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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Dan Moore handled the in depth previews this week for UFC on Fuel 7 in London, but here are some more quick thoughts on the top fights at UFC on Fuel 7, along with last minute predictions.
Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald (Interim Bantamweight Championship): At bantamweight, Barao is big, strong, fast, and extremely talented. He's got heavy hands, vicious kicks, and excellent submission skills. It makes him extremely dangerous in a number of areas of the fight game, and in turn makes him a challenge no one's been able to figure out since his MMA debut in 2005.
McDonald comes into the fight as a very good young fighter, who seems well ahead of his age in terms of professionalism and maturity. He's got solid grappling and a hard-hitting striking game himself, and he's a legitimate challenge to Barao in this fight.
That said, Barao should be able to dictate the range and pace of this fight, both with his speed and with his kicks, and if the fight hits the ground he should be favored there as well. I like Barao to win a decision here.
Cub Swanson vs. Dustin Poirier (Featherweight): I see this fight going one of two ways, and it's almost guaranteed to end in a finish. Swanson's got a vicious and effective striking game, while Poirier's got a very good submission game, and their respective weaknesses play into their opponent's strengths.
Poirier swings wildly in his striking game, and while he connects often enough, he leaves himself open to big counter strikes. That's something Swanson's more than capable of taking advantage of, and if he lands, the fight could end there.
Meanwhile, Swanson's ground game has been the bane of his fight game, as he's been susceptible to submission losses in the past. If Poirier can bring the fight to the ground, he can stop it there. Those dynamics make this an exciting fight regardless of what happens, but into this one I think Swanson just might keep himself on track for a title run at 145 lbs. Swanson by TKO in the second round.
=====Main Card Quick Picks=====
-Jimi Manuwa over Cyrille Diabate by TKO in the first round
-Jorge Santiago over Gunnar Nelson by TKO in the second round
-Ryan Jimmo over James Te Huna by decision
-Che Mills over Matt Riddle by decision
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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