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D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for UFC 184 "Rousey vs. Zingano"
Feb 26, 2015 - 1:50:41 PM D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for UFC 184 "Rousey vs. Zingano"

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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor

UFC 184 has been ravaged by injuries, depleting the depth of the card. The most obvious examples were Chris Weidman's injury wiping out his title defense against Vitor Belfort, and Jacare Souza's bout with pneumonia delaying his fight with Yoel Romero until April; injuries on other cards have even taken their toll on this event, as Glover Teixeira's injury forced the move of the Frank Mir-Bigfoot Silva bout to cover for Fight Night 61. So what was once an awesome card in every area is now shallow in all areas… including the preliminaries.

Mark Munoz is the only recognizable name, and he is clearly past his prime at this point. Kid Yamamoto is a name hardcore fans are familiar with, but some only know him as the guy who has been unable to pick up a UFC win. Translation: he is well past his prime and this is a last gasp for him to get that win. Prospects? Dhiego Lima and Derrick Lewis seem to be the only ones with the potential to develop into even a fringe contender. Ya know what, I'm just gonna shut up now before I drive anyone else away.

Mark Munoz vs. Roan Carneiro (Middleweight)

Carneiro returns to the UFC after being away for over six years, and he's doing so in a new weight class. A declining Munoz is ready to welcome him in a likely rude way.

Munoz has dropped three of his last four (all in devastating fashion), but the losses have been against elite competition in Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida, and Gegard Mousasi. The losses establish that he isn't even on the fringe of the elite, but he can still serve as a gatekeeper. He is relentless in going for takedowns in order to open up a can of his 'donkey kong punches' to pound out his opponent. The former collegiate wrestler has a very top heavy game and wants to get the fight to the ground. He has power in his punches when he connects, but his technique is adequate at best, and his shot is poor for all of his wrestling accolades.

Carneiro was a case in inconsistency his first go-around in the UFC, and many attributed that to his often short gas tank. Seeing as how he is coming off of a three fight tournament victory in one night, it seems he has solved those issues. He was always a big welterweight, but will be losing that size advantage as he moves up to 185 lbs. Carniero will have a reach and speed advantage and will look to keep his distance on the feet while utilizing those traits. That doesn't make him the better striker, but he has more options on the feet. Where Carneiro is best is as a submission threat on the ground as he is a reputed BJJ black belt. The question for him is if he can get Munoz to the ground… while owning the top position.

This feels like a bad matchup for Carneiro in his UFC return. Munoz is very large middleweight making this a very tall task for the usual welterweight. Look for Munoz to physically overwhelm him. Munoz via TKO in the second round


Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Roman Salazar (Bantamweight)

Am I the only one who thinks the UFC is doing everything in their power to feed Yamamoto a victory? No? Just checking.

Yamamoto hasn't fought in three years and almost five since he last won. His legend status is the only thing that is keeping him on the UFC roster. In his prime Yamamoto was a powerhouse despite being smaller than almost all of his opponents, and was able to exploit that with his speed. Since officially moving to bantamweight, he has struggled against opponents who are just as fast if not faster. Now? Power rarely diminishes, but speed does. Expect Yamamoto to attempt to punch things out and shoot for a takedown if things aren't going his way. Yamamoto was considered to be an Olympic caliber wrestler at one point with a dislocated elbow ending his Olympic dreams.

Salazar was a very late notice replacement against Mitch Gagnon in October, and didn't impress in the two minutes the fight lasted. It is well noted that he is a cable guy, and unless he has dropped that job to concentrate full time on fighting, it is doubtful he'll be able to make the gains necessary to become a fixture in the UFC. He doesn't have any real standout features as his power only seems to be okay and his wrestling is limited. If anything, I'd say his top position on the ground is his best feature. There are very real doubts he can get the fight there, though.

The UFC is trying very hard to give Yamamoto a victory, and if he can't get it here, he is truly shot. I think he has enough to pull it out. Don't be surprised to see him ride off into the sunset from there. Yamamoto via KO in the first round


Dhiego Lima vs. Tim Means (Welterweight)

Lima gets his first real test at welterweight against tough and tried veteran Means in the most evenly matched fight of the prelims.

Lima, the younger brother of Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima, is very similar to his brother in that he is solid technically and a plus athlete. Lima's biggest problem thus far has been the mental aspect of the game as he has been prone to mental lapses. As he gains more experience the mistakes should eliminate themselves as he is well coached (American Top Team). He's a rangy striker with a solid jab and vicious leg kicks, but the ground is where he is most comfortable. While his wrestling is average at best, he is skilled submission artist who doesn't get ahead of himself, as he is very technical in passing for position before looking to tap his opponent out.

Means seems to have found the perfect role for himself in the UFC as a veteran test for young welterweights relatively fresh to the organization. He isn't the most skilled, but he knows how to utilize his 6'2” frame to his advantage, and doesn't allow his opponents much breathing room. His kryptonite has been wrestlers, particularly those with strong takedowns. Lima isn't particularly powerful, but he does use solid technique in his takedowns. Look for Means to attempt to counter that with his devastating clinch work as Lima tries to close the distance. The game plan for Means is simple: he'll do everything he can to keep this fight standing.

Lima is clearly the more talented fighter here, but that doesn't make him a sure thing as Means owns an iron will and is as tough as they come. Regardless, the smart money says Lima in what should be an entertaining affair. Lima via decision


Derrick Lewis vs. Ruan Potts (Heavyweight)


I'm calling it what it is: a rebound fight for Lewis in order to build up some hype behind him once again. Sorry, but Potts doesn't hasn't shown he belongs.

Lewis truly lives up to his "Black Beast" moniker as he has barely made the 265 lb. limit in his last two bouts and has one of the scariest mean mugs in the business. His game is all predicated on strength and power as his technique in all phases (whether it be footwork, punching, wrestling, etc.) is adequate at best and sloppy in most cases. But his brute strength allows him to make up for it. A very quick opponent might be able to pick him apart, but all it takes is one solid connection from Lewis to be lights out for his opponent. His short burst explosion makes that all the more possible as he covers short distances in a hurry, but is limited beyond that.

There has been a common theme to each of Potts' losses thus far: take him down and pound him out. Potts isn't a tiny heavyweight as he hangs around the 245 lb. mark, but has thus far been overwhelmed by each of his opponents. Lewis will pose the same problem. Potts has shown some solid takedowns thanks to his judo background and good grappling in the regional scene in South Africa, but is hasn't translated into the UFC. He has shown a solid gas tank and might be able to wear down Lewis simply by dragging the fight out and picking Lewis apart with kicks. Otherwise, he doesn't stand a chance.

I tried to make it sound rosy for Potts, but in reality I don't see him winning in any scenario played out in my head. Lewis via KO in the first round


James Krause vs. Valmir Lazaro (Lightweight)

While it wouldn't be a surprise to hear no one cares about this fight, it should translate into a fun action bout between two lanky lightweights.

Krause in many ways remains about as much of a mystery as a fighter with four UFC bouts can be. A win over Sam Stout doesn't mean much anymore, and a loss to Jorge Masvidal isn't much of a surprise. The two fights sandwiched between those deserve asterisks due to their unusual endings. He has shown a nice jab that he uses to great extent, and some solid kicks too which generate most of his striking power. But his grappling game seems to be his greatest strength as he is proficient off of his back and great at locking in chokes for the finish. His takedowns are a point of concern though and he'll certainly want to get Lazaro to the ground.

The reason for that is Lazaro can only be described as a striker, as there is still much mystery to his abilities on the ground. Though he showed the ability to take the fight to the ground against James Vick in his UFC debut, he didn't get much of an opportunity to show what he can do from there. At his best as a patient counter striker who will throw hard leg kicks in an effort to bait his opponent into engaging, he was dragged into a brawl against Vick. Considering Vick has a similar style to Krause, this is a highly appropriate test for him to see if he has learned from his initial UFC experience or if he isn't cut out for this level.

The easy pick is Krause, but I'm not so sure. Lazaro looks more polished striking and shouldn't have quite as many problems with Krause who is less rangy than Vick. I know it isn't popular, but I'm taking Lazaro on this one. Lazaro via decision


Masio Fullen vs. Alex Torres (Featherweight)

Really hard to get excited about this one as both lost in the first round of the TUF Latin America tournament, and don't seem to have a long-term future.

First and foremost, Fullen is a boxer. It doesn't come as a surprise to hear that he has some pro boxing experience as he has a traditional boxing stance and commonly puts together 3-4 punch combinations. The problem for him is that is about all he does. To be fair, he utilizes good knees in the clinch, but he doesn't mix up his strikes much, underutilizes his jab, and rarely if ever looks for takedowns. An experienced opponent can figure him out pretty easily. If he learns to mix things up he could very well stick around longer than expected.

Torres has the higher ceiling of the two, but is also by far less polished. Coming from a wrestling background, he only started training in all aspects of MMA three years ago. As a result, even his wrestling, which would be his strength, isn't up to MMA standards, as he has struggled with the crossover into the sport and implementing BJJ into the equation. His standup is almost at ground zero as his punches are thrown out there with merely a prayer of landing thanks to atrocious technique. His kicks have promise as they are thrown with speed and ferocity, but they could use polish too.

This one is a striker vs. grappler (wrestler to be exact). Fullen's experience will pay dividends for him as he is better rounded, as weird as that sounds to say. Fullen via TKO in the second round