Ronny Markes vs. Aaron Simpson
Dale De Souza: Ronny Markes debuted against Karlos Vemola and spent all of three rounds showing off a strong takedown-oriented offense as well as a solid top game for a light heavyweight, but the fatigue set in long before the third round came. Henceforth, Markes is moving down to middleweight to face Aaron Simpson.
Simpson is a talented wrestler and a finisher in six out of 11 fights, with four decision wins and one TKO win due to a knee injury, so he's not anyone to overlook.
However, he's facing a big middleweight in Markes on Wednesday night, and while Simpson's a good wrestler, it'll be interesting to see if he can work that wrestling or land his shots with the same power on a big middleweight like Markes.
Markes will have a lot of questions to answer against Simpson, but fans of great middleweight action might be surprised at what the Brazilian can do.
(Markes by mid Round 1 TKO – Punches)
John Heinis: Aaron “A-Train” Simpson was soundly defeated by both Chris Leben and Mark Munoz in 2010, but those are the only losses on his record and he is currently riding a three-fight win streak.
Simpson is a middle-of-the-road fighter, but his heavy hands and above-average wrestling are enough to keep a lot of opponents honest.
Ronny Markes, a 23-year-old Brazilian fighter, looked impressive in his UFC debut against Karlos Vemola, easily defending the takedowns of the six-time Czech Republic National Wrestling Champion.
However, Simpson’s MMA wrestling is much better than Vemola’s, so I think he will be able to utilize effective takedowns and top control after Markes successfully keeps the fight standing in the first round.
(Aaron Simpson via unanimous decision, 29-28)
Jordy McElroy: Riding a three-fight win streak, Aaron “A-Train” Simpson is quietly climbing the middleweight ranks, but a dangerous Brazilian lies ahead on the tracks in Ronny Markes.
Simpson represents a nice step up in competition for Markes. With that said, Markes shouldn’t be underestimated in this bout. He is coming off a pair of solid wins over former WEC champion Paulo Filho and Karlos Vemola.
At 37 years of age, Simpson continues to show improvement in his overall fight game. He is a decent striker who boasts knockout power, but as a former collegiate All-American, his bread and butter lies in his wrestling. Against a more explosive fighter like Markes, Simpson may want to rely on his grappling to slow the fight down.
Whether that comes from takedowns or the clinch, Simpson has to stay out of bar room exchanges, where Markes will have his best opportunities to land the fight-ending haymaker that nets the upset.
(Aaron Simpson by Unanimous Decision)
Dwight Wakabayashi: Simpson is the wily, veteran wrestler who is on a very nice three-fight win streak right now in the UFC. Markes—by contrast—is the flashy, Brazilian 23-year-old up-and-comer making his second fight in the promotion.
It will be a sheer battle of will and Simpson is the type of fighter that can really grind out an opponent—I'm not sure that Markes has seen that type of fighter yet. It will be interesting to see if he can impose his will on Simpson.
This one won't be pretty.
(Simpson via unanimous decision)