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Given the uncertainty of the light heavyweight division, the map of UFC Hamburg could either prove decisive for this division or very little. It has already been said that Shogun Rua could become Daniel Cormier's next opponent for the light heavyweight belt, although few have taken these claims seriously. Nevertheless, if there is some hope for this to happen, this makes the main event something to watch over more than the usual European main event. In addition, the co-main event features two other important light heavyweights. Given the injury history of Rua and Alexander Gustafsson, it would not be excluded that the winner of the main event between Glover Teixeira and Corey Anderson could sneak into the title photo. Again, both competitions could mean very little in the long run. I must love the way the UFC works today …
The main map of UFC Hamburg starts on FS1 at 14:00 ET / 11:00 PT on Sunday
Glover Teixeira ( 27-6) against Corey Anderson (10-4), Heavyweights
It seems like an eternity ago, Teixeira was leading a winning streak of 20 fights, looking like an absolute juggernaut. Since that time, Teixeira has gone 5-4, looking more and more frail at every appearance. This does not mean that Teixeira has nothing to offer, but the 38-year-old does not seem to be able to challenge the belt anymore.
Teixeira still has a lot of tools that made him a monster to deal with in his first. He always has the power to put away his opponent with one punch. He is still one of the best wrestlers at 205 as well. However, Teixeira has lost a step. Since it's never had a lot of speed to start, Teixeira is about as freezing as possible at this point. Despite this, Teixeira boxing in the pocket is still effective thanks to its innate timing over the counter, complemented by a constant offer of low kicks.
The UFC tried to push Anderson to the top echelon only for his chin to betray him, three of his four defeats coming by knockout. If Anderson could solve his chin – and tweek his head move – he would be all that the UFC wants in a rising 205er. He sets up smooth boxing combinations while pushing a fast pace that most light heavyweights can not keep up. If his opponent is a threat to the feet, Anderson has turned out to be a strong fighter too. Just that damn chin …
It may be Anderson's last chance for the UFC to stay behind him. They wanted him to have an outstanding performance in recent years and they almost did it when the judges stole it against Shogun Rua. Will he do that here? Even though Teixeira's chin seems to decline with his speed, his chin was made of granite. He can still take a punch. To break it down as easily as I can: the power of Teixeira + the weak chin of Anderson = the status quo for the top of the division. Teixeira via KO of RD2
Vitor Miranda (12-6) against Abu Azaitar (13-2-1), Average weight
This may seem like a a little odd match for having so close to the top of the map, but that makes more sense when one realizes that Azaitar came out of Germany. We all know that they have to give love to the host country, even though Azaitar has a troubling past.
The other thing they need to do is give their compatriot a victory shot, and they did it by lining up in front of Miranda. It's not that Miranda is a walk in the park, but it's highly dependent on getting the knockout to win. If he can not do it, he misses the striking combination or struggling to make his decisions comfortably. He's not a horrible grappler, although most of his skills are focused on the defensive end on the mat. The former kickboxer is particularly accurate at the start of the competition and shows an enormous killer instinct once he has hurt his opponent. However, Miranda is also 39 years old and has never had a big gas tank to start with.
Azaitar is quite the contrast of Miranda. While Miranda was in the habit of competing in heavier divisions, Azaitar is leaving the welterweight. Where Miranda is methodical, Azaitar can be very wild. Miranda prefers the space to operate, Azaitar likes to close the distance and fight in melee. Nobody would clbadify Azaitar as a soil specialist at this point, but he improved his timing for dismantling and spreading it to only mix body-to-body trips.
Although Miranda has organized a nice streak of wins During his return, he has always been sacrificed to the UFC. I do not ignore the possibility that Miranda will take it to the head if Azaitar gives her enough space to operate, but I love the Azaitar aggression to create problems for the old kickboxer. Azaitar by decision
Marcin Tybura (16-4) c. Stefan Struve (28-10), Heavyweights
It is not difficult to see what the matchmakers were thinking with this contest. Tybura and Struve are both great men from Europe who, not so long ago, were titling Fight Night cards abroad. They both lost those fights and then followed them with another defeat to put both to defeat. Yes, it's not hard to see what Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby thought.
Struve is the most famous name of the fans. It has been around for nearly a decade and it is hard to forget a seven foot athlete outside the NBA. He seems to be getting away from his heart problems that have come to an end for a while, but he's still incredibly daring. Some would say chinny, but there have been several contests where Struve has not come down easily. For a brief moment, Struve was trying to focus on his reach by staying outside and throwing a jab with regularity, but he returned to his roots by pressing the action with power shots as the repechage goes against his type. Perhaps the most underrated part of his arsenal is his submission game, possessing 17 career bid wins, including five at UFC
Despite this, it's hard to see Tybura given his own prowess on the ground. The Pole has a proven track record as a bid specialist on the European circuit, although he struggled to do so at the UFC due to a dull fight, relying on trips or simply dragging them to the ground. Fortunately, Tybura completed this with a game of kickboxing still in progress. He is a better athlete than he looks, capable of blowing up the opponent with a brutal head shot or exhausting him with simple boxing combinations. .
It's a tough fight to call. Tybura does not have the punching prowess or setting to present the type of problems that Struve usually plague. However, Struve's recent victories have been less than inspiring, featuring a shot by Minotauro Nogueira and Bigfoot Silva in addition to Daniel Omielanczuk. Tybura is better than all those fighters at the time when they were fighting Struve. Given that Tybura is good at finding everything he can to complete his volume – be it low shots or melee fights – I guess he'll find a way to get himself started. escape with a victory. Tybura by decision
Danny Roberts (15-3) vs. David Zawada (16-3), Welterweight
A neck injury to Alan Jouban put an end to the problem. one of the runner fronts for the honors of Fight of the Night. Roberts was able to stay on the map when Zawada intervened on short notice to provide a live outsider. It may not be the same without Juban, but it should be a fun contest.
Roberts did not quite meet the expectations of the former professional boxer, but that does not mean that he was disappointed. Rather than becoming a top flight welterweight, he has become a fun fighter who is restrained by his weak chin. Roberts has been able to find success through his own typing abilities – he is very effective with high kicks – and has active guarding of his back.
Zawada has some of the same problems as Roberts, such as a questionable chin and suspicious head movement. However, Zawada is not as technical with his footwork as Roberts, relying more on surprising his opponent by his aggression. He is solid in melee, using any member available to do damage and can hit casual takedown. However, his own defense against stripping has proven to be a major problem.
Roberts should not be confused with a technician – too many times he has entered the fence – but he is tighter than Zawada so far and should have reached the advantage. I could still see Zawada secure victory, but the Briton should find a way out of Germany with a W. Roberts via TKO of RD2
Nasrat Haqparast (8-2) against [19659004] Marc Diakiese (12-2), Lightweight
Diakiese looked like the next big thing at light weight for a while. He won his first three UFC fights, including an impressive beatdown of Teemu Packalen in just 30 seconds. Then, receiving an increase in competition, the physically gifted athlete learned that he could not rely solely on being physically superior to his opposition. Diakiese has extreme power in his fists and an explosive double leg, but there is not enough diversity in his attack. The opponents understood him and worked around his forces by pressing him against the cage and exhausting him.
Haqparast is not quite the athlete Diakiese, but that does not mean that there is not a lot of talent to work. He was already posting better grappling catches than anyone expected in his early days at the UFC when he was able to avoid Marcin Held's multiple bid attempts. However, his bread-and-butter is still his powerful hit that he has honed with the legendary Rafael Cordeiro. At 22, he is also one of the youngest members of the lineup
Very few have heard of Haqparast, which means that Diakiese is the favorite of the bets. However, Diakiese did not seem to learn much of his loss to Drakkar Klose, leading to another loss against Daniel Hooker. The other thing to note was the athletic advantage that Diakiese had on his first three opponents of the UFC. It's fair to say that Haqparast is the most athletic opponent he's faced up to here. I go out at once and choose the lefty German to annoy Diakiese. Haqparast via KO of RD2
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