The X Factor: No one knows much of anything about Saunders’ chin and while the old-school 30 seconds or less version of Swick is all but gone, he still has the power and hand speed to chin check anyone. If Saunders gets too cocky about his stand-up game, he’ll be setting himself up for disaster against one of the UFC’s premier fast-break specialists. By the same token, if Swick doesn’t show enough of his frustratingly intermittent aggression, he’ll be behind the cards against a guy who can kill the clock from both close quarters and long distance.
The Bottom Line: One of the most underrated aspects of striking is the ability to control distance and tempo, Saunders has both thanks to his long reach and fluid clinch game. While Swick has the quicker hands and likely more power, he mostly relies on movement and getting in and out, neither of which will work well against Saunders who can choose to either peck away from afar or wait on Swick to come forward and trap him in the clinch. Either way, Saunders takes a spirited decision and continues his unlikely run up the ranks. Just think of him as a mutant version of Rudy Ruettiger.