With such an exciting UFC 132 in the books, we have what looks like a sub par UFC 133 ahead of us. At first glance the event as a whole doesn't to have the star power or the dynamite matchups that are almost always guaranteed to deliver. However these events are often the one's that fans will be disappointed after deciding not to watch them live and later hearing about all the nonstop action. Let's make sure this doesn't happen to us this time and take a closer look at the matchups and statistics of each fight to see if there are some key matchups that have the potential of delivering.
Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
This is a match up between a great wrestler and a great grappler. It's not a matter of Mendes taking Yahya down, but a question of him capitalizing when they are on the ground. Mendez has 22 successful takedowns in 5 fights, but Yahya averages a fight ending submission for every 5 minutes he's in the Octagon. One thing we can count on though is it probably will not be a slug fest, since both of them combine for just over 200 successful strikes in a combined 13 fights.
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Vladimir will most likely have the wrestling advantage in this bout, however Alexander does average 4.23 submissions for every 15 minutes of fighting. Combine that with a striking defense of 41% and Vladimir might bring in a game plan of standing and banging a little. Both are coming off a two fight win streak, so they most likely will have that extra confidence which will add some excitement to the fight.
Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle
This might be a fight full of big statistics because they both average over 8 minutes of fight time per fight. They are both very well-rounded fighters with above average stats in the standing department; however Rory should have a definitive advantage with takedowns. He hasn't been taken down yet and has over 12 successful takedowns in 3 hard fights. Mike Pyle on the other hand has only a 29% success rate on takedowns and a 71% takedown defense.
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
This will be one of those fights that are hard to predict because Jorge Rivera will want the fight standing, and Alessio Sakara will want the fight on the ground. Jorge has 674 attempted strikes in his last 14 fights with only 6 successful takedowns. Alessio has a 77% success rate in takedowns, while 94 of his 248 successful strikes were from the ground. It is just a matter of whose strength will be stronger of the two.
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
This is yet another fight that could easily be fought on the ground just as much as standing. Vitor has a striking accuracy of 48% and has some knockout power, however he only has a 44% takedown defense. Yoshihiro Akiyama on the other hand has a striking accuracy of 39%, but he makes up for it with a 79% take down success rate while not being taken down once in stat recorded fights. They both are coming off losses, so they might be a bit hesitant, but when there is action, they both should receive decent stats in their respective fields of expertise.
Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
This fight should be one of the more exciting fights to watch of the night. Rich Franklin never really disappoints win or lose. He has one of the higher strikes landed per minute with a number of 3.99. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has below average stats when it comes to striking and takedown accuracy. Franklin should have the advantage in almost every category except the submission game and could post up big stats no matter where the fight goes.
Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
Even with the change in the main event, we still see this matchup playing out basically the same way as if Rashad was going to fight Phil Davis. The first stat I would put money on is that it goes the distance. Rashad averages a fight time of almost 11 minutes while Tito's average is over 10:30. Both fighters have some striking power but rely mostly on their wrestling ability. This fight could see a lot of time in the clinch position against the fence or on the ground in the guard. Rashad Evans has 85 total takedown attempts in 15 fights while Ortiz has over 122 attempts in 23 fights. The only excitement that we might see coming from this fight is that Ortiz has some confidence in his hands after coming off that knockdown of Bader and might let them go a little more. Rashad will most likely have some ring rust in which adds to the chances of him getting caught before shaking it off. But most likely this will consist of a stalemate type fight in which we will hear a lot of boos from the crowd and little actual stats from the fighters.
Mike Sixel is the co-founder of Xtreme Fantasy Leagues LLC and MMA Xtreme Fantasy, a U.S. based fantasy Sports Company that provides leagues in Football, MMA, Baseball, and Basketball. They offer the first ever stat based fantasy MMA leagues as well as weekly and playoff football challenges. The leagues offer some of the largest cash prizes and quickest payouts on the web. UFC 133 is the next event being played at MMA Xtreme Fantasy. It is completely free to play, with the oppurtunity to win large cash prizes as well as MMA gear/apparel. Football Leagues are also available for sign up now. Be sure to find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube as well!
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