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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor
For all of the good luck that UFC 185 had with regards to the injury bug (only one preliminary fight was forced to change due to injury), UFC Fight Night 62 has had just the opposite. The original main event of Urijah Faber vs. Raphael Assuncao was canceled due to a lingering injury of Assuncao's not healing as expected, which forced the promotion of Demian Maia vs. Ryan LaFlare from co-main to the main event. Additional injuries have created four different co-main events at one time or another, as well as a change on another main event card.
At least the preliminary bouts have remained untouched… not that there is anything anyone is highly anticipating there. Filled with mostly veteran journeymen and no prospects anyone would consider worth keeping an eye on, only the most hardcore of fans and sports bettors (or perhaps family and friends of the fighters) have any sort of investment in this edition of preliminary fights. I guess we could say that we'll find out a lot about the lower ends of the lightweight division, as four of the six fights take place at 155 lbs.
With that bit of harsh reality, here are the previews… for which I sincerely thank you for continuing to read despite the honest, yet harsh, reality of these fights.
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Akbarh Arreola (Lightweight)
How to put a positive spin on this fight? It's a clash of two southpaws! Seriously though, it's a meeting of veteran grapplers.
The easiest way to sum up Trinaldo is that he is Gleison Tibau-lite. He is a massive lightweight, employs a grappling heavy attack with occasional power in his punches, and tends to gas as the fight goes on. To be fair, Trinaldo has a greater preference to stand and trade than Tibau, and has improved his endurance late into fights, but it is still a considerable issue for the 36-year old. His offense comes in spurts where he'll blitz his opponents with power shots and knees; he rarely throws jabs out there to test the water, preferring his leg kicks to attack from a distance. He is very effective from the top position when grappling, but has moved away from the ground in his recent fights, though that has partially been due to matchups and not just his struggles to get the fight there.
Arreola is a longtime vet of the Mexican scene, and picked up his first UFC victory over respected Yves Edwards. He employs a VERY kick heavy strategy with most of them going to the body and head. Traditionally that has been all he has offered on the feet, but he showed vast improvement in his boxing against Edwards. However, he holds his head high with little to no movement, making it an easy target. His bread and butter is his skilled grappling game, as over 75% of his victories have come by submission thanks to his nose for an opponent's limbs, particularly arms. He has a dangerous guard, and enough wrestling ability to get by, but won't ever be considered a serious threat in that spectrum.
I'm amazed Arreola hasn't been KO'd more in his career based on how he keeps his head held high, and figure he'll pay the price here for the home crowd favorite Trinaldo. Trinaldo via KO in the first round
Kevin Souza vs. Katsunori Kikuno (Featherweight)
Hard to predict this engagement. It could be the dark horse for fight of the night, or a real stinker. If things go the way Souza wants, this should be a crowd pleaser, as he throws a lot of leather and does little to prevent the shots coming back his way from landing. He is very tall and lanky at 145 lbs. (6'0” with a 74” reach), and largely relies on that for his defense, as his movement is a lot of style without substance. It isn't the best strategy, but it has worked for him against lesser competition. His favorite position is to press his opponent against the cage, and either wing hooks to the head and body until they drop or clinch up and land knees. He hasn't tried to go to the ground in the UFC (and rarely did on the regional scene), but shows a good defensive guard as well as an offensive threat off of his back.
Kikuno is a very awkward fighter to watch and prepare for, as he utilizes a stationary karate stance with his hands low that opponents aren't sure how to prepare for. Overall his offense is low output, but he is a very powerful counter-puncher, as he primarily uses a slip and rip strategy. He throws a lot of leg kicks to force his opponents to engage with him, but is primarily known for his crescent kick to the body on the occasions when he is pressing the action. He has a very strong base which allows him to stuff or sprawl on most takedowns, though that shouldn't come into play against Souza. On the other hand, he utilizes an interesting blend of wrestling and judo to get the fight to the ground if he desires, and is very efficient in passing the guard.
Kikuno was very active against Sam Sicilia in his last outing, and will need to be again to withstand the onslaught Souza provides. However, I think Souza's long reach will cause problems for Kikuno… too many to overcome. Souza via decision
Leandro Silva vs. Drew Dober (Lightweight)
Expect a standup battle between these two lightweights. Beyond that, I'm not sure how to hype this fight. Silva scored his first UFC victory over Charlie Brenneman… who lost his last five UFC bouts. A win is a win though. Silva is a very well-rounded fighter without a major area that completely stands out, as he was good grappling and striking with some alright wrestling. While an area he stands out in may be hard to identify, his tendency to be taken down with relative ease represents a glaring weakness. From there he is adept at defense and getting to his feet quickly, while also being a submission threat. Quick to take the back, many of his fights have ended by choke. His striking is from a Muay Thai base, heavy on jabs as he tries to use his 72” reach to his advantage.
Dober's lone UFC victory came after Jamie Varner KO'd himself ever so briefly attempting to counter a takedown attempt. Hard to put a lot of stock in that. Still, Dober has proven himself to be a skilled kickboxer with great takedown defense. A thickly built volume striker, he has a lot of power in his kicks that go to all areas of his opponent's body, and though there is nothing flashy about his boxing, it is more than solid. What holds him back is that he is a terrible wrestler who struggles to take the fight to the ground, making him very one-dimensional. He has a knack for sinking in chokes once he gets the fight to the ground, though many of those occasions have come from knockdowns as opposed to using a method other than striking to go to the ground.
Though not the easiest fight to get excited about, it is evenly matched and hard to pick. I'll side with the home crowd favorite as Brazil can be a tough place to fight. Silva via decision
Leonardo Mafra vs. Cain Carrizosa (Lightweight)
Considering neither of these guys are familiar with the concept of defense, it will be a miracle if this fight goes the full 15 minutes.
Mafra finally gets a UFC fight where he won't be overwhelmed by a bigger opponent, as his previous bouts came at middleweight and welterweight with him well under the weight limit. He is a talented Muay Thai practitioner who is best described as a whirling dervish as he'll throw whatever he can at his opponents vicinity, whether it is punches, kicks, knees, elbows, etc. He is also exceedingly easy to counter, as he does little to move his head and tires quickly thanks to putting everything behind every strike and bad technique. He has improved a bit, but still has a long ways to go. He'll look for submissions off of his back, but set them up poorly against Rick Story. Mafra has talent but has struggled to reign it in.
There isn't much to take out of Carrizosa's UFC debut as he lost by submission in 72 seconds, but his aggression is apparent in that period of time. He is similar to Mafra in that he throws everything but the kitchen sink at his opponent; the difference is that he is just a bit more measured and doesn't have quite the same power. His best chance on his feet is to utilize his four inch reach advantage, but Mafra will be quick to close the distance. The ground is where Carrizosa prefers to be, as he is willing to pull guard to get his opponent to the mat. He is very aggressive (that word again) in looking for submissions, and does a solid job of chaining them together one after another.
I don't expect this to last long. Mafra has shown a good chin while Carrizosa's ability to get the fight to the ground is a real question. You see where I'm going? Mafra via TKO in the first round
Jorge de Oliveira vs. Christos Giagos (Lightweight)
While there is little, if any, hype behind this fight, it is at least easy to sum this one up: striker (de Oliveira) vs. grappler (Giagos).
With a background in professional Muay Thai and amateur boxing, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that de Oliveira will want to employ a striking battle and is competent in all distances. He was unable to display his arsenal in his UFC debut as Dhiego Lima took him down at will, but to de Oliveira's credit, he took the fight on short notice at welterweight. Facing opponents closer to his size should make a big difference in staying on his feet, but Lima is hardly known as a takedown machine, which still elicits worry for him facing a wrestler (more on that in the next paragraph). He showed survival instinct on the ground as he was able to keep from being submitted, but also showed inexperience in his grappling, as Lima passed his guard like butter.
Giagos is much more a wrestler than he is a grappler (for those who don't realize it, there is a LARGE difference), but what I was alluding to in calling him a grappler is that he wants the fight on the mat. His strategy revolves around his nice shot and strong double-leg which he uses to great success. The issue is his tendency to give up the dominant position and allow his opponent to either get to their feet or hit the reverse or create scrambles. Fortunately for him, he isn't too shabby in scrambles himself. His striking is fairly basic as he is largely a boxer with some power in his fists. He usually throws his punches in combination and is a solid clinch fighter against the cage.
If there is a KO in the fight, I'd bet that de Oliveira is the one to deliver on it. But my thought is Giagos will grind this one out and nullify de Oliveira's striking as much as possible. Should be enough in the eyes of the judges. Giagos via decision
Bentley Syler vs. Fredy Serrano (Flyweight)
A bout between TUF Latin America competitors eliminated in the first round, which means two fighters who should be on the regional circuit.
Fighting at 135 lbs. on the show, Syler was completely overwhelmed physically by a much larger Jose Quinones, thus why we see him fighting at 125 lbs. Syler is a very technically proficient fighter in pretty much every area, but it becomes very apparent watching him strike that he lacks a sufficient supply of power, as his opponents tend to show little respect for his punches. Recognizing this (in addition to his lack of reach), Syler throws a heavy diet of leg kicks. He throws in a lot of double leg attempts as well, utilizing timing and technique to get his opponents to the ground. His ground game is very basic from there, as he shows sound defense and ability to get to his feet, but doesn't appear to be a big submission threat.
Serrano is almost a polar opposite of Syler: a physically talented athlete whose skills are still very raw. He represented Colombia at the 2008 Olympics in freestyle wrestling ,and very much relies on that base, which shouldn't be a surprise seeing as how he has one professional fight on his resume. It was surprising to see many of his shots stuffed in his lone TUF bout, but like Syler, he was clearly undersized at 135 lbs., and that likely played a large factor in his struggles for some takedowns. He fights at a very slow pace before exploding with a single looping punch or kick to the head. While he hasn't shown any tendency to put together combinations whatsoever, there is fight ending power in his strikes.
Fighting a more like-sized fighter will benefit both, but Serrano will benefit from it more. Syler hasn't shown great takedown defense, and Serrano will likely win a boring, takedown filled decision. Serrano via decision
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