Preview: UFC 219 ‘Cyborg vs. Holm’

Lightweight

Marc Diakiese (12-1) vs. Daniel Hooker (14-7)

ODDS: Diakiese (-175), Hooker (+155)

ANALYSIS:

Poor Diakiese’s hype train went quietly off the rails into the night at “The Ultimate Fighter 25” Finale in July, when he lost a tough, rugged clinch-and-fence battle with the then-undefeated Drakkar Klose. The 24-year-old is still a brilliant prospect with untapped potential; he just ran up against a fighter in Klose, whose style happens to prey on Diakiese’s biggest stylistic bugaboo: getting trapped with his back on the fence in unnecessary, protracted wrestling battles. Fortunately, the styles-make-fights shoe is on the other foot this time, as Diakiese takes on a seven-fight UFC veteran who has shot four takedowns and completed only one in the Octagon.

Predominately a southpaw, the 27-year-old Hooker is a six-foot switch striker and more recently has shown a penchant to create distance for left-handed counters, whereas in the past he would simply march forward with his hands up and then tie up, at which point he would seek to do damage with scary-tall-guy clinch tactics. “The Hangman,” who also has some slick transitional submission skills, has diversified his techniques and modes of attack, but he still eats a staggering 4.73 significant strikes per minute.

It is possible Hooker may try to clinch up if he finds it difficult to cut off his man to avoid getting hit with hook counters and spinning kicks from a lunging, countering from Diakiese, but it is doubtful Hooker will be doing a ton of the intensive cage wrestling that has slipped up the Congolese-Brit on occasion. Diakiese’s focus on single, heavy counters and explosive striking arsenal always makes him a knockout threat, but Hooker has not been knocked out in a nearly nine-year pro career. However, there does not seem like a great strategy here for Hooker given his defensive shortcomings, as too much forward pressure makes him an easy target and he has not excelled when he has looked strictly to counter box. Diakiese gets a decision, ups his UFC mark to 4-1 and gets that hype train chugging again.

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