Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘MacDonald vs. Thompson’

Light Heavyweight

Steve Bosse (11-2) vs. Sean O’Connell (17-7)

THE MATCHUP: Can you say two true outcomes? Either Bosse nukes O’Connell in the first round or O’Connell wears down Bosse and finishes him late. That is pretty much how this fight plays out, but getting there will be interesting.

Bosse seems like he should be a novice, having enjoyed a successful career as a hockey enforcer, but he has been fighting professionally for just over nine years now. That makes him, like O’Connell, a finished product, predictable if not easy to prepare for. Bosse’s greatest asset is his punching power, aided by the speed with which he delivers said dynamite to his opponent’s chin. He is a capable counterpuncher with a predilection for first-round knockouts, and that is what he does well.

O’Connell certainly packs a punch, but his stoppage wins are usually the result of attrition rather than single, destructive strikes. He is a pressure fighter, and the predictability with which he enters behind pumping combinations has been his downfall in three of five UFC bouts. Those who cannot put away O’Connell early, however, pay the price. The Minnesota native fights at a blistering pace, especially for this division, and never stops attacking. O’Connell is just as happy to grind in the clinch or drag his opponent to the ground as he is to strike at range. In all phases, his work rate remains impressive.

Bosse is more of a sprawl-and-brawler, his efforts focused on stuffing takedowns rather than engaging his opponent on the ground. With surprisingly quick feet for a man of his size, Bosse can be difficult to corral and he responds well to takedown attempts, though there is not a great deal of wrestling skill once his first layer of defense is penetrated. On the ground, the advantage belongs to O’Connell.

THE ODDS: Bosse (-150), O’Connell (+130)

THE PICK: Does O’Connell connect often enough to wear down the Canadian or does Bosse embed his fist in the side of O’Connell’s head before he gets the chance? Bosse can stuff takedowns, and he can move well enough to set up his punches. He is also explosive as all get-out, while O’Connell’s constant pace comes at the cost of blitzing speed. As noted above, Bosse’s failure to get the first-round finish most likely means an O’Connell win, but O’Connell has been too hittable in recent bouts; and hittable is the last thing you want to be against a puncher like Bosse. His knockout count climbs to 10 when finishes O’Connell in the first.

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