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WALKER/GARCIA: Questions on UFC 178's Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez bout
Sep 25, 2014 - 8:30:13 PM WALKER/GARCIA: Questions on UFC 178's Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez bout

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By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Columnist, and Manuel Garcia, MMATorch Guest Contributor

A note to the reader: Manny Garcia and I worked our thoughts together into one column and one voice. This is what came from our minds, in a sense slammed together and combined as one. We spoke at length about the fight and noted our thoughts prior to putting together this column. What you are about to read is the combined thoughts of two... relatively sane men about the Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez co - event at UFC 178 on Saturday!

Eddie Alvarez is making his long awaited UFC debut after finally getting his release from Bellator. Donald Cerrone comes into this fight hotter than molten iron, looking to stop the juggernaut that has become beloved by MMA fans worldwide. Can the former Bellator champion make his imprint in the UFC after such a long wait, or will Cowboy Cerrone stop his charge towards immortality?

Eddie Alvarez is coming in on a three-fight winning streak after avenging his loss to Michael Chandler. That came in a razor thing split decision win in a fight that will go down as one of the all-time best edge-of-your-seat thrillers to ever grace the cage. Cerrone is coming in on a four-fight winning streak after knocking out and submitting former top ranked fighters such as Jim Miller and Edson Barbosa, all of them ending before the fight made it into the third round. These fighters are both looking to get into title contendership with a win in this bout, and shake up the UFC rankings in the lightweight division. Who can reign supreme in such an incredibly close fight that looks nearly even on paper? Here's our breakdown of what we believe has the potential to be the fight that will shape the future of UFC's lightweight division.

First we'll take a look at "Cowboy" Cerrone, who comes into this bout about as hot as one can get after winning four consecutive fights in two rounds or less. What will it take for the perennial contender to become the next man in line to face dominant champ Anthony "Showtime" Pettis or Gilbert Melendez? The first thing to do is clear: Cerrone needs to stay standing, and the easiest way for him to do this is use his obvious size advantage to counter Alvarez's takedown attempts and fight tall, using every inch of reach he can muster up. He also needs to mix up his game a little bit; he needs to use both his boxing and kickboxing to keep Alvarez out of rhythm, as he tends to fall into just one or the other. However, a perfect mix of the two could lead him to a great victory.

Cowboy's keys to victory seem like a very easy path, but the simple fact is that against a fighter the caliber of Eddie Alvarez, not a single thing will come easy. Cerrone has established himself as having one of the best chins in the UFC, having never been knocked out in his career via head strikes – but we all know Alvarez brings the power. If Cerrone tucks his chin and moves forward with a good mix of kicks and punches, he could keep the former Bellator champion off balance and as long as he can use that mix to stay standing he could pull off a phenomenal victory.

Now let's take a look at Eddie Alvarez, the former Bellator champion, and a man who has been a human wrecking ball for almost his entire career. Alvarez is incredibly quick, and he needs to use that speed to work the proper angles to gas Cerrone out, and move in and out smoothly. He should not go toe to toe with Cerrone; he should hit and move, and avoid taking shots back, very much similar to what Nate Diaz did in his bout with Cerrone. Alvarez also needs to use level changes, and use a lot of fakes and takedown attempts to put his weight on Cerrone, and get those muscles tired as much as he can. Using his wrestling background to his advantage is another big key. Alvarez is clearly superior to Cerrone in this aspect, and if he uses it properly, he will get the much larger fighter tired, and work himself into an advantageous position.

Another part of this fight that Alvarez has to be careful of is Cerrone's jiu-jitsu. Cerrone has choked out high level fighters, and this is not a part of Cerrone's game that Alvarez wants to get tangled up in. If Alvarez can use his speed and wrestling to keep Cerrone moving and uncomfortable, he may be able to gas him hard enough to get a slick finish. Unlike Cerrone, Alvarez needs to fight small and sway in and out, tagging Cerrone to the body as often as possible, avoiding clinches as he moves along. Alvarez is one of the best known and highest valued names in the division, and he can clearly put up another career defining victory if his game plan is up to par. Can the Blackzilians once again best the Jackson – Winklejohn camp?

We aren't going to wriggle out on any limbs or make any stretch picks to try to decipher who is going to win this fight, because on any given day, any fighter can be beaten. Will Eddie Alvarez further his legacy by earning his first win in the UFC begin his path to be the first man to hold both Bellator and UFC gold? Or will Donald Cerrone plow over the welcome wagon and derail the hype train? There are only two days until we find out, and if you're anything like us – you're excited as hell!

Thanks For Reading and Follow Brad Walker on Twitter at @BradMMATorch