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D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for UFC 191 "Johnson vs. Dodson II"
Sep 3, 2015 - 1:00:36 PM
D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for UFC 191 "Johnson vs. Dodson II"
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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor

Let's be honest: UFC 191 is a bit of letdown. Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson has proven time and again that he isn't a draw, and even though he is re-matching John Dodson, which has been a fight many fans have been looking forward to, it can't be said that it has been that highly anticipated. The undercard has certainly has some interesting fights, as Frank Mir and Andrei Arlovski (a fight the UFC tried to first put together 12 years ago) square off, while Anthony Johnson looks to right his ship following his devastating title fight loss to Daniel Cormier.

As for the prelims, action fights seem to be the theme of the day as Ross Pearson and Paul Felder are two strikers with a history of putting opponents to sleep, as are bantamweights Francisco Rivera and John Lineker. Jessica Andrade and Raquel Pennington had an entertaining fight the first time they squared off as well. Whether you recognize the names or not, I very much anticipate these prelims bringing the goods.

Ross Pearson vs. Paul Felder (Lightweight)

What's at Stake:
More of an action fight to satiate hungry fans' appetite for violence than anything else, the winner avoids slipping into the depths of the crowded lightweight pool.

The Fighters: Alarming statistic for Pearson: his opponents in his last six victories have gone on to win a combined zero fights in the UFC after he beat them. Is Pearson overrated because he is fighting chumps? Maybe a little, but Pearson is the owner of legit KO power, and that makes him a dangerous opponent for anyone at any time. Making him even more dangerous is the volume in which he throws, as he has mixed in some leg kicks to combo with his awesome boxing skills, where slipping and ripping is his preferred method. What Pearson lacks that has kept him from ascending is a consistent ground game. He rarely mixes in takedowns himself, though that may be because he doesn't pose much of a submission threat.

Luckily for Pearson, this represents a favorable matchup for him, as Felder has been even more averse to going to the mat. Similar to his training partner Donald Cerrone, Felder often makes his opponents pay for attempting to take the fight there, as he is deadly in the clinch with knees and elbows while knowing how to land effective strikes on shooting opponents. What got him into trouble against Edson Barboza was his reluctance to lead the dance as he tried far too often to counter the lightning fast Brazilian and paid the price. When leading, his kicks are as deadly to all parts of the body as anyone else and makes his spinning kicks and backfists more efficient. His grappling is very much a mystery and is perceived as a weakness until otherwise shown.

The Expectation: I pretty much expect these guys to have an unspoken agreement to stand and trade, so this should be fun. While Pearson has done much to expand his striking since entering the UFC, Felder might a tad more diverse and his definitely more explosive. He'll catch the Brit. Felder via TKO in the second round


Francisco Rivera vs. John Lineker (Bantamweight)

What's at Stake:
Remaining conscious, as these two hard hitters (and near carbon copies) look to make themselves as dark horses at 135 lbs.

The Fighters: Rivera has made the most of his second stint in the UFC, as he has established himself as one of the most feared punches with his last three wins all coming by KO, not including the no contest previously listed as a KO win. Once Rivera finds his range, he comes at his opponents with hard hooks into which he puts all he can muster. It's a gamble as the style often gasses him even before the second round is over, but it has served him well thus far. A major factor in Rivera's success has been his improving wrestling. Sure, he doesn't often look to take the fight to the ground, but has been more than successful when he tries to go there while proving to be a pain in the ass to get to the ground himself. Not even Urijah Faber was able to get him down, a major accomplishment.

Lineker is making his debut at bantamweight after repeatedly missing weight at 125 lbs., and it is expected that he'll be able to find success in his new home without needing to deplete himself nearly as much, which should translate to improved cardio. Like Rivera, cardio has often been Lineker's biggest weakness. How will it be now? Also like Rivera, Lineker has often been able to put his opponents away before fatigue sets in and is awesome at keeping the fight from going to the ground while finding success the few times he attempts to go there himself. The biggest difference between the two is that Lineker throws in much greater volume, is less of a head-hunter as he mixes punches to the body well, and will be at a fairly significant reach disadvantage.

The Expectation: I have a hard time believing someone isn't going to sleep despite both owning solid chins. Even though I can't argue anyone picking one over the other, I tend to favor youth in these type of fights and will go with Lineker. Lineker via TKO in the second round


Jessica Andrade vs. Raquel Pennington (Women's Bantamweight)

What's at Stake:
A lot of pride in this rematch from 18 months ago (won by Andrade) in addition to staying (Andrade) or joining (Pennington) in the rankings.

The Fighters: If the old adage that defense wins championships rings true, Andrade is in a lot of trouble, as her game is predicated very much on offense. Fans don't mind, as her mug shows up in the dictionary under the definition of “aggressive,” though she did dial it down a bit in her last appearance after her recklessness resulted in a ridiculously easy submission win for Marion Reneau. With her chin tucked low and shoulders hunched, Andrade stalks her prey looking for boxing combinations, doing a good job of mixing punches to the body and head. In addition to knees, she has good throws and trips in the clinch too. Though she is well-versed in chokes, Andrade much prefers to pound out her opposition on the ground rather than hunt for the sub, though she will take it if it is given to her.

Don't let Pennington's pedestrian 5-5 record fool you, she has consistently faced some tough competition her entire professional career. A poor (wo)man's Andrade, Pennington is a high volume striker herself, but with bouts of inactivity, though she makes up for it with better attention to defense. Despite her five inch reach advantage, Pennington actually found most of her success against Andrade in the clinch with knees to the legs and body, wearing down the Brazilian. Though she has shown a solid guard off of her back, she was content to let Andrade work from there and allowed Andrade to dictate the pace, costing her the fight. If Pennington can step up her output and extend her 2-3 punch combinations into 4-5 punches, look for her to take the rematch.

The Expectation: With neither possessing great power but having solid chins, it's safer to predict the fight going the distance than who actually wins it as the first fight was close and neither appears to have separated themselves from the other. Factoring in Andrade taking this fight on short notice though, I'll slightly favor Pennington. Pennington via decision


Clay Collard vs. Tiago Trator (Featherweight)

What's at Stake:
Barring an absolute barn burner (and these two are capable of that), look for the loser to be fighting elsewhere next time out.

The Fighters: With 20 fights already under his belt, one has to wonder how high Collard's ceiling extends despite being only 22. A big 145 lb. fighter at 5'11”, Collard has had struggles with his weight cut at times, which has resulted in him gassing (though fighting in Mexico City in his last appearance didn't help). At that point he makes an easy target, as he lunges forward with little to no technique on his strikes and no thought at avoiding returning strikes. However, he has proven to be great fun to watch before that point as he throws high volume boxing combinations with a solid clinch game as he constantly moves forward and will occasionally throw in a spinning back kick or fist in there too. The one positive from his last appearance was his improved takedowns… at least before he gassed out.

A student of the Nogueira brothers, Trator utilizes a very kick heavy offense that requires distance to effectively utilize. The biggest question for him will be whether or not Collard will give him that distance. Probably not. All is not lost for Trator, as he has a nice Thai plum clinch and can deliver some devastating knees to the body and head from that position. With Collard's propensity for gassing, that could be Trator's preferred strategy anyways. If given the distance though, he isn't quite on par with the likes of Jose Aldo or Edson Barboza with his leg kicks, but they are pretty damn good and he mixes them to the body and head at times as well. Though Trator's submission skills aren't bad, there are questions about his wrestling abilities.

The Expectation: I feel this is a stylistically bad match for Trator. Mike de la Torre put the pressure on Trator in a way similar to what Collard will and the fight didn't make it past the first round. I'm expecting something similar here. Collard via TKO in the second round


Joe Riggs vs. Ron Stallings (Middleweight)

What's at Stake:
This is Riggs' last stand, as he will no doubt be cut with a loss, while Stallings looks to add the biggest name to his list of victims.

The Fighters: Fighting since 2001, Riggs has fought in most of the big promotions,d and even fought at heavyweight at one point, making him one of the most traveled vets in the business. The problem for him is that the wear and tear shows as he is physically one of the oldest 32-year olds you will find as some of his formerly plentiful physical skills have eroded. Knowing he can't absorb punishment the way he used to, Riggs has adapted by relying more on his wrestling and his underrated grappling abilities. Though he doesn't look for submissions too often, he is reliable in his positioning and has some good GNP. Though he doesn't stand as often as he used to, he is still an accurate puncher with enough power to end the night early if he lands in the right place.

Stallings has some similarities to Riggs as he is a fairly well-rounded veteran without a true standout skill, though he doesn't have the same grind on his body. Using his grappling more for defensive purposes, Stallings hasn't been submitted in his career and can occasionally pull out a choke of his own, though he doesn't often look to go to the ground himself. He is a well-rounded striker who mixes in punches and kicks to great effect, his kicks to the body and head have a lot of power, as do his knees in the clinch. What has limited Stallings has been his takedown defense and lack of athleticism. He knows enough little tricks to overcome that against inexperienced opponents, but has struggled with those who are just as aware of the subtle technical adjustments.

The Expectation: Though these two are well-matched, I don't think Riggs has eroded to the point that he can't get past Stallings. He did put on a game performance against Patrick Cote in his last outing… the same Cote that just became the first to put Josh Burkman away with strikes. He'll do just enough to sneak past. Riggs via decision


Joaquim Silva vs. Nazareno Malegarie (Lightweight)

What's at Stake:
A pair of fighters from TUF Brazil 4 make their official UFC debut, with the winner likely to be the only to stick around.

The Fighters: I hate judging fighters off of TUF showings. Too often looking for the perfect opening as he stalks his opponent, Silva tends to take damage before he finds the openings he wants, though keeping his hands low doesn't help either. Luckily for him, he owns a solid chin. Once he does open up he has some good power often landing his punches in short combinations while mixing in low kicks, though he tends to be a head-hunter. Silva rarely looks to take the fight to the ground, but there seems to be a good reason for that as he has shown little in terms of his grappling, particularly on the offensive side of things. His sprawl isn't bad, but it isn't great either. He'll need it to be working for him if he wants to get past Malegarie.

Malegarie is going to be at a major size disadvantage here, but that isn't anything new for him. Known primarily as a grappler, Malegarie has proven to be an effective striker at times as well despite possessing much power. At his best when utilizing his jab and mixing in kicks, he usually uses the striking to set up his takedowns to get the fight to the ground into his wheelhouse. Though he is a skilled grappler, he is just as content to pound out his opposition with his active GNP throwing elbows and punches, using that to either end the fight or create an opening for the submission. His lack of size has hurt his takedown abilities and in addition to making him vulnerable to being ground out himself. Despite that, he has never been finished in his lengthy career.

The Expectation: Unless Silva has improved his wrestling abilities, I expect Malegarie to use his savvy to pull this one out, out-grappling his larger opponent before dropping to a more natural weight class. The question is whether or not he scores a submission… Malegarie via decision


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