UFC 104 Preview: The Prelims

Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley

The Breakdown: The serpentine submission skills of Struve await the undefeated Gormley in his UFC debut. Gormley has feasted against mediocre competition in his nascent career, and Struve poses a far more concrete threat. By the same token, Struve’s wrestling and striking are unsightly at best and flat-out liabilities at their worst. However, Gormley has relied heavily on his wrestling in the past. That could give Struve the chance to work his submission game, which will only lead to Gormley temporarily losing the use of his lungs or a limb.

The X-Factor: Young fighters are rarely master strategists, and Gormley seems like an unlikely exception. Thankfully, he will not need a degree in chaos theory to realize that taking down Struve will only open a door that will not close until he taps out. It does not take much more than a stiff punch to rattle Struve’s brain pan, so Gormley needs to focus his efforts there if he plans on carving out a spot for himself in a suddenly deep heavyweight division.

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The Bottom Line: It’s hard to trust a fighter who goes fetal whenever he gets socked, and Gormley’s power alone should be enough to batter Struve senseless. Watch the early going, as Gormley’s success will depend on his decision making. We have not seen him do anything Darwin Award worthy yet, so bank on the UFC adding another intriguing prospect to its growing stable of heavyweights.