UFC 112 Preview: The Prelims

DaMarques Johnson vs. Brad Blackburn

The Breakdown: Every prelim slate is good for at least one cash-money matchup. Putting Brad Blackburn’s fleet fists against the mad-dash submissions of DaMarques Johnson keeps that trend alive and well. What really makes this fight must-see MMA is not the generic style clash of striker vs. grappler that the announcing team will prattle on about, but the diversity of skills both fighters bring to the fistic table.

Key will be Johnson’s ability to hold his own in exchanges and create the scrambles that his grappling game is built around. While Johnson’s reach gives him a natural advantage, Blackburn is the far more disciplined striker and his counterpunching skills are foreign to unrefined strikers. Keeping up a solid pace on the feet will be challenging for Johnson, as he does his best work on the inside, which only makes being on the wrong end of a takedown that much more likely.

This is where Blackburn has to use his movement because Johnson is plenty slick enough to pull guard or attack a leg if Blackburn just stands in front of him. Striking the right balance between aggression and caution is a necessity for any striking-centric fighter, and Blackburn better hope he finds it early because rolling around with Johnson will leave him looking like a failed chiropractic experiment.

The Bottom Line: Expect shades of Johnson’s fight with Edgar Garcia at UFC 107, as his willingness to step inside will land him right in Blackburn’s wheelhouse. Manliness isn’t a problem for Johnson, nor is beardliness. He can take a shot and recover fast enough to press the issue with takedowns and submission attempts. Trying to figure out a winning strategy while getting your brain rattled isn’t exactly the greatest approach, though, and Blackburn will put the lights out long before Johnson cracks the puzzle.