UFC 102 Preview: The Prelims

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

The Breakdown: The new blood, Dunham, takes on the mercurial blood in Aurelio, whose entire career has been spent going back and forth between atom-smasher and glorified pickaxe. That inconsistency has kept Aurelio trapped under a glass ceiling of his own making, but Dunham looks like just the kind of foe Aurelio has eaten alive in the UFC. A solid if unspectacular fighter, Dunham needs to get Aurelio off balance early or risk getting plowed over by one of the Brazilian’s cannonball double legs and ending up as just another submission skin for the part-time virtuoso.

The X Factor: The only factor that should keep anyone from running to the bank with Aurelio is the troubling disconnect between his brain and body. For someone with real athleticism to go with his technical savvy, Aurelio puts two and two together with all the consistency of a 4-year-old. If Dunham can throw a wrench in Aurelio’s plans early, it will not be long before he’s beating him upside the head with it.

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The Bottom Line: Aurelio is due for another one of those fights during which he whips his fans into a frenzy by turning some hapless soul into a glorified grappling dummy. That supporting role awaits Dunham, who will not be able to stave off Aurelio’s opening bell bull rush and will instead have to wait for a bailout from the referee.