This weekend UFC Fight Night 61 takes place in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Headlined by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva against Frank Mir. While the UFC has received some flack for the Main Event, the card is stacked from top to bottom with potential wars, with ranking implications. This is by far the deepest card we have seen in Brazil from the UFC.
Three things to watch at UFC Fight Night 61
The common theme that you will see throughout, as in most Brazilian cards, is American v.s. Brazilian. With the Americans notoriously having a difficult time adapting to the harsh Brazilian environment. While this is a large challenge, any American who can escape with a victory should be handsomely rewarded. Smart money may be with the Brazilians, but watch for some young Americans to make a statement in their respective divisions.
3. The Rise of Undefeated Prospect Sean Strickland
Sean “Tarzan” Strickland has continued his impressive unbeaten streak in the UFC. He is 15-0 and has only gone to decision 4 times. After looking impressive with 1st Round Submission over Bubba McDaniel in his UFC debut, Strickland won a razor close decision over previously undefeated Luke Barnatt.
Strickland is very patient in his stand-up but possesses the killer instinct if and when he gets top position. Strickland will need to have all of his wits about him against the Team Nogueira crowd favorite Santiago Ponzinibbio. Santiago is equally as dangerous and Americans notoriously struggle going into Brazil.
Outside of the task of beating Ponzinibbio, the fight should tell us a lot about Strickland’s mentality, fighting in a hostile environment. Will he continue his impressive rise through the Welterweight ranks or will it be back to the undercard for this talented young prospect?
2. Fighting Off Mediocrity; Cezar Ferreira v.s. Sam Alvey
Both of these fighters have shown promise in the Middleweight division, while suffering setbacks last year. Both men have competed in their respective countries version of The Ultimate Fighter and both are coming off a win.
Regardless of the winner in the cage, the real winner of this fight will be all of us. Both of these fighters like pushing the pace and have knockout power. Ferreira gets a slight edge in the grappling department but Alvey is no slouch. Look for both men to try and take control of the center of the Octagon.
Ferreira is a heavy favorite at -320, but that has a lot to do with the fight-taking place in Brazil. These two are very close in terms of skill set and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Alvey score the upset. This fight has all the makings to be the “Peoples Main Event”.
1. Rustam Khabilov and the Post “Bendo” Blues
There is no doubt that Khabilov is an extremely talented Lightweight. He hasn’t fought since being submitted by Benson Henderson last June and it will be interesting to see if “ring rust” plays a factor.
His opponent Adriano Martins boasts an equally impressive record, with his only loss coming at the hands of top ranked Lightweight Donald Cerrone. Outside of Henderson, Khabilov has been the definition of dominant. Controlling every round and dumping guys like a sack of potatoes, just ask Vinc Pichel.
While Martins posses an interesting threat on the ground, it doesn’t seem as if his wrestling will stand a chance against Khabilov. If Rustam can find away to avoid the “ring rust” and secure the victory, he may set himself on another path to a Lightweight Title shot in 2015.
By Tim Thompson
