Preview: UFC Fight Night 123 ‘Swanson vs. Ortega’

Middleweight

Eryk Anders (9-0) vs. Markus Perez Echeimberg (9-0)

ODDS: Anders (-280), Echeimberg (+240)

ANALYSIS: I feel like in the modern MMA zeitgeist I abuse the phrase “sign of the times” more than any other, but let this bout serve as another one of those temporal indicators. Undefeated middleweights are suddenly no longer rare birds, and as such, we have two great 9-0 prospects squaring off to no buzz or anticipation. This fight’s construction is a vivid reminder of how regional MMA scenes operate in North America nowadays, too. Anders was crowned the inaugural Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight champion in June, then vacated the title and made his successful UFC debut a month later; Echeimberg won Anders’ vacated belt, tapping out the previously undefeated Ian Heinisch on Sept. 8.

Anders, a linebacker for the University of Alabama’s 2009 national championship football team, is a deserved favorite in this contest and not just because of his demolition -- and retiring -- of veteran Rafael Natal in July. Even if he could not crack the National Football League, the 30-year-old is an incredible fast-twitch athlete and a potent southpaw puncher with a natural knack for ground-and-pound. He has a surprising amount of experience, including a dozen and a half amateur bouts dating back to 2012, yet is just scratching the surface of his potential.

Let us be clear, though: Perez is no slouch. If the Sao Paulo, Brazil, native was facing a different 9-0 prospect, if he had more than a month’s notice to replace an injured John Phillips, this betting line would look much different. “Maluko” is a clever and accurate southpaw, using forward pressure and feints to make his opponents react before launching powerful punch and kick combinations. An understudy to Viscardi Andrade, Perez has grappling chops, too. He used a series of front-headlock chokes to help secure his breakout win over UFC veteran Paulo Thiago across 25 minutes last year, and he needed barely two minutes to hit a nasty arm-triangle choke on Heinisch for the LFA crown.

Courtesy of Anders’ own LFA title win over Brendan Allen, the native Texan has gone a full 25 minutes before, showing he can conserve his explosive energy and win rounds. With that said, Perez’s counter grappling remains a problem, as Anders did slow over the second half his battle with Allen, giving up full mount and late submission attempts. It will be intriguing to see if Perez can generate any striking pressure, given Anders’ own aggressive stalking and the fact that the former footballer will have an inch or two of an advantage in reach.

Perez, 27, may have a bright UFC future ahead of himself; it may even get started here. However, it is more likely that he finds himself forced to the back foot and up against the fence, trying to dodge left-handed heat seekers from Anders, who will be able to put him on the mat and pummel him on top. Anders is a real blue chipper and it is a 50-50 proposition as to whether he takes a strong decision or a strike-induced stoppage.

Next Fight » Lopez vs. Morales