Stipe Miocic vs. Philip De Fries
Dale De Souza: Now, Stipe Miocic is an interesting case, as is Philip De Fries, as both are undefeated in the sport and they're both risking their unbeaten careers in this fight.
Before this fight, they were tested against a variety of talent, with Miocic recently defeating Joey Beltran at UFC 136 and De Fries defeating Rob Broughton at UFC 138. Both wins came by unanimous decision.
De Fries is known for his ground game and his submission skills, but Miocic is known for being very tough to finish. To boot, the man has a powerful right hand that can put just about anybody away. De Fries is a promising sort of fighter, but if he cannot answer the question about his striking, he might be forced to get the fight to the ground.
Easier said than done, but if either man is thinking about a step up in competition, they both will have to prove to be good in just about every realm of the fight game.
Come Wednesday, one man will prove to be the better fighter, and if you don't buy that, just ask Miocic's right hand.
(Miocic by late first-round KO – Punch)
Dwight Wakabayashi: Both of these young and up-and-coming heavyweights are 1-0 in the UFC, coming off solid debut wins and looking to make more noise in the division. It is a tough one to call in terms of who has beaten the tougher competition, but Miocic comes in with bigger hype and is favored.
This one is another matchup where Miocic wants to swing away for the knockout and De Fries wants to avoid the barrage, take it down and submit Miocic for the win.
The winner of this fight will position himself well for a nice step up in 2012.
(Miocic via unanimous decision)
Jordy McElroy: The paths of heavyweight prospects Philip De Fries and Stipe Miocic comes to an early crossroads in the UFC.
Miocic—a former Golden Gloves champion and NCAA Division I wrestler—hopes to use his wrestling to keep the fight standing, where he should be most effective. De Fries’ striking remains a work in progress, and his best bet is working for takedowns and keeping the Croatian on his back.
The problem will lie in De Fries’ inability to contend in the striking exchanges to set up takedowns. Miocic should be able to outpoint him on the feet and force him into desperate, telegraphed attempts to drag the fight to the floor.
(Miocic by Round 1 KO)
John Heinis: One of two undefeated heavyweight prospects will finally have the bitter taste of defeat at the end of this one.
A former Division I wrestler, Miocic is also a Golden Gloves champion. Five of his seven victories have come via knockout and he has proven quite difficult to take down in the cage.
De Fries is a talented grappler, with seven of his eight wins coming by way of submission. Long story short: Miocic wins if the fight stays standing; De Fries wins if he can get it to the ground.
I am going with the latter on this one.
(Philip De Fries via third-round submission – Rear Naked Choke)