Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
Photo Courtesy of MMA Mania
John Heinis: While fans of the UFC's 145-pound featherweight division are pumped up to see Jung Chang-Sung fight Dustin Poirier in May, let's not forget about another potential barnburner in Hioki vs. Palaszewski.
Hioki, a former Sengoku champion, also known for his success in the Shooto promotion, had his doubters when he made his UFC debut against George Roop at UFC 137.
While the "Iron Broom" made his debut a successful one, it's tough for me to truly have faith in the Japanese grappler.
He barely beat Roop (I honestly thought Roop won that fight), and in 24 wins, he's beaten three other quality opponents (Jeff Curran, Mark Hominick, twice, and Marlon Sandro, who is good, but nothing special).
Once he fights someone with defense wrestling and power in his hands, he will lose: enter Bart Palaszewski.
While many were shocked to see "Bartimus" (yeah, it's a pretty lame nickname) knock out Tyson Griffin, coincidentally also at UFC 137, many forget Palaszewski was the last man to defeat Anthony Pettis in the WEC (WEC 45 in December of 2009).
In 36 wins, the Warsaw, Poland, native has 17 KOs and 11 submissions. Another lesser known fact about Palaszewski is that he has a black belt in BJJ, so he will likely outlast any submission attempts Hioki has up his sleeve.
It's obvious who I'm picking, but I think we see a statement win here.
Bart Palaszewski via 3rd round TKO
Dwight Wakabayashi: Hatsu Hioki is just hitting his stride in his career, and he is one Japanese fighter who has had some success against western competition.
Hioki is 25-4 in his career, and has fought mainly in Japan. He has also competed in Canada under the TKO organization, where he has two title fight wins over Mark Hominick.
Hioki is a submission wizard with 12 of his wins coming via submission and nine via decision. He is a black belt in jiu-jitsu and will look to implement that game on his opponent Bart Palaszewski.
This fight has large implications on the featherweight title picture, and Hioki is on a five-fight win streak and favored to win.
Palaszewski is a seasoned veteran with 50 mixed martial arts fights under his belt in promotions big and small all around the United States. He is most known for his days in the IFL and WEC, and this is his second fight under the UFC banner.
Palaszewski defeated Tyson Griffin via TKO in his debut. He has big power in his punches and holds 19 knockouts in his 36 victories. He wants to keep this one standing and land the power shot on Hioki.
Bart Palaszewski via 2nd round KO
Dale De Souza: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't battling with this one.
I was one of the many that was amped for HatsuHioki's UFC debut, and I was one of the many that thought George Roop might get submitted, but unlike the rest of "the many," I was impressed with Hioki's outing against Roop despite the split decision.
The truth is that there are going to be Featherweights who will try to play the role of the spoiler against Hioki throughout his time in the UFC.
Some of them are going to try and create similar fights to Hioki's fight with Roop, but it's more about how Hioki responds to those challenges than how some make him out to look that ultimately makes the most significance.
You talk about the role of "spoiler"; Bart Palaszewski is one such guy who we should expect to actually get the job done against Hioki, even if he fighting Hioki on his home turf.
"Bartimus" has come off of a win over an overweight Tyson Griffin to take on a huge step up in competition in the form of the fluid submission master Hioki, who is one of nine Japanese fighters who is not willing to give up any victory inside the Octagon on Saturday night (US time).
However, Hioki's never had to stand and match the pressure that Palaszewski mounts in each of his fights.
I'll say it right now as I have said earlier this week: Palaszewski is the type of fighter that promoters put on cards whenever fans decide that they're just in the mood for a fun fight, and he will do his best to make this a fun fight.
I would expect Palaszewski's reach to give Hioki trouble, but after much thought, I'm inclined to think that maybe there will be no doubt about who won the fight.
It's hard to not like the veteran Palaszewski, but rest assured, Hioki will earn his respect back on this night.
Hatsu Hioki by round 2 submission (Armbar)
Jeffrey McKinney: Hatsu Hioki will make his return to Japan, as he takes on Bart Palaszewski.
Hioki is currently on a five-fight winning streak, which includes his UFC debut against George Roop.
A victory could put him in a title bout with Jose Aldo.
But it won’t come easy, as he takes on hard hitting veteran Palaszewski.
Of his 36 wins, Palaszewski has 28 by knockout or submission. In his most recent fight, Palaszewski earned “Knockout of the Night” after he defeated Tyson Griffin at UFC 137.
I see this fight going in favor of Hioki, though.
After a less than exciting victory in his UFC debut, Hioki should be looking to put on an exciting show for his home crowd and perhaps earn a featherweight title shot.
Hatsu Hioki by decision