up an insurmountable lead on the scorecards and maintain control every step of the way en route to a unanimous decision nod.