|
From MMATorch.com Staff Columnists
Ricardo Almeida has recently made his UFC return, and at UFC 101 will be looking to gain a win over a somewhat notable name while positioning himself for what would be a compelling rematch against Nate Marquardt in a fight which would be a very competitive one and with enough of a backstory in order to make it an easier sell to fans who would have no other reason to care about such a match up. This is a lackluster match up and a fight few would even bother to tune into for free if it were part of a 'Fight Night' package, but more than this it is a bad match up for Kendall Grove. This is not a bout in which anyone is going to garner much acclaim following the win, but odds are that the winner is but one win away from getting near title contention and will be in the running with the winner of Maia-Marquardt for a potential shot at Silva. Styles make fights and Grove's style makes certain that Almeida will get the win and be the one doing the dancing while Kendall has to break out his new move called "packing the bags". Kendall Grove is a 26 yr. old UFC middleweight who was born and raised in Maui, Hawaii and rose to prominence by winning the "six figure contract" in the middleweight division by defeating Ed Herman in the finals of 'The Ultimate Fighter 3'. Grove has a very laidback demeanor, is particularly rangy with a huge 6'6" frame for the division and is naturally athletic with an amateur background in wrestling at the high school level. Kendall Grove's MMA record stands at 10 wins against 5 losses with 2 wins coming by KO and 6 by way of submission. Notable career wins for Grove have come against Ed Herman, Alan Belcher, Evan Tanner most recently Jason Day. Those to have beaten Grove are Joe Riggs, Savant Young, Hector Ramirez, Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera. The defining victory of Grove's career to this point was of course his aforementioned decision win over Ed Herman to take home the prize of being declared 'The Ultimate Fighter' and his most disappointing and frustrating loss is likely to have been his KO defeat at the hands of Jorge Rivera at UFC 80. Ricardo Almeida is a 32 yr. old UFC middleweight who has most recently returned to the Octagon after a six year absence from the big show and an almost four year break from the sport altogether. Almeida was born and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey and currently resides in Bordentown, New Jersey. Almeida is a member of the Gracie-Barra Combat Team and holds the rank of third degree black belt under Renzo Gracie. He made his professional debut at PRIDE 12 in December of 2000 with a decision victory over Akira Shoji and the veteran is looking to finally live up to all of his potential as he competes under the UFC banner once more. Ricardo Almeida's MMA record stands at 10 wins against 3 losses with 4 of those wins coming by way of submission. Almeida's notable wins have come against such fighters as Kazuo Misaki, Nate Marquardt, Ryo Chonan and most recently Matt Horwich. Those who boast victories over Almeida are Matt Lindland, Andrei Semenov and Patrick Cote. Almeida is a credentialed veteran of Pancrase, PRIDE and the UFC and has had some great wins over the course of his career and is looking to make a return to those days and position himself for a future title shot. It will all begin or end against Kendall Grove at UFC 101 in a bout which is tailor made for Almeida to win but is contingent on the "Big Dog" being able to show the bite of old lest he get bitten and beaten by "The Spider". Bent's Prediction: Ricardo Almeida by Unanimous Decision This fight is bad all over for Grove who very well may be packing his bags soon after this one and waiting for Amir Sadollah to join him in 'TUF' winner purgatory. Grove is a very inconsistent fighter who has not made the most of his size advantage within the division and has not appeared to be the most motivated of fighters. Almeida was once a force to be reckoned with, but since his return to the sport, he has looked supremely uninspired to say the least. On his worst day, Almeida is still one of the very best grapplers in the middleweight division but if he is not mentally ready it is evident that he could wind up being just a notch on someone else's record. Grove is going to have to hope for Almeida to be nonplussed going into this fight because even on paper it just seems like this will be a guaranteed defeat for "The Spider". Grove is decent on the ground but not great and Almeida is capable in the striking game but not exactly someone who can land the KO punch. That said, this should be Grove's fight if he can keep it standing and utilize his reach while remaining the busier fighter while piling up points and keeping out of harm's way. It won't be though, because Grove is not going to be able to avoid the takedowns for long, is not likely to fight the smartest fight and once it hits the ground it is a lock that Almeida will stay on top of him and grind him down for the bulk of this not-so special match up between notable names at UFC 101. © Copyright by MMATorch.com |
