Feuds, Beards & Cameroon Rule UFC 79
Undercard
Dec 28, 2007
While the back end of this main card leaves something to be
desired, the undercard is filled with the usual assortment of
interesting style clashes and, as a bonus, the greatest beard in
all of combat sports.
The man who wears that glorious facial adornment is Tony DeSouza (Pictures) (10-3), who will take on fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Roan "Jucao" Carneiro (11-6). Both men are counted among the best pure grapplers in the welterweight division, so expect a protracted ground battle between two true tacticians.
Although "Jucao" is the better wrestler of the two, DeSouza has an
incredibly slick grappling style that works from virtually any
position. Ultimately, Carneiro's one-dimensional top-control style
and suspect conditioning will fail to score enough points for a
decision, and the bearded one will sway the judges with constant
submission attempts and sweeps.
Continuing the trend of Grizzly Adams-inspired combatants, lightweights Doug Evans (Pictures) (5-1) and Mark Bocek (Pictures) (4-1) will meet in a classic wrestler/grappler clash that could decide their respective futures in the UFC.
With a certified jiu-jitsu pedigree from the vaunted Nova Uniao team, Bocek would appear to have the edge over the more wrestling-oriented Evans. However, the Alaskan showed plenty of moxie against Huerta, and Bocek hardly looked the part of a grappling ace in his bout with Edgar. Given that Nova Uniao's style is predicated on having the top position, expect Bocek to struggle against Evans' powerful ground-and-pound en route to a decision loss.
One fight on this undercard unlikely to go to a decision is the light heavyweight match between UFC neophyte Luis "Banha" Cane (7-0 1 NC) and James "The Sandman" Irvin (12-4, 1 NC). The obligatory striker's paradise match of the undercard, this one should satisfy any striking enthusiast.
Although both men have a stated preference for striking, Cane prefers to crowd opponents with quick blows before taking hold of the Thai clinch. Irvin is more of a straightforward brawler who relies heavily on his explosiveness. Against an opponent who will give him no room to breathe, Irvin's sloppy boxing will be of little use as "Banha" cripples him with knees and short punches late in the first round.
Next up is the welcome return of Manvel "Pitbull" Gamburyan (5-2) against Nate Mohr (Pictures) (8-4). Best known for his time on the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Gamburyan reached the finals against Nate Diaz but lost in bizarre fashion when a chronic shoulder injury forced him to tap out early in the second round.
Vindication is now what drives Gamburyan, who makes good use of his compact frame by employing a ground-and-pound style that often befuddles opponents incapable of disrupting his strong base. The striking game is what Gamburyan will have to be leery of against Mohr. A pupil of Jeff Curran (Pictures), Mohr is crisp with his hands but also lacks solid takedown defense. Even more worrisome for Mohr is his porous guard, which Gamburyan should have no problem exploiting for a ground-and-pound stoppage midway through the second round.
The capper on an already entertaining undercard features the UFC middleweight debuts of both Jordan Radev (11-2) and grappling superstar Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister (9-5). With few challengers on the horizon for current champion Anderson Silva, this bout could send either man toward the front of the line.
That is an opportunity that Lister will grab like a cheap brass ring against Radev, whose ground-and-pound driven style matches up poorly with "The Boogeyman." While keeping the fight standing is always an option for Radev, Lister has no qualms about pulling guard and needs little time on the ground to dispatch most opponents. That won't change against Radev, who will be tapping the canvas early in the first round.
The man who wears that glorious facial adornment is Tony DeSouza (Pictures) (10-3), who will take on fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Roan "Jucao" Carneiro (11-6). Both men are counted among the best pure grapplers in the welterweight division, so expect a protracted ground battle between two true tacticians.
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Continuing the trend of Grizzly Adams-inspired combatants, lightweights Doug Evans (Pictures) (5-1) and Mark Bocek (Pictures) (4-1) will meet in a classic wrestler/grappler clash that could decide their respective futures in the UFC.
Both men lost their UFC debuts. Bocek was overwhelmed by "Dirty
Jerz" native Frankie Edgar, and Evans fell apart in the second
round of his bout with current UFC gravy train Roger Huerta (Pictures).
With a certified jiu-jitsu pedigree from the vaunted Nova Uniao team, Bocek would appear to have the edge over the more wrestling-oriented Evans. However, the Alaskan showed plenty of moxie against Huerta, and Bocek hardly looked the part of a grappling ace in his bout with Edgar. Given that Nova Uniao's style is predicated on having the top position, expect Bocek to struggle against Evans' powerful ground-and-pound en route to a decision loss.
One fight on this undercard unlikely to go to a decision is the light heavyweight match between UFC neophyte Luis "Banha" Cane (7-0 1 NC) and James "The Sandman" Irvin (12-4, 1 NC). The obligatory striker's paradise match of the undercard, this one should satisfy any striking enthusiast.
Although both men have a stated preference for striking, Cane prefers to crowd opponents with quick blows before taking hold of the Thai clinch. Irvin is more of a straightforward brawler who relies heavily on his explosiveness. Against an opponent who will give him no room to breathe, Irvin's sloppy boxing will be of little use as "Banha" cripples him with knees and short punches late in the first round.
Next up is the welcome return of Manvel "Pitbull" Gamburyan (5-2) against Nate Mohr (Pictures) (8-4). Best known for his time on the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Gamburyan reached the finals against Nate Diaz but lost in bizarre fashion when a chronic shoulder injury forced him to tap out early in the second round.
Vindication is now what drives Gamburyan, who makes good use of his compact frame by employing a ground-and-pound style that often befuddles opponents incapable of disrupting his strong base. The striking game is what Gamburyan will have to be leery of against Mohr. A pupil of Jeff Curran (Pictures), Mohr is crisp with his hands but also lacks solid takedown defense. Even more worrisome for Mohr is his porous guard, which Gamburyan should have no problem exploiting for a ground-and-pound stoppage midway through the second round.
The capper on an already entertaining undercard features the UFC middleweight debuts of both Jordan Radev (11-2) and grappling superstar Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister (9-5). With few challengers on the horizon for current champion Anderson Silva, this bout could send either man toward the front of the line.
That is an opportunity that Lister will grab like a cheap brass ring against Radev, whose ground-and-pound driven style matches up poorly with "The Boogeyman." While keeping the fight standing is always an option for Radev, Lister has no qualms about pulling guard and needs little time on the ground to dispatch most opponents. That won't change against Radev, who will be tapping the canvas early in the first round.
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