UFC 106 Preview: The Prelims

Brock Larson vs. Brian Foster

The Breakdown: After losing a wild match to Rick Story in his UFC debut, Foster gets no easy encore against the human takedown machine. No lies here, this looks to be a nightmarish style clash for Foster, who will not stop Larson’s hyper-drive shot and demoralizing top control.

Going for broke appears to be Foster’s best hope, because waiting on Larson will end worse than the last season of “Heroes.” Unless Foster comes in with his fists cocked and his sprawl ready, this fight will end just as badly in real life as it does on paper.

The X-Factor: Though hard to notice because he typically blasts opponents into submission before it becomes a problem, Larson’s submission defense has major holes. Prone to making elementary mistakes and relying more on brute force than proper technique, Larson could be in for a much tougher fight than expected if his usual steamroller routine comes up short.

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The Bottom Line: This looks like the kind of fight Larson usually dominates, and the script will play out that way. Foster does not have the wrestling to stop Larson’s takedowns or the submissions to take advantage of the openings he leaves. A cringe-inducing technical knockout loss awaits Foster, as a ground-and-pound blitzkrieg from Larson flips the referee’s compassion switch.