UFC Fight Night 36 takes place in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil and promises to be a spectacular card. There are five bouts on the main card and a solid seven prelims for UFC fight pass owners. While these fights will be exclusive to members, the main event should provide more than enough excitement for UFC fans.

UFC Fight Night 36: Machida vs Mousasi Pre-fight Analysis

Headlining the event is the much anticipated middleweight return of Lyoto Machida taking on weight class newcomer Gegard Mousasi. Both fighters have had success as light heavyweights throughout their career but this main event will showcase their skills at 185 pounds. The co-main event features another top middleweight Brazilian in Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, taking on UFC veteran Francis Carmont. Both fights are extremely important for the middleweight division as Machida or Jacare could be next in line for a title shot.

With this event taking place in Brazil, many of the UFC’s Brazilian fighters will be trying to make a name for themselves come fight night. Without further ado, here is your MMASucka pre-fight analysis for UFC Fight Night 36.

Main Card (Fox Sports 1)

Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi

Machida is currently riding a spectacular finish over a very respectable opponent in Mark Munoz.  To improve on a first round KO via head kick is a tough venture, but ‘the Dragon’ seems poised to make his mark on the middleweight division. Machida is currently ranked 4th in the division and is in a prime spot to get to a chance at the champion. Standing in Machida’s way is light heavyweight turned middleweight Mousasi.

Though he is unranked in his new division, Mousasi comes in as the 8th ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. His most recent win came over Illir Latifi. To say Machida is a big step in competition would be an understatement, but he is definitely a rising fighter and could surprise a few people. Quite frankly, Machida could be a bit too much for Mousasi, at least for his first fight at 185 pounds. However, if he were to upset the former light heavyweight champion, it could be the perfect ticket into title contention.

If he wants to come away with the win, he’ll have to avoid playing to Machida’s turn. If he doesn’t, it could be a very short night for the Dutch fighter. Machida will likely stick to his old tricks and wait for Mousasi to make a mistake. He’s comfortable in all areas of the game but prefers standing and counter – striking.  If Mousasi can get in close and land a few takedowns, he could make Machida’s night very difficult. Unless this is a grinding match with both fighters finding some success, it would be quite shocking to see Mousasi come away with the win. Then again, a lot crazier things have happened in the octagon.

Ronaldo Souza vs. Francis Cormont

Souza might be one of the most underrated fighters from a fans perspective.  Though he is ranked third in the middleweight division, people don’t seem to be talking about him very much. However,  he got on people’s radar after his last fight, where he finished Yushin Okami in the very first round. Not many people can say they’ve finished Okami, making the BJJ specialist an interesting contender in the division.

Carmont comes out of a very successful gym in MMA, Tristar. He trains with some of the best in the world and has fought some of the best fights the UFC has to offer. On the other hand, Carmont is not much of a finisher, and prefers grinding out fights to get the win. This would be a difficult game plan to follow given Jacare’s skill set, and Carmont’s night could end very quickly if he doesn’t play his cards right.

Souza came into MMA as one of the best BJJ practitioners in the world.  Utilizing those skills, Souza has climbed the MMA food chain quite well and has very little standing in the way of a title shot. Carmont, however, has a chance to play spoiler. Ranked the 6th middleweight in the UFC, a win on Saturday would give him a significant boost in the standings. He is a solid wrestler but lacks high level striking skills.  Given Jacare’s vast improvement in his stand up, it’s difficult to give any credit to Carmont while trading punches. If he has any shot at winning this fight, he should look to utilizing his strong wrestling and avoid any submission attempts by the Brazilian. If he doesn’t, his chance at winning seems slim at best.

Erick Silva (15-4-0, 1NC) vs. Takenori Sato (17-8-0)

At the age of 29, Silva has become a true veteran of the UFC, fighting some of the top fighters at the time. Though he has been unsuccessful against more experienced fighters, Silva has demonstrated solid finishing ability and has gone to a decision just five times in his 20-fight career. His finishes have gotten him acclaim as he finds his place in the UFC. More specifically, his ground skills are quite advanced in comparison to his opponent, but a loss would put him in a very tough position with Dana White.

Sato will be making his UFC debut against a very experienced fighter in comparison. He has made a name for himself in Japan and will have a tough challenge in Silva. Similar to Silva, Sato has demonstrated solid ground skills throughout his MMA career. However, when comparing competition, the edge has to go to Silva. In addition, he has not won a fight via TKO/KO since 2005, which will give Silva the striking advantage.

Whether he has the skills to topple the Brazilian remains to be seen, but this is definitely a huge opportunity to make a name for himself. He will want to avoid the dangerous strikes of Silva if he hopes to come away with a victory.

Viscardi Andrade (15-6-0) vs. Nicholas Musoke (11-2-0, 1NC)

Both fighters were quite successful in their first fight in the UFC. Andrade came away with a TKO victory while Musoke won via submission. The most interesting thing about both fighters is their versatility. Throughout their MMA careers, they have come away with wins in all fashions, showing their ability to work on the ground or win the fight standing.

This will be a great fight between two fighters trying to climb the welterweight ladder. They are approaching their prime and the fighter to come away with a win should get a solid boost in competition. Viscarde trains out of the Ryan Gracie camp which gives him a solid advantage going into this fight. His training partners will be a step above Musoke’s, which should make his training a major advantage as fight night approaches.

How this fight will end is anyone’s guess. Both fighters seem extremely equal on paper with only a sliver of differences. Based on their UFC debuts, this should be a great fight to keep the excitement going come Saturday night.

Charles Oliveira (16-4-0, 1NC) vs. Andy Ogle (9-3-0)

Oliveira is one of the top young fighters in the UFC and his last two consecutive losses came against top fighters Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar. Whether he is on a short leash remains to be seen, as a loss would make his losing streak three in a row. His BJJ skills  are sublime and he has shown knockout ability in the past.

Ogle is the same age but quite far in terms of skill. His most impressive victory was against Josh Grispi in the UFC. However, he has lost to Cole Miller and Akira Crassani when he started his UFC career. He is 1-2 in the UFC and it seems the competition in this fight could be much worse. There is not too much to go on by Ogle, but he is fighting a top level fighter and needs another win in the UFC to come soon.

Ogle will have a lot of trouble with Oliviera given his skill set and comfort on the ground. This is surely a fight that should be standing if Ogle wants any chance at winning. If Oliveira can get any dominant position on the ground, this fight should be short and sweet. Otherwise, Proctor should have chance if they stay standing.

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

Cristiano Marcello (13-5-0) vs. Joe Proctor (8-2-0)

Both Marcello and Proctor have had minimal UFC experience but have compiled respectable MMA records throughout their career. Marcello is an elite level BJJ practitioner with a fourth degree black belt. He is trained by Rickson and Royler Gracie, while visiting team Alpha Male from time to time. Proctor is more of an all-around fighter and has demonstrated those skills over his last five fights, with one KO, one submission and two decision victories. He has fought twice in the UFC and has gone 1-1 so far, while Marcello has fought three times and maintains a record of 1-2.

Though Marcello is extremely skilled in BJJ, he is quite a one dimensional fighter. Nine of his 13 victories have come via submission, and has knocked out two opponents in 18 career fights. Proctor can use this to his advantage, especially because of his versatility. His only KO victory came against Jeremy Larsen in the very first round. His best chance of winning this fight would be to avoid the ground game and stick with the stand up. Both fighters have displayed solid cardio throughout their career, which should make this a great fight if it goes three rounds.

Rodrigo Damm (9-5-0) vs. Ivan Jorge (25-3-0)

Francisco Trinaldo (13-3-0) vs. Jesse Ronson (13-3-0)

This is a battle of two 13-3 fighters who will be looking to make their mark in the UFC. Trinaldo being the older fighter at 35 years old, his UFC experience is substantial in comparison to the 28 year old Ronson. Trinaldo is 3-2 in the UFC and has fought well known fighter Gleison Tibau. Though he lost the fight via unanimous decision, he went on to win his next two by submission, both via arm-triangle choke.

Both fighters are coming off a loss, with Ronson losing his UFC debut to Michel Richard Cunha dos Prazeres via split decision. Prior to the loss, Ronson was on an eight-fight win streak and displayed solid versatility by winning two via submission, three via TKO/KO and three via decision. This is an extremely important fight for the Canadian as he needs to get in the win column as a UFC fighter. Trinaldo, on the other hand, has finished all three of his UFC victories and lost via submission in his last bout. This will be a solid fight between two well-rounded fighters who can win the bout in many different ways.

Iuri Alcantara (27-5-0, 1NC) vs. Wilson Reis (17-4-0)

In terms of a prelim fight, this could be one of the most exciting fights on the card. A true veteran of the sport, Alcantara is the first ranked fighter to hit the octagon on Saturday, sitting 10th in the bantamweight division. Is this a big jump for Reis? It doesn’t seem so, as his UFC debut was against Ivan Menjivar and he came away with the decision victory.  Alcantara suffered a different outcome in his last bout, losing a three round battle to Urijah Faber via unanimous decision.

This will be a solid showcase of jujitsu as both fighters are extremely skilled on the ground. In fact, Reis has never knocked out an opponent, but has eight submission victories and no losses via tapout. Alcantara is a bit more versed as a martial artist, with 12 wins via TKO/KO and 12 submission victories. This will definitely be Reis’ most challenging opponent as his juijitsu skills will be pitted against someone who is confident on the ground. If Reis can come away with a victory, especially via submission, we could be looking at a new contender in the bantamweight division.

Felipe Arantes (15-5-1, 2NC) vs. Maximo Blanco (9-5-1, 1NC)

Both fighters come in with solid MMA experience. Arantes gets the edge in UFC fights with five versus Blanco’s three. Arantes is 2-2-1 in the UFC while Blanco is 1-2. Blanco’s most recent UFC loss came via disqualification due to knees to the head on a ground opponent. Having lost their previous fights, both fighters could be in danger of Dana White’s cut list, with Blanco feeling the burn a bit more. In terms of all-around skill, Arantes has displayed his versatility by finishing seven fights via TKO/KO and four via submission. On the other hand, Blanco is all about the fisticuffs, with seven of his nine victories coming via TKO/KO.

On a good note, Blanco has not been knocked out in his career, proving his stand-up ability works both ways. However, his submission skills are questionable, as he has yet to record a submission victory and has lost twice. Furthermore, his 57.14% takedown defense shows a hole in his game which Arantes would be smart to exploit. Arantes also has the better takedown ability which opens the door for a dominant ground game. However, if this fight stays standing, it really could go either way.

Ildemar Alcantara (19-6-0) vs. Albert Tumenov (12-1-0)

Alcantara has fought in the UFC three times already and holds a record of 2-1. Coming in from Jungle Fight, Alcantara’s most impressive UFC victory was a second round kneebar victory over Wagner Prado. He has a career six submission victories while knocking out 10. Tumenov is another young Russian making his UFC debut on Saturday. He comes into this fight with eight TKO/KO victories and none via submission. He has not been finished in his career and will want to continue that streak.

Alcantara’s most impressive statistics come in the takedown category. In his three UFC fights, he has a solid 88.89% takedown defense and has been successful in 92.31% of his own takedowns. Given his Brazilian background, it will be interesting to see if Alcantara goes right for the ground game and tries to submit the young Russian. Tumenov will need to work on his submission game as he comes into the UFC for the first time. He is a strong fighter and is in his best element while standing. If the fight hits the mat, the advantage has to go to the veteran Alcantara. Nevertheless, the fight game is unpredictable, and Tumenov will be looking to start his UFC career on the right foot.

Douglas Silva de Andrade (22-0-0, 1NC) vs. Zubair Tuhugov (15-3-0)

This is quite an interesting fight to kick off the event. 22-0 is quite the record to enter the UFC with and de Andrade will have something to prove. There have been several fighters with sublime records who have not had the same success after joining the UFC. The competition factor in the UFC is quite different, and these fighters will need to step their game up if they want to keep their streak going. Similarly, Tuhugov is on a six-fight win streak outside the UFC and is another fighter coming in from Russia.

De Andrade is clearly a striker and loves the stand-up game. Of his 22 victories, 18 have come via TKO/KO, where nine were in the very first round. His only submission win was also in the first round, proving this guy goes balls-to-the-wall from the get go. On the other hand, Tuhugov seems to be more of a technical fighter with solid endurance. He has gone the distance 10 times in his 18-fight career and has just five TKO/KO wins with one submission victory. Knowing de Andrade’s style of fighting, it will be interesting to see if Tuhugov plays into de Andrade’s style or will keep his distance and force him into the later rounds.