UFC 118 Preview: The Prelims

Dan Miller vs. John Salter

Under normal circumstances, Miller would be considered a solid favorite over most anyone dependent on winning their fights on the floor. However, some unfortunate personal problems and a three-fight losing streak have many wondering if Salter might be the man to hand him an unexpected pink slip.

A vastly underrated wrestler with solid grappling skills to match, Salter poses serious stylistic issues for Miller, whose grappling ability is predicated on having top control. The more worrying issue however is the utter lack of strategy in his recent fights. Against Michael Bisping, Miller inexplicably pursued a boxing match and got the bangers-and-mash treatment, while in a prior bout with Demian Maia, he seemed totally unprepared to exploit Maia’s poorer striking.

While Salter isn’t about to get after Miller on the feet, he is a good enough striker to safely mix it up and his wrestling skill suggests he can emulate the approach Sonnen used to great effect against the New Jersey native. Off his back, Miller’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu leaves much to be desired and Salter has heavy-handed ground-and-pound as well as the sound positional skills to stymie any potential scrambles. With that said, this fight gets awfully interesting if Miller can finagle his way into the top position.

One of the division’s better finishers in the grappling department, Miller has a nice variety of submission transitions and is a solid guard-passer. Especially lethal is his guillotine choke, which can turn the lights out in a heartbeat and will be the technique to watch for every time Salter attacks a leg. A finish via said guillotine choke would probably be a smart call if Miller wasn’t coming off three straight abysmal performances.

Banking on a downhill fighter to get a turnaround going against quality opposition isn’t exactly the greatest bet in the world. Considering Salter already has a pair of UFC bouts under his belt, he should be able to handle the pressure of this critical bout and put Miller through a three-round meat grinder.