UFC 109 Preview: The Prelims

Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer

The Breakdown: After losing to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 102 and taking the low blow of the century for his trouble, Tuchscherer’s return Octagon engagement comes against the no less imposing but far more manageable Hague. Hague is quite possibly the scariest schoolteacher since Arnold Schwarzenegger told the world it’s not a tumor in “Kindergarten Cop.” He didn’t have his greatest Octagon moment at UFC 102 either, losing via KO to Todd Duffee in seven seconds.

Record setting knockouts aside, Hague needs to stuff Tuchscherer’s wrestling to win. While Tuchscherer trains at the same gym as Brock Lesnar and looks vaguely like the mutant offspring of Gary Busey, his wrestling primarily consists of a decent single leg. That may be enough to get down Hague, who hasn’t yet learned how to use his reach to control distance and set up his clubbing right hand.

Tuchscherer’s limited offense is what really holds him back. Hague, on the other hand, is aggressive and showed some commendable manliness in his submission win over Pat Barry at UFC 98.

There’s some potential in Hague’s game while Tuchscherer seems content to ride out decisions if his opponent fights back. Blanketing a guy who’s built like Jason Voorhees and who will make him work every step of the way is a task that Tuchscherer’s lungs may not be up to.

The Bottom Line: It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Tuchscherer hit Hague with the lay-and-pray special, but shutting someone down for 15 minutes is a lot harder than putting together 15 seconds of real offense. Expect Hague to notch a come-from-behind second-round TKO win.