UFC 97 Breakdown: The Prelims

Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden

The Breakdown: Both guys like to work their jiu-jitsu from top control, and neither of them does well when they have to rely on their guard. Someone will look great here, and the loser will serve as the grappling dummy. Luckily for Bocek, he has surprisingly solid wrestling, while Bielkheden does not have much of an answer for takedowns and seems easily overpowered. While Bocek’s lacking offensive arsenal means he’ll have trouble finishing the Swede, he’ll at least have the top position and, with it, the safest path to victory.

The X Factor: Just like Bielkheden has trouble working off his back against quality grapplers, Bocek has the same issue. If he gets stuck underneath Bielkheden, he’ll be dealing with a slick and aggressive fighter who can match his grappling IQ. Stranger things have happened, and in a sport that currently features multiple former World Wrestling Entertainment champions, Bielkheden turning Bocek into a pile of mangled limbs would barely register.

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The Bottom Line: When two slick grapplers lock up, who controls the positioning has the edge, and Bocek’s whole game is about control. While Bielkheden will keep it interesting with constant submission attempts, he will not be able to do anything about Bocek’s suffocating top control or the scorecards that have him on the wrong end of a decision.