Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Boetsch vs. Henderson’

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HEAVYWEIGHTS

Shawn Jordan (17-6, 5-3 UFC) vs. Derrick Lewis (12-3, 3-1 UFC): A heavyweight slugfest caps the preliminary card as Louisiana’s Jordan takes on Texas’ Lewis. Neither fighter has broken through into the division’s elite, but both are riding winning streaks and could get a shot at a top opponent with a victory here. Lewis is nothing great from a technical perspective, but he is enormous, ridiculously strong and packs brutal power in his strikes. His clinch takedowns are surprisingly slick, and if he finds top position, the fight is as good as over. Jordan is an excellent athlete and boasts solid takedowns to go along with a functional southpaw striking game. If Lewis’ footwork were better or he had more striking skills, he would likely take this handily, but I lean toward Jordan’s combination punching and movement. The pick is Jordan by knockout in the first round.

WELTERWEIGHTS

Brian Ebersole (51-16-1, 5-2 UFC) vs. Omari Akhmedov (14-2, 2-1 UFC): Former collegiate wrestler Ebersole takes on Dagestan’s Akhmedov in a solid welterweight clash as both fighters look to build on victories in their last outings. Ebersole, who now calls Australia and Thailand home, still relies heavily on his wrestling base. Although his takedown attempts are constant, he has a bad habit of shooting from too far outside; if he cannot get the fight to the mat, he is a surprisingly solid southpaw striker and has a nice arsenal of knees and elbows in the clinch. Akhmedov is a physical specimen with great quickness and big power, and he is perfectly willing to bang it out with combinations in the pocket or dirty boxing on the inside. While he is a good offensive wrestler, his takedown defense is abysmal, which should give Ebersole an edge here unless the Dagestani has drastically cleaned up that facet of his game. The pick is Ebersole by decision.

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Chris Wade (9-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Christos Giagos (11-3, 1-1 UFC): Two rising lightweights meet in a potentially interesting scrap. A Long Island native, Wade submitted Cain Carrizosa in his debut and overcame every foul under the sun to decision Lipeng Zhang in January. Southern California’s Giagos rebounded from a submission loss to blue-chipper Gilbert Burns with a quick win over Jorge Antonio Cezario de Oliveira in March. Wade is a big, strong, grinding wrestler who loves the clinch and working from the top, but he lacks much of a striking repertoire. Giagos is a physical specimen with outstanding quickness, good wrestling ability and clean striking skills. This is a close fight, but I lean toward Giagos’ superior hands and power. The pick is Giagos by decision.

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Joe Proctor (10-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Justin Edwards (8-4, 2-4 UFC): This could be a fun lightweight matchup between Joe Lauzon protégé Proctor and the veteran Edwards. Proctor was on a nice run but was stopped by Yancy Medeiros in December, while Edwards is on his last legs with the promotion following two consecutive losses. Proctor is a big lightweight and has good skills everywhere, with powerful combination punching on the feet and nice submissions on the mat. Edwards is likewise reasonably well-rounded and is quite durable, but he is also hittable and has poor takedown defense. The Massachusetts native should take this handily. The pick is Proctor by knockout in the second round.

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Ricardo Abreu (5-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Jake Collier (8-2, 0-1 UFC): “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” Season 3 alum Abreu draws former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Collier, who steps in on late notice to replace Daniel Sarafian. Collier dropped his promotional debut to Vitor Miranda, while Abreu won in his first Octagon appearance against Wagner Silva Gomes in May 2014. Abreu, a world-champion grappler, is a ridiculous physical specimen with great size, strength and explosiveness, but he lacks cardio and is raw everywhere but the ground. Collier can wrestle a bit and has a solid combination striking arsenal. There is not much to go on here, but I think Abreu’s physicality in the clinch and venomous ground skills should give him the edge. The pick is Abreu by submission in the first round.

BANTAMWEIGHTS

Jose Alberto Quinonez (3-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Leonardo Morales (4-1, 0-1 UFC): Two “Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” finalists open the show in a matchup of raw but potentially talented prospects. Morales, a native of Nicaragua, is a gifted southpaw striker with a vicious left kick and straight left, but like most of the competitors on the show, he lacked ancillary skills, namely wrestling. Quinonez also has good physical tools and likes to strike, but he has shown a bit more in the wrestling department. I think the Nicaraguan is more powerful and has more upside, so the pick is Morales by decision.

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