CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPWINDOWS APPRSS
NEW FORUM

GOT THE MMATORCH APP YET?
iPhone & iPad
Android
Kindle Fire
Windows Phone
MMATORCH IPHONE APP

MMATORCH

All the MMA News • Plus Intelligent, Brilliant, Addictive Points of View!
Independently Covering MMA Since 1993 • No Big Corporate Bosses

Penick's Take
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 74 PREVIEW: Penick's main card quick thoughts and fight picks for "Holloway vs. Oliveira" event
Aug 22, 2015 - 11:45:26 PM
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 74 PREVIEW: Penick's main card quick thoughts and fight picks for "Holloway vs. Oliveira" event
DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM
...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!



Fox_Sports_1_logo_126.jpg


By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC makes their debut in Saskatoon on Sunday night, but outside of a stellar fight in the main event, there's not a ton being brought here to the fans in Saskatchewan. Still, the fight between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira should be must-see TV from Fox Sports 1. Here's what's on tap for Sunday's main card.


Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira (Featherweight): Holloway's progression in the sport has been fun to watch, as he's essentially grown up as a fighter and competitor in front of the eyes of fans. He made his UFC debut on short notice at just 20 years old, and though he got out-classed by Dustin Poirier in that fight, it was just his fifth career bout.

He made some strides from there, winning three straight over the next year, but then hit a bit of a skid. Still, a split decision loss to Dennis Bermudez and a three round fight with Conor McGregor hardly reflect poorly on him. Since then, he's been on a great run, and has looked massively impressive in building a five fight winning streak. Taking out Cub Swanson by submission in his last fight was just an exclamation point on that stretch, and he's got a chance here to keep that moving forward.

His combination of striking and grappling makes him dangerous everywhere, and though he's not elite anywhere quite yet, he continues to improve in all areas. He's shown stopping power in his strikes, and the ability to take advantage of situations on the ground; add in good takedown defense, and improvement in dictating the pace of his fights, as well as controlling where they take place, and he's getting in position to make a legitimate run for a title fight at 145 lbs.

Likewise, Oliveira's had his ups and downs since entering the UFC at 20 years old, going through similar growing pains en route to his current position. Since dropping to featherweight, Oliveira's been mostly excellent, suffering a setback KO loss to Swanson before dropping a decision against Frankie Edgar before scoring four straight wins.

Extremely adept on the ground, Oliveira's got a fantastic submission game and more than adequate striking skills. He's shown he can be controlled at times, and his chin hasn't always been a strength, but he can wear guys down and take advantage of spots when he's got them.

This is simply an excellent matchup between two fighters who may be a part of this division's elite for years to come.

It's hard to say which of them has the edge here. The only common opponent is Cub Swanson, and though they each had very different outcomes to that matchup, they also each caught Swanson at very different times in Swanson's career. Still, both have looked great over the last couple of years, and may be hitting their stride in conjunction. Holloway's seemed to show slightly more improvement and upside, but Oliveira's had a few truly standout wins. Showcase fight for both, and one will stake their claim to getting a top five level opponent next. Oliveira by submission in the second round.


Erick Silva vs. Neil Magny (Welterweight): Magny's seven fight winning streak came to a screeching halt in a one-sided loss to Demian Maia, and he's taken very little time in between to step into this fight with Silva. It's not the most advisable move for a fighter to make.

Magny's shown a very tough chin, some good striking, decent offensive grappling, and solid finishing instincts. However, he has a clear ceiling, and smacked his head on it pretty hard just a few weeks ago.

As for Silva, he's been a bit inconsistent, and his gas tank hasn't been very good, which is the one way in which this could go poorly for him. But when he's in buzz-saw mode, he's capable of cutting through most, and he's going to massively test Magny's chin early and often here.

If Silva comes out on fire, he's fully capable of stopping this one quick. If Magny can survive that attack, he has a chance to take advantage later on in the fight. I don't expect it to get there, though. Silva via TKO in the first round.


Patrick Cote vs. Josh Burkman (Welterweight): Burkman had a good run outside of the UFC, but in two appearances since returning he's had it a bit rough. He had a poor performance against Hector Lombard, and didn't look much better before getting submitted against Dong Hyun Kim.

As for Cote, the one time UFC title challenger has only lost twice in ten fights since 2010, but many of his wins have been uninspiring. Neither has shown a ton of work offensively as of late, both losing a step or two as they approach the back end of their careers. For a third from the top bout, this is quite poor, and I can't imagine it winds up being all that thrilling. Cote by decision.


Chad Laprise vs. Francisco Trinaldo (Lightweight): This is a solid fight, but neither guy has shown much in the way of stopping fights recently, so it's not one that's necessarily likely to thrill the fans in Saskatoon.

Laprise has kept his undefeated record intact since winning "The Ultimate Fighter: Nations" last year, adding wins over Yosdenis Cedeno and Bryan Barbarena. He's got a good striking game, and doesn't get himself into bad positions on the ground, which makes him very tough to beat. However, he doesn't have the most power, and has struggled to put people away at a high level.

Trinaldo's been in a similar spot since some early finishes, going the distance in five straight fights after a submission loss to Piotr Hallmann. He's got a good ground game, and in the past has shown off some power, but Laprise isn't easy to take down, nor is it easy to keep him there even you do. This one's likely to be competitive, but given I think Laprise keeps this one standing, I think he'll do enough to take it. Laprise by decision.


Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Tony Sims (Lightweight): Aubin-Mercier's got a real fun submission game, Sims has heavy hands wholly capable of stopping most. This fight absolutely comes down to which one of them can bring the fight where they want to bring it.

Aubin-Mercier's sole loss came by split decision in the "TUF: Nations" finale, and since then he's scored two fun submission wins. One of the great things he has going for him is that his gas tank holds up, and he continues to find ways to finish fighters no matter how late into a fight it comes.

That'll be needed against Sims, who has significant power and hasn't been stopped since his MMA debut in 2008. In 12 career wins, he has 12 career finishes, so this is a real test for Aubin-Mercier's abilities. If he gets this to the ground, he has a very good edge, but fights start on the feet, so this one could end quick. I like OAM to take it, but won't be surprised if Sims stops him before it gets to the ground. Aubin-Mercier via submission in the second round.


Maryna Moroz vs. Valerie Letourneau (Women's Strawweight): Moroz is trying to fancy herself Ronda Rousey with a string of armbar wins, and catching Joanne Calderwood in her debut was one hell of a way to announce herself to the UFC. Letourneau has won two fights in a row, but hasn't done anything particularly impressive in either. She's tough to put away, and can win exchanges on the feet, so this one's down to whether or not Moroz can catch her. She caught a better fighter, so it's entirely possible here as well. Let's roll with Moroz via submission in the first round to kick off the main card.


DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
UFC 195 PREVIEW: Penick's main card preview and fight picks for "Lawler vs. Condit" event
Penick's 2015 MMA Awards: "Submission of the Year" - Ronda Rousey's inverted armbar over Cat Zingano at UFC 184
Penick's 2015 MMA Awards: "KO of the Year" - Holly Holm's head kick over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193

comments powered by Disqus
HERE ARE EVEN MORE ARTICLES THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU

SELECT ARTICLES BY CATEGORY
SEARCH MMATORCH BY KEYWORD


MMATORCH CALENDAR OF EVENTS
CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF UPCOMING MMA EVENTS
CLICK TO SEE A UFC VIDEO BELOW

ARTICLES OF INTEREST ELSEWHERE
MMATORCH POLL - VOTE NOW!

Will T.J. Dillashaw and Urijah Faber eventually fight?
 
pollcode.com free polls

Do you think Daniel Cormier will defeat returning Jon Jones to legitimize UFC Light Heavyweight Title reign?
 
pollcode.com free polls

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

MMATORCH WEEKLY LIVECAST
Listen to the weekly MMATORCH LIVECAST on Blog Talk Radio


MMATORCH STAFF

EDITORS:

Wade Keller, supervising editor
(mmatorch@gmail.com)

Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)

STAFF COLUMNISTS:

Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey


Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.

MORE MMA SITES
CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPWINDOWS APPRSS
THE TORCH: #1 IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE | © 1999-2013 TDH Communications Inc. • All rights reserved -- PRIVACY POLICY