UFC on FX 2 Preview: The Main Card

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Middleweights
Court McGee (14-1, 3-0 UFC) vs. Constantinos Philippou (9-2, 2-1 UFC)

The Matchup: McGee, with three victories in the UFC and eight straight overall, is on the verge of making some serious noise in the middleweight division. First, he must get past Philippou, who came through with a breakout performance at UFC 140 by finishing the durable Jared Hamman.

McGee’s grinding approach starts and ends with conditioning. “The Ultimate Fighter 11” winner wore down Dongi Yang in his last appearance, backing the South Korean up against the cage with punches before taking the fight to the canvas in the final frame. The Utah native is not going to overwhelm anyone with his standup, but his right hand is effective enough to close the distance and create openings for clinches and takedowns. Once in a dominant position, McGee is persistent with his ground-and-pound.

Philippou, a longtime Ring of Combat veteran, did not set the world on fire in losing to Nick Catone and taking a split decision victory over Jorge Rivera in his first two UFC appearances. Against Hamman, however, the Serra-Longo Fight Team representative looked much more explosive, hurting his adversary with a solid one-two combination early on. From there, Philippou put his foot on the gas pedal, eventually forcing a stoppage with punches on the cage. The New Yorker will have to counter as McGee moves forward, using movement and taking good angles to stay away from the fence.

Philippou held his own in tie-ups against Rivera, but McGee will be much more persistent in forcing him to the ground from that position. A decent recovery rate will allow McGee to absorb some punishment, but he will need to tire out Philippou by pressing him into the cage, working for takedowns and smothering him from top position.

The Pick: McGee has the necessary tools to dictate the location and the tempo of this fight. Unless Philippou can hurt him early and follow up immediately, McGee will grind his way to victory after three rounds.