Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Condit vs. Alves’

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LIGHTWEIGHTS

Francisco Trinaldo (16-4, 6-3 UFC) vs. Norman Parke (20-3-1, 4-1-1 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Northern Ireland’s Parke was on a roll to start his UFC career but ran into human tractor Gleison Tibau in his last fight to snap a five-year unbeaten streak. Trinaldo, a veteran of the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,” has won two straight since a decision loss to Michael Chiesa a year ago.

Parke is a solid if unspectacular wrestle-grappler with a high-output, low-power approach on the feet. The rangy southpaw utilizes a long jab and left cross mixed in with a steady diet of round, front and spinning kicks to maintain his preferred distance, and he works at a quick pace. Parke’s real wheelhouse is the clinch, however, where he grinds up against the cage, hits knees to the body or elbows to the head and works his excellent arsenal of trips and throws. He is very difficult to take down, while from top position, he is mostly a positional grinder, though he can drop powerful ground strikes when he creates space.

Trinaldo is a physical specimen with great quickness and brutal strength. He is a competent striker, with a vicious straight left-right hook combination and left kick from his southpaw stance, but throws limited volume and is not a defensive mastermind. The meat of Trinaldo’s game lies in his ability to grind in the clinch and hit explosive, authoritatively finished takedowns. From top position, Trinaldo controls well, passes smoothly and has a preference for the arm-triangle choke. He offers little from his back, however, and his takedown defense is somewhat porous.

BETTING ODDS: Parke (-220), Trinaldo (+185)

THE PICK: This seems straightforward. Parke is very difficult to take down, will have a substantial advantage in reach and owns serious edges in offensive output and cardio. Barring a fight-changing shot from Trinaldo, combination of grinding from top position and in the clinch and volume striking at range should be enough for Parke to take a unanimous decision.

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