UFC 93 Breakdown: The Undercard

Eric Schafer vs. Antonio Mendes

Eric “Red” Schafer Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 6’3/205 lbs.
Age: 31
Hometown: Fond du Lac, Wisc.
Fighting out of: Milwaukee, Wisc.
Record: 10-3-2

The stakes: Fresh off an impressive dismantling of Nebraska’s biggest DMX fan in Houston Alexander, Schafer suddenly has some cache to his name and the expectations that go along with being a UFC regular.

Of course, being a regular doesn’t make you a contender. With losses to middling light heavyweights such as Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping, Schafer needs a dominant showing to prove he deserves a second shot at cracking the glass ceiling.

The breakdown: From what we saw of Mendes against Thiago Silva, he isn’t particularly fond of strong grapplers pounding his face in and Schafer has the strong top control to make that strategy work.

As long as Schafer can keep the striking to a minimum and get to the clinch in a hurry, it won’t be long before he turns Mendes into a series of knots joined together by one big knot. Visualize it.

Antonio “Samuray” Mendes Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 6’3/205 lbs.
Age: 27
Hometown: Fortaleza, Brazil
Fighting out of: Fortaleza, Brazil
Record: 15-3

The stakes: After getting blown out by Silva in his UFC debut, Mendes needs to prove he can hang before he ends up getting a one-way ticket back to obscurity. While Schafer hardly makes for the toughest test the UFC has to offer, Mendes needs to start somewhere and taking out “Red” would at least stave off the specter of unemployment.

In this economy, it’s no longer win or go home but win or hope that economic stimulus plan actually works for a change.

The breakdown: If nothing else, Mendes needs to keep this bout standing. His ground game is about as useful as a Brooklyn hipster, just not as annoying. That means using his reach to keep Schafer from gaining the clinch and picking him apart with accurate strikes while using footwork to frustrate Schafer’s attempts to close the pocket.

While he didn’t get much of a chance to show it in his UFC debut, Mendes has the striking to give Schafer fits -- an aspect of the game that has been Schafer’s downfall in the past.


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The bottom line: While Mendes is a live underdog in this one, Schafer has the Ric Flair-certified custom-made style to take out Mendes as long as he avoids any foolish misadventures on the feet.

Considering Schafer plays it more conservative than Rush Limbaugh after a major pill binge, expect him to take this match to the mat early and for Mendes to quickly play the three-tap symphony.