UFC 89 Breakdown: The Undercard

Jess Liaudin vs. David Bielkheden

Liaudin Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 5’9/155 lbs.
Age: 34
Hometown: Evry, France
Fighting out of: London
Record: 12-10

The stakes: Much like his opponent, Liaudin found the going a bit rough in the UFC welterweight division and will debut as a lightweight at UFC 89. It’s a potentially fortuitous maneuver, as the 155-pound division appears to be as wide open as ever with incumbent champion B.J. Penn’s upcoming sojourn to the welterweight division. There’s a flip side, however; a loss will quickly send Liaudin tumbling down the ranks.

The breakdown: Sporting one of the UFC’s more colorful fighting styles, Liaudin shows his appreciation for old school Shooto stalwarts Rumina Sato and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai by using spinning back kicks and leg locks as casually as jabs. While that often reckless approach cost him dearly early on in his career, Liaudin has effectively tailored his style for MMA and often frustrates more orthodox opponents like Bielkheden.

Bielkheden Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 5’10/170 lbs.
Age: 29
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Fighting out of: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Record: 12-6

The stakes: After a disastrous UFC debut against Diego Sanchez in March, Bielkheden now has his chance at redemption at his natural weight class. The Swedish “Rocky” formula may be a bit unproven, but with his big-fight experience and Brazilian Top Team-engineered jiu-jitsu, Bielkheden may be the one to make it work.

The breakdown: Like most jiu-jitsu wizards, Bielkheden often has trouble securing takedowns and holding his own standing. Of course, his positioning and submissions are sterling on the mat, which makes him more than just a paper tiger inside the cage. As much as Liaudin’s Wild West groundwork gives opponents fits, Bielkheden’s straightforward style is the way to shut down such an approach.


***

The bottom line: While everyone loves Liaudin’s flashy offense, his reliance on kicks will get him in trouble early and often against the takedown-minded Bielkheden. And his usual array of leg locks and inverted Indian arm locks will not do the trick against Bielkheden, who will wisely bide his time and snatch hold of the first submission that comes his way.