UFC 171 emanates Saturday, March 15, 2014, from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Last Word on Sports’ MMA Department brings to you their fight picks and analysis for the upcoming event.
Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks vs. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler
Lawler, who has had 18 of his 22 wins come via (T)KO, is coming into this bout with about as good a puncher’s chance as anybody in the sport. But at the end of the day I still don’t give him much more than that puncher’s chance. Hendricks is a bull and his leaping left hook might be stronger than anything Lawler is packing. That’s not to mention that he isn’t afraid to take it to the ground when necessary, and Lawler won’t have much say in the matter. Regardless of the stylistic matchup, after seeing what Hendricks did to GSP I’d pick him confidently against any welterweight in the world.
James Carlucci, Mark Modeski, Chumbo Lex, Nitesh Dutt: Hendricks
Daniel Richeson: Lawler
“The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit vs. Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley
Woodley, the #11 ranked contender, is taking a huge step up in competition. The last two times he did this are responsible for Woodley’s only two career losses. I see the third time being the charm for “The Chosen One.” He is the personification of Condit’s Achilles’ heel: a big, strong, explosive wrestler. Condit will have the advantage on the feet and might have the best bottom game in terms of scoring points in the sport, but I don’t see that being enough. Woodley will spend the majority of the fight on top, and come out in the same position on the judges’ scorecards. I don’t think it’ll be pretty, but I think it will happen. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Woodley but Condit’s lights out.
Carlucci, Lex, Dutt, Richeson: Woodley
Modeski: Condit
Diego “The Dream” Sanchez vs. Myles “Fury” Jury
Sanchez is the last man standing from the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, and it’s time he joins his castmates in retirement. Fans can praise his fighting style (I certainly don’t), but Sanchez hasn’t appeared to be better than the man across the Octagon from him since his 2010 scrap with Paulo Thiago. Jury is a prospect on the rise, and I don’t see Sanchez’s sloppy striking doing much against “Fury’s” elite defense. Jury is no slouch on the ground either, and I see him controlling this fight from bell to bell.
Carlucci: Jury
Modeski, Dutt, Richeson: Sanchez
Jake Shields vs. Hector “Lightning” Lombard
Jake Shields is the man nobody wants to fight, and for good reason. He has a way of dragging opponents down into his world and punishing them once they’re there. Lombard has great takedown defense and is a powerful striker, but I can’t bring myself to pick against Shields, who almost always finds a way to win.
Carlucci, Lex, Dutt: Shields
Modeski, Richeson: Lombard
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Nikita “Al Capone” Krylov
Krylov has a cool nickname but not much else. My first impression of him was his UFC debut against Soa Palelei, and that was a horrific bout to sit through. He looked good in his last fight, a knockout victory over Walt Harris, but I still don’t think he has what it takes to hang with someone of Saint Preux’s caliber.
Carlucci, Modeski, Lex, Dutt, Richeson: Saint Preux
What to Watch on the Undercard:
Kelvin Gastelum
The 22-year-old fighting out of Yuma, Arizona, has been defying odds since he won TUF 17 despite being his team’s last pick. He’s been out of action for about seven months and is taking a huge step up in competition against #14 ranked welterweight contender Rick Story. Oddsmakers have Gastelum pegged as a favorite, and if he can prove them right history may look at Gastelum as the best welterweight on this card.
Dennis “The Mencace” Bermudez vs. Jimmy “The Kid” Hettes
Bermudez has won 5 straight, including Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses since his loss on TUF 14 to Diego Brandao. Hettes had a great submission win in his last fight. Expect a good, quick fight between these two, and for Bermudez to pick up the win. – Daniel Richeson
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