UFC 121 Preview: The Undercard

Heavyweights
Gilbert Yvel vs. Jon Madsen

At times, Madsen can seem slow afoot, plodding, though he’s a decent wrestler with a hard-wired understanding of how to take people down and control. His standup is still rudimentary at best, which is an exceptionally tough thing to overcome when you’re a six-foot heavyweight. It means you have to pay all sorts of staggering cover charges to cross the moat to grab the other guy, provided he’s got any street cred in Phuket.

Yvel, meanwhile, was the complete opposite in his prime. Forever blessed (and cursed) with dynamite standing skills and a suspect ground game, the Pride staple’s bouts either saw him decimating someone on the feet, or having a clinic run on him while he struggled on the ground. Now that he’s 34, Yvel has performed as expected in the UFC after two fights.

He’s a name opponent who’s been used as a barometer: guys are either going to look spectacular beating him (Junior dos Santos) or will need some more work before getting to the division’s elite level (Ben Rothwell). Either way, Yvel brings a dangerous half-life into any match -- before you can put him on the ground and/or run him out of gas, he’s very dangerous with his striking. Facing three losses in a row as an aging veteran, he knows he’s almost surely getting a pink slip if he loses.

The guess here is that youth gives age a good run for its money. If Yvel could withstand Rothwell’s attack, he can probably go the distance against Madsen. With a 6-0 record and three decision wins in as many UFC bouts, it’s time for Madsen to step up a bit in competition. Yvel certainly brings that, especially with his experience and power.

But, the TUF 11 alum has something Yvel doesn’t, and that’s the benefit of youth and room for improvement. Like many young fighters, he’s getting better from fight to fight, and depending on what he’s shown in prior appearances can be applicable only to a point.

Still, the guess here is that Yvel does enough standing to pose serious problems, while surviving a couple takedowns en route to a late stoppage win or close decision.