UFC 211 – A Sneak Peak at the Fighters
UFC 211 MAY 13th MIOCIC VS. DOS SANTOS
Here we are ladies and gentlemen, delinquents and degenerates, children of all ages- UFC 211 has ‘card of the year’ written all over it. Next weekend’s event will feature two championship fights and five current or former champions fighting. There will be several new faces added to the mix, and we’re expecting it to be one heck of a show!
Stipe Miocic vs. Junior Dos Santos headlines the card. If it’s anything like their first fight, it’s going to be a war and the victor should be crowned the “baddest man on the planet”. Take a look at a few of the fighters:
Stipe Miocic
Current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Stipe is what you want to see in a heavyweight fighter. Someone that can sit down on their punches and throw leather, but is still very technical in their boxing. He is 10-2 in his UFC career, his last loss coming against the man he’s scheduled to fight in UFC 211. Stipe is all about volume and accuracy, and being one of the big boys, he can knock you out with one strike. His chin is superb, cardio is excellent, and JDS is going to have to come in at 100% to have a chance of dethroning Stipe.
Demian Maia
This man will choke you. Flat. Out. He’s been called a “one-trick pony” by more than a few fighters and analysts, but when you do that one-trick better than anyone else, why not exploit it? He tried his hand at boxing and attempting to outstrip opponents, but was put to sleep. He has since reverted back to his smothering ground game, and is currently riding a 6-fight win streak. His opponent, Jorge Masvidal, has an awesome chin and loves to strike. Maia has been known to have a suspect chin against bigger opponents, but he’s not giving up a lot of size to Masvidal. If he sticks to what he’s been doing, it’s going to be a long night for Masvidal.
Dustin Poirier
Dustin has looked great since he moved up to 155. He’s 5-1 as a lightweight, has shown his power in his strikes, but has also utilized his cardio to wear opponents down. The bump up in weight hasn’t seemed to slow him down. He’s going up against the freshly dethroned lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, who’s coming off of a knockout loss to Conor McGregor. Eddie is going to be hungry and gunning to get a shot at that title quickly. Eddie has experience in fighting championship rounds, he’s tenacious and strong, and he can wrestle very well. IF Dustin can create distance and pick Eddie apart for 3 rounds, it’s a win bonus for DP and one step closer to the title.
Krzysztof Jotko
What’s even more confusing than this guy’s name is how little he’s talked about. He’s going into this fight with a 5-fight win streak on the line against an experienced David Branch. Jotk has knockout power and very unorthodox striking. He absorbs very little damage, has defended almost 90% of takedowns attempted against him, and has the endurance that can wear an opponent down. His goal is to defend takedowns, keep you on your feet, and pick you apart. His middle name should be Volume. He’s not “finish-heavy” but he does have power and stamina.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
The smallest but probably most terrifying person on the card. The undefeated strawweight champion has been a terror in the cage. She can utilize her extensive kickboxing and muay thai background to effective kick and can also obliterate her opponents with punches on punches on punches. Her volume is among the top strikers in the UFC, but her accuracy is what separates her from the rest of the pack. She is well-conditioned and will bring it all 5 rounds.
Jessica Andrade
The woman looking to upset Joanna Jedrzejczyk has her work cut out for her. A shorter, stockier fighter facing a taller, longer fighter. Both like to strike, both can take a shot, but Andrade is probably going to try to take this fight to the ground. JJ has shown she can be taken down, but no one has been able to put her in a really bad spot. Jessica Andrade has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is going to test it against the kick boxer’s submission defense.
Henry Cejudo
The Olympic gold medalist is going to come out with a chip on his shoulder. Having dropped his last two fights after going undefeated in MMA, he’s most likely going to revert back to his wrestling base and grind out a win. He’s fighting Sergio Pettis, who’s older brother was the UFC lightweight champion and who trains with Duke Roufus, one of the best coaches in MMA. Cejudo is strong, has fantastic cardio, and is extremely quick with his takedowns. He has strength in his punches, as many wrestlers do, but he’s not known for knocking his opponents out. He’ll have volume punches but most likely grind out a W.
Marco Polo Reyes
Flying a little under the radar, Marco is 3-0 in the UFC and could make a big splash in the lightweight division with a win over James Vick. Marco throws strikes, and a lot of them. During his fight against Dong Hyun Kim, Marco threw 312 strikes (47% accuracy) and the fight still could have gone another 2 minutes. He’s going to look to overwhelm Vick and get ahead of him on the scorecards. He looks for the finish, he’s a headhunter, and has been set up nicely against an opponent that will want to stand and trade with him. Vick will most likely want to take the fight to the ground and try to get the submission, so be wary. Vick is 10-1 with wins over several respected fighters.
We’ll be back next week with at look at the UFC 211 salaries…
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