UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping prelims feature the return of 145 lb prospect Makwan Amirkhani.
The 02 Arena in London will house one hell of a fight card this Saturday as Anderson Silva returns to the Octagon to meet Michael Bisping in a long-awaited match up. Both men are at the end of their careers, but don’t have any ambition to spare as both see themselves gunning for the middleweight title. UFC Fight Night, live on Fight Pass, will feature 4 main card bouts and 9 prelim bouts which are headlined by Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Wilkinson. Let’s start off with the prelims – these are fights you do NOT want to miss out on!
Early lightweight action
The card starts off with two lightweight bouts between European fighters. David Teymur meets Martin Svensson, a match up between TUF 22 contestants, while Teemu Packalen fights Thibault Goti. In the Teymur vs. Svensson bout, it’s going to come down to whether Svensson can smother Teymur on the feet. Teymur has KO power, and has overall more refined striking mechanics than Svensson does. That being said, Svensson likes it when the fight gets ugly as he constantly pursues the clinch and eventually the top position on the mat. This should be a battle between one guy wanting to create space and throw power shots while the other is moving forward pursuing close-quarter engagements.
In the Packalen vs. Goti fight, it’s another striker vs. grappler match up. Finland’s Packalen is a crafty submission specialist who has quite an exceptional height and reach. However, his stand up skills lack – especially defensively. This doesn’t go well for Packalen because Goti has won his last two bouts by KO. Goti has solid striking as well as several submission wins to his credit. Goti is also undefeated while Packalen dropped his UFC debut.
Another lightweight bout is also featured on the UFC Fight Night prelims, albeit a little later on, as Norman Parke takes on Rustam Khabilov. This is a sensational match up between two guys who were expected make a serious impact into the top 15. Khabilov’s career peaked when he found himself headlining against Benson Henderson. He was defeated in the fourth round, and then was upset by Adriano Martins in a follow up fight; Khabilov will look to capture his first win since 2013. Parke on the other hand will look to continue his momentum captured in his win against Reza Madadi. Parke is a fundamentally strong fighter, but just doesn’t seem to really have much threat on the feet or on the ground. He holds position well, and can suffocate fighters with pressure, but Khabilov is the one who can end the fight with a big punch – or slam.
Battle of bulls
The prelims will feature one heavyweight bout; a contest between Daniel Omielanczuk and Jarjis Danho. With heavyweights, you have very little room for failure as they hit so hard and the brain can only take so much before shutting off. Omielanczuk holds a considerable advantage in experience while Danho will be making his UFC debut. We’ve seen Omielanczuk show off his KO power before in the UFC whereas Danho has done it outside the UFC. Both guys show up to bang. Danho, despite being much taller, will most likely look to close the distance as that is what he has done in previous fights. It’s hard to predict what will happen here, but expect these two to collide and result in one of them being unconscious.
Middleweights
At 26 years of age, both Krzysztof Jotko and Bradley Scott have a lot of upside given their amount of UFC experience. Jotko brings an impressive 16-1 record into this fight, but it should be against one of his tougher tests thus far. Bradly Scott, the Englishman, has a knack for finding chokes and Jotko’s only loss is by such a finish. Jotko prefers to fight on the outside with the intent to win every exchange and every position, but I believe he’ll find himself outmuscled and outmatched if he tries to lock up with Scott. Expect Scott to be able to either control and dominate Jotko on the ground, or find the finish early unless Jotko can remain standing.
It’s American wrestling vs. English striking as Chris Dempsey meets Scott Askham. Dempsey, the wrestler, will most certainly look to close the gap and put Askham on his back. Dempsey has struggled in the past taking stockier opponents down – he will not have that problem here as Askham is much longer and lankier. He will have to avoid diving into Askham’s knees, punches, and head kicks though as Askham throws for the KO quite often. This fight will come down to Dempsey’s ability to avoid these shots. If Dempsey see the strikes coming, and counters them with takedowns (or even a clinch) then it’ll be all Dempsey for three rounds. However, if Askham lands a bomb – it’s all over.
Long-awaited return
Englishman Davey Grant returns to the UFC since losing his Ultimate Fighter finale bout to Chris Holdsworth back in 2013. He meets Marlon Vera, a jiu-jitsu specialist who is 1-1 in the UFC. Both Grant and Vera have over 70% of their wins by submission, so one can expect this bout to be an interesting one. Will it come down to who has the better striking? Or perhaps the better wrestling? I favor Grant in the wrestling department, but Vera on the feet. This could make for a fun, competitive bout that comes down to just a few key exchanges.
Featherweight prospects
The two main guys to keep an eye on during the UFC Fight Night prelims are Arnold Allen and Makwan Amirkhani. Allen meets MMA Lab representative Yaotzin Meza who has been up-and-down since signing with the UFC. That being said, I remember Meza stepping up on short notice a few times, and even in a heavier weight class. Meza has a wealth of experience which kind of paints him as a journeyman type of fighter. Meza is primarily a solid grappler, but is rangy on the feet despite having much power. Arnold Allen on the other hand is a serious, young, talented prospect with a lot of ambition. Allen is quite well-rounded who can find the finish on the ground or striking. This could be a showcase performance for the 22-year-old Brit.
At last, we have the headlining prelim on the card with Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Wilkinson. Amirkhani is an extremely charismatic prospect who has brought mystique and interest into the Octagon. We know his takedowns are stellar, and his top game is venomous. In addition, Makwan Amirkhani is non-stop aggression in search of the finish. What we don’t know is how good he is on the feet because he avoids the striking at all costs. Against Wilkinson, I feel he will be forced to exchange. Wilkinson is a heavy-handed guy with a solid grappling background, and is a prospect himself. Wilkinson also stands very tucked and ready to defend the takedown, or explode forward. This is a dangerous match up for Makwan Amirkhani, so expect him to be tested here. However, Amirkhani’s recent move to SBG Ireland leaves me excited to see how his game has evolved.
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