Preview: Bellator 236 ‘Macfarlane vs. Jackson’

Nainoa Dung vs. Zach Zane

Dung has been training in MMA since he was just 9-years-old. He has amassed a 3-0 professional record so far with two wins in the promotion. The highly regarded prospect has a lengthy amateur career with some professional kickboxing experience. The 20-year-old is a technical striker who uses good footwork to put him in a position to attack with combinations. His left hook is his best strike and he loves to crush the body with power shots. He also targets the body and calf with hard kicks. He doesn’t pack much power, as he is still filling out his slender frame. The Hard Knocks 365 team member has a weak defensive wrestling game, choosing not to sprawl but instead to defend with a guillotine choke. “The Baby Face Assassin” has really struggled in his past fights to get up from the bottom.

Despite having a mediocre 13-9 professional record and losing two of his last three bouts, Zane is a better fighter than many would think. “God’s Warrior” is a DWCS alumnus and a former X-1 World Events title holder. The 29-year-old is a southpaw with an aggressive striking style that he calls “ninja striking.” The Hawaiian pumps out a fast jab with his right hook being his most dangerous blow. He can tend to overthrow his punches, leaving him in a position to be blasted with a counterstrike. He has been dropped in the past for this mistake. Zane throws hard kicks to the body and loves to throw a flying knee. The Black House MMA export will sneak in a submission but is nothing short of terrible in defending takedowns. He was taken down twelve times by Justin Gonzales in his DWCS bout. While he can’t wrestle, he does have a large arsenal of submissions, with ankle locks and toe holds being his go-to moves.

This might be the hardest bout on the entire card to call. Both fighters have major holes in their game, which makes it very hard to feel confident in calling the fight. Dung has the higher ceiling but not nearly the experience possessed by Zane. Zane has also faced off against the better competition. This should be a back-and-forth battle regardless, but I will take the more battle-tested fighter. Zane wins by split decision in a sloppy contest.