Mike Pyle vs. Ricardo Almeida

Mike Pyle(20-7-1) is set to face Ricardo Almeida(13-4) according to MMAmania.

25th ranked welterweight Mike Pyle is coming off a huge upset win over John Hathaway at UFC 120. Pyle is now on the verge of being a contender, but first he will have to get past bjj master Ricardo Almeida.

Almeida(ranked 41st) likely avoided the UFC cut by defeating T.J. Grant earlier this month at UFC 124. Almeida was coming off an embarrassing 1st round submission loss to Matt Hughes. Almeida is one of the most talented grapplers in the world, but his desire and willingness to take punishment are sometimes in question.

Pyle and Almeida are both known for their submission games, but Almeida will trump Pyle on the ground, so it will be up to Pyle to push the pace, yet not get too over-aggressive. Patrick Cote was able to keep Almeida at bay with a stiff jab and solid takedown defense, Pyle should try doing the same if he wants to walk out of this fight a victor. Almeida’s conditioning will be an x-factor to watch out for, which is why I think Almeida will get in the clinch as soon as he has the opening and bring this fight to the ground. Pyle is likely confident in his own abilities on the ground and I think he may get caught because of that.