Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Rodriguez vs. Caceres’

Featherweights

Dennis Bermudez (15-5) vs. Rony Mariano Bezerra (14-5)

THE MATCHUP: Something tells me Sean Shelby booked this matchup simply so he could tell his friends that he once pitted “Jason” against “Dennis the Menace” in a violent cage match. Fortunately, this one is also compelling from a more traditional matchmaking perspective.

Bermudez is a good fighter. It feels like that needs saying because, much like Ryan Bader, Bermudez is a victim of his own prolific career. He has been a mainstay of the UFC’s featherweight division almost since its inception, fighting 11 times under the UFC banner and turning in many thrilling performances. Yet for each get-over win, it seems Bermudez has always hit a speed bump, except these speed bumps hit back. Bermudez does not just lose; he loses big, except for the time when he lost to Max Holloway without actually losing.

The drama that seems to surround Bermudez’s every memorable fight, many of them losses, stems from one key fact: He can attack and he can defend, but he cannot do both at once. Bermudez looks like a lifelong Dutch kickboxer when he strikes, and he shoots takedowns and scrambles with the best in his division. He is difficult to overwhelm and just very well-rounded. However, when Bermudez attacks, he gets tagged, and he tends to go down hard. Amazing recuperative abilities aside, it remains difficult for Bermudez to break through into the upper echelon of his division simply because he is incapable of putting up a nuanced defense while attacking and because he refuses to stop attacking with such ferocity. Boy does it make him fun to watch, though.

Bezerra is like a less-nuanced version of this with more traditional Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Brian Stann noted during his fight with Damon Jackson that the Brazilian throws a flying knee in the first 30 seconds of almost every fight. There could not be a better abstract of Bezerra’s game than that. He is wildly aggressive in bursts and does little to set up those bursts in the interims. It is not that “Jason” lacks technique but rather that he prefers to conserve his energy until he can overwhelm his opponent in a single rush. It is not the wisest strategy, but it is a difficult one for many fighters to handle and one which could very well catch Bermudez off-guard.

The ground battle should be interesting here. Though Bermudez is normally a masterful grappler, he has been surprised in the past. Ricardo Lamas managed to lock in a choke after knocking down Bermudez in 2014, and Diego Brandao secured an armbar while Bermudez was, surprise, totally caught up in his own attack. “Jason” is unlikely to find much joy with his submission game, which is based mostly on the old-school full guard, but if Bermudez’s up-and-down career has taught us anything, it is that he is never more susceptible to an attack than when he is handily winning the fight.

THE ODDS: Bermudez (-210), Bezerra (+180)

THE PICK: This feels for many reasons like a comeback fight for Bermudez. A staple of the featherweight top 10, Bermudez is a valuable name for any other fighters the UFC might hope to build up, but far more so with a few wins under his belt. “Jason” is not only winless since May 2014 but only just returning from a year-long suspension for the use of illegal diuretics. Bermudez got back on the winning track in February, and his aggressive and well-rounded game should turn that single victory into a tidy two-win streak. The pick is Bermudez by unanimous decision.

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