Two big and powerful men who possess elite grappling ability will square off in the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night Japan.
"The Warmaster" Josh Barnett makes his return to the Octagon after a near two-year absence. He'll face "Big Country" Roy Nelson in a battle of heavyweights who are seemingly at a crossroads in their careers.
Nelson has lost his last two fights and four of the last five. If he doesn't get a win on Saturday, the 39-year-old may have to ask himself some serious questions. Unfortunately for Big Country, he's going to need some answers after this one is over.
Never one for optimal conditioning, Nelson's lack of stamina doesn't allow him to show off his excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Instead, he depends on his thudding right hand to win every fight. Obviously, that hasn't been working of late.
Against Barnett, standing and striking might be Nelson's only hope of winning. Barnett is perhaps the only heavyweight in the world who is more skilled than Nelson on the ground. In The Warmaster's career, he has 33 wins, with 20 of them by submission.
Big Country is still at a noticeable disadvantage on the feet in this one as well. He stands three inches shorter with a six-inch reach disadvantage. Because of the disparity in size and grappling skills, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Nelson wins. Although this is MMA and anything can happen, it seems unlikely Nelson will overcome all of the matchup disadvantages.
Hall Will Live Up to His Potential
During the The Ultimate Fighter Season 17, no fighter was more promising than Uriah "Prime Time" Hall. His athleticism, varied striking game and explosive power had many fans excited. Unfortunately, ever since the TUF 17 Finale against Kelvin Gastelum, Hall has been underachieving.
Gastelum outworked him and took away the TUF 17 title, and Hall has since lost to fighters like John Howard and Rafael Natal. Fresh off a TKO victory over Oluwale Bamgbose last month, Hall has stepped in for the injured Roan Carneiro and will face the most difficult test of his MMA career.
Hall has been criticized for not fitting the profile of a fighter with a killer instinct, but he embraces and admits things most fighters wouldn't dare. Per Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com, Hall said: "I have no problem being honest. I was scared. It’s that simple. I was scared and not everyone wants to admit that, especially in a sport like this. You don’t want to tell the world you’re scared because people expect you to go out there and be a warrior."
Stepping up to take this fight sends a message that Hall is actually reaching for new heights.
Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi is ranked sixth in the UFC at 185 pounds. He has 44 professional bouts under his belt and myriad skills. That's why Hall's win on Saturday will finally allow him to begin to live up to his massive potential.
Hall will have the speed advantage. When it comes to quick-twitch athleticism, the only fighters in the UFC who may be superior to Hall are Demetrious Johnson, John Dodson and Tyrone Woodley. Mousasi will have to be aware of Hall's explosiveness.
The Dreamcatcher is a cerebral fighter who will want to make this fight easy by taking it to the ground. Only Hall is not an easy man to take down. His takedown defense is 76 percent, and you can bet he's been working on that since he learned he'd be facing Mousasi.
It's a bit of a long shot, but the formula is there for a stoppage win from Hall. Mousasi has never been stopped via strikes, but if he's on, Hall has the skill set to do what no other opponent has been able to do.
Horiguchi Will Overwhelm Camus
Kyoji Horiguchi was dominated by Johnson when he got a shot at the UFC flyweight title back in April, but there's no shame in losing to a man who might be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. It's also easy to forget that Horiguchi is still only 24 years old.
His best fighting is still ahead of him, and it's probably just a matter of time before he earns another shot at the 125-pound title.
Chico Camus stands in his way, but he won't be there for long.
Horiguchi will be fighting in his home country, and he'll be eager to impress. Something tells me this fight will take place primarily in the stand-up, as that's the best way for Horiguchi to be impressive in this fight, and it's probably the way Camus would prefer to fight.
The advantage in dexterity goes to Horiguchi, as does the striking power. He has 15 career wins with nine knockouts. Camus is too tough to get stopped by strikes, but Horiguchi's power should score a knockdown and pave the way for a decision win.
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