By Dwight Wakabayashi
Before the big boys are ready to sort things out on the UFC 160 main card, the preliminary card is packed with a number of rising stars and grizzled veterans, all jockeying for a spot amongst the contenders in the division.
Exciting veterans like Jeremy Stephens, Mike Pyle, Rick Story and Brian Bowles will try to keep a firm hold on their status while rising young guns like Abel Trujillo, Nah-Shon Burrell, and Khabib Nurmagomedov try to gain ground in their careers.
Here is a complete preliminary card breakdown and my picks for each fight.
Jeremy Stephens (20-9) vs. Estevan Payan (14-3) – featherweight
Anytime “Lil Heathen” is on the sportsnet.ca portion of the card, you know you are in for a stacked night of fights. The popular brawler gets a chance to save his job coming off of three straight losses against the elite of the division. It is never a secret that aggression and big bombs will be his blueprint to victory.
Payan is a streaking Strikeforce veteran who will make his UFC debut at the age of 31. Payan also likes to move straight ahead and use his arsenal of strikes to take you out as quickly as possible. This one could be over in a blink.
Stephens via KO, Rd 1
Brian Bowles (10-2) vs. George Roop (13-9) – bantamweight
Veteran Brian Bowles did not fight at all in 2012 and will return to take on fellow fading veteran George Roop. Both these fighters are struggling to hold onto contender status and the loser here will take a big hit.
Bowles always brings the heat with his crazy strength and all-around game and he has only lost to Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz in his entire career. Roop is a crazy long bantamweight, who must keep this fight at his range to have any chance at victory. Roop may hit Bowles first and more often, but every time Bowles lands on Roop it will inflict pain and damage.
Bowles via KO, Rd 2
Stephen Thompson (6-1) vs. Nah-Shon Burrell (9-2) – welterweight
Kickboxing star turned mixed martial artist Stephen Thompson will face late replacement and youngster Nah-Shon Burrell in his second UFC fight.
After a smashing head kick win in his debut, Thompson was dominated by top contender Matt Brown in his last fight. Brown kept things in tight and Thompson wasn’t able to adjust to the grinding style. Burrell made his name in Strikeforce with some very good boxing, but he has had some issues making 170-pounds in the past. I see Thompson as having more tools and experience to draw from for the win.
Thompson via decision
Khabib Nurmagomedov (19-0) vs. Abel Trujillo (10-4) – lightweight
Russian prodigy Nurmagomedov will put his undefeated record on the line against fellow rising youngster and Brazilian beast Abel Trujillo in what could be the filthiest, most hotly contested fight on the prelims.
Both these men are young and hungry and Nurmagomedov has been extremely impressive with his 3-0 record in the UFC. The Russian is technically sound and explosive all at the same time and he has beaten the likes of Kamal Shalorus, Gleison Tibau and Thiago Tavares. Trujillo is built like an anvil and he battered Marcus LaVesseur in his UFC debut. Trujillo will make it a very tough fight, but he is a little too raw right now to get a win over Khabib.
Nurmagomedov via decision
Colton Smith (3-1) vs. Robert Whittaker (10-2) – welterweight
Recent Ultimate Fighter winners collide in this one as Season 16 winner Smith will face TUF Smashes winner Whittaker.
Smith is young in his career but dominated all competitors he faced on the show before beating Mike Ricci in a lackluster finale. Smith relies heavily on his wrestling and strength and has not shown much else beyond that. Look for improvements in his standup and footwork to see if he is capable of rounding out his game.
Whittaker seems to be the more aggressive and well-rounded of the two, but he must stay off his back to be able to demonstrate his skill set. Smith is very dedicated and elite at putting people on their back, and if he gets Whittaker there, it could be a long and lackluster fight.
Whittaker via KO, Rd 3
Dennis Bermudez (10-3) vs. Max Holloway (7-1) – featherweight
The excitement will definitely pick up from here as two streaking featherweights will face each other for contender status.
Bermudez is as tough as they come, and his ability to absorb punishment could be a key in this fight. Following a tough loss to Diego Brandao, he has put together three solid wins over Pablo Garza, Tommy Hayden and Matt Grice. Bermudez mixes it up very well and is capable of a finish from anywhere in the cage but he is also vulnerable to getting caught in submissions.
Holloway is only 21 years old but has already amassed a 3-1 record in the UFC. He has won three straight fights after losing a tough debut to Dustin Poirier. His biggest weakness is his wrestling but I’m not too sure that Bermudez will be shooting for the takedown very much.
Bermudez via decision
Mike Pyle (24-8) vs. Rick Story (15-6) – welterweight
Two veterans looking to return to the mix amongst the contenders will face each other in the main event of the preliminary portion of the card.
Thirty-seven-year-old Mike Pyle seems to just get better with age and he will look to use all his savvy and experience to defeat the younger and stronger Story. Pyle knows how to mix it up and keep his opponent guessing and that, along with his takedown defence will be the key to victory for him.
Story is an aggressive and somewhat cocky fighter who believes heavily in his ability to dictate the fight and bully his opponent into fighting his fight. He will try to use his strength game to get top position all night, and take Pyle completely out of his game. I think the pace that Story fights with will be Pyle undoing in the end.
Story via decision
