Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
The Breakdown: After getting wrestle-stomped by Vladimir Matyushenko in his UFC debut, Pokrajac’s Octagon encore comes against newcomer and New Zealander Te Huna. Besides having the home crowd in his corner, Te Huna is getting a custom-made opponent for his Octagon debut.
Pokrajac has trouble any time he has to work off his back, and Te Huna is going to press him every chance he gets in search of a takedown. It’s a recipe for disaster for Pokrajac, who just doesn’t have the striking or submissions to give Te Huna any pause.
If this fight turns into a contest of brute physicality, which it likely will, Pokrajac is taking a bath on this one. Te Huna may not be the most fundamentally sound fighter around, but he’s tough to beat when he can force fights into his comfort zone.
Being a training partner of Mirko Filipovic, as Pokrajac is, can clearly get you into the UFC, but it sure hasn’t helped him much since getting there. Don’t expect Te Huna to be anymore impressed than Matyushenko by the Croat’s pedigree.
The Bottom Line: This will be the beer-run fight of the undercard. Te Huna isn’t going to do anything spectacular, but he will win. Three rounds of uneventful top control come to a long overdue end with Te Huna winning a unanimous decision.