Bantamweights
Yves Jabouin (17-7, 2-1 UFC) vs. Jeff Hougland (10-4, 1-0 UFC)
Houghland had a difficult beginning to his MMA career, losing four of his first five bouts, including a second-round TKO loss to current Strikeforce lightweight king Gilbert Melendez in 2003. “Hellbound” has not been defeated since 2005, however, and he notched his ninth straight victory against Donny Walker in his UFC debut in July. A replacement for the injured Mike Easton, Hougland will likely want to ground Jabouin as soon as possible to avoid his opponent’s flash array of strikes.
“Tiger” figures to try and slow Hougland with a steady diet of kicks to the legs and body. He also has a nice low kick-punch combo to keep the Washington native off-balance. Hougland displayed a decent jab against Walker, and he will need to use it judiciously here, both to keep Jabouin honest on the feet and to set up his own shots. On the mat, Hougland will pursue submissions relentlessly; he attempted four in his bout with Walker and has earned seven of his 10 career triumphs via tapout. Jabouin can escape precarious positions on the floor, as he demonstrated in his most recent fight with Watson.
The Pick: Hougland had a nice UFC debut but has mostly faced regional-level competition to get to this point. To get this fight to the mat, he will have to find a way to close the distance and get past Jabouin’s explosive and effective standup. It will not happen, as Jabouin finishes the fight via second-round knockout or technical knockout.
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