UFC 154 Prelims Preview

Patrick Cote (17-8, #20 ranked MW) vs. Alessio Sakara (15-9, #24 ranked MW)
Both fighters prefer to strike though Sakara has improved his wrestling over the last few years. Sakara’s chin has always been his weakness and against a heavy-handed striker like Cote that does not pose well for walking out with a victory. Cote lacks quickness and Sakara has proven to be an accurate boxer when his chin holds up. If Sakara mixes in his takedowns with strikes, he has a chance at stealing a decision, but it is not likely. This may be Sakara’s final fight in the UFC if he loses via finish.
Pick: Patrick Cote

Cyrille Diabate (18-8-1, #27 ranked LHW) vs. Chad Griggs (11-2, Unranked LHW)
Chad Griggs is making his light heavyweight debut, which is a much more appropriate place for his body type. Griggs has won most of his fights by swinging for the fences. Against a veteran technical striker such as Cyrille Diabate that may not work. Griggs would be best served putting Diabate on his back and attacking with ground ‘n’ pound, but Diabate has used his length well in wins over Luiz Cane, Steve Cantwell, and Tom DeBlass. Griggs should have the strength advantage, but I just don’t trust his overall wrestling to take Diabate down and keep him there. It should be a fun bout because Griggs brings the fight everytime.
Pick: Cyrille Diabate

Rafael Dos Anjos (17-6, #14 ranked LW) vs. Mark Bocek (11-4, #16 ranked LW)
This is probably my favorite fight on the undercard. Both fighters are flying under the radar in the division and would have benefited facing a bigger name to raise their respective profiles. Hopefully, the winner of this fight will get that opportunity. Bocek has the better wrestling, while dos Anjos’ striking has looked sharp as of late. Even if dos Anjos is able to rock Bocek on the feet, Bocek has proven savvy in working for the takedown and playing towards his strengths. Bocek has fought well in Canada and I expect him to do just enough to squeeze out a decision. For dos Anjos to win he has to use his speed and striking to pick Bocek apart. Dos Anjos’ recent loss to Gleison Tibau was due to him being overpowered in the clinch. Bocek has that same style, so this fight comes down to dos Anjos proving that he learned something from his last loss.
Pick: Mark Bocek

Sam Stout (18-7-1, #26 ranked LW) vs. John Makdessi (9-2, #39 ranked LW)
Stout is about as inconsistent as it gets. He has struggled since the loss of his trainer, Shawn Tompkins, and needs to show some better tenacity in trying to finish fights instead of just winning a kickboxing match. Stout displayed some improved wrestling in his last win over Spencer Fisher. That may play a pivotal role in this fight against fellow Canadian striker John Makdessi. Makdessi has KO power, but his ground game was exposed against Dennis Hallman. Makdessi will not be able to beat Stout with technique, so he will have to land the bigger shots and push the pace. Stout has one of the best chins in the sport, but anyone can be caught. It should be a Fight of the Night candidate, but I like Stout doing just enough to win a decision.
Pick: Sam Stout

Antonio Carvalho (14-5, #28 ranked FW) vs. Rodrigo Damm (10-5, #37 ranked FW)
Rodrigo Damm may have been on his way to making the TUF Brazil finals had he not been forced out of the competition due to kidney issues. Damm is a solid submission specialist with heavy hands. Carvalho has a very similar skill-set, so this fight should be very evenly matched. Though Damm has KO power, his striking is still his weakest area. Carvalho’s striking looked vastly improved in his last fight with Daniel Pineda. If Carvalho can avoid Damm’s suffocating ground game, he should be able to win this with his striking.
Pick: Antonio Carvalho

Matt Riddle (6-3, Unranked WW) vs. John Maguire (18-4, #34 ranked WW)
Riddle is a huge welterweight and has decent wrestling when he likes to use it. Riddle has made it known though that he is fighting to entertain fans and win Fight of the Night awards rather than grind out decisions. Riddle is returning from a recent suspension and he will need to put on a solid fight to atone for his actions. Maguire’s striking is nothing special, but his ground game is stellar. The issue will come down to whether Maguire can get Riddle down to the floor and control him. Maguire struggled mightily in his last fight against the bigger, stronger John Hathaway. I doubt Maguire has improved his wrestling in such a short amount of time. Maguire belongs at 155 lbs., so hopefully he will move down a weight class should he lose this fight. It is always dangerous picking Riddle because you never quite know what he’s going to do. Riddle stays busy striking and should have enough physical superiority over Maguire to dictate where this fight transpires.
Pick: Matt Riddle

Ivan Menjivar (24-9, #11 ranked BW) vs. Azamat Gashimov (7-1, Unranked BW)
Ivan Menjivar should get a hearty cheer from the Canadian crowd. He has a very favorable matchup against recent UFC signee Azamat Gashimov. It was thought that Gashimov would debut in the flyweight division, but instead he will be jumping into the deep end of the bantamweight division. Not much is known of Gashimov, just that he has not faced stellar competition. Menjivar should be a confident choice, though he was nearly upset the last time he faces a supposed overmatched foe (John Albert). Still, without a lot of big fight experience, it is nearly impossible to gauge Gashimov’s skills.
Pick: Ivan Menjivar

Darren Elkins (14-2, #21 ranked FW) vs. Steven Siler (21-9, #33 ranked FW)
This may be the second best fight on the undercard as both fighters are riding solid winning streaks of 3 fights each. They do have a common opponent in Diego Brandao. Elkins won a decision over Brandao, while Siler was finished via knockout. That fact does little to determine how this fight will play out though. Elkins is the superior wrestler and is the definition of a grinder. Career wins over Pat Curran, Michihiro Omigawa, and Brandao should have him in the upper echelon of the division, but he has yet to move up the ranks due to his inability to finish and win convincingly. Meanwhile, Siler’s striking and aggressiveness have been excellent as of late. Wins over the Miller brothers (Cole & Micah) have proven Siler’s ability to fight at the UFC level. Unfortunately, I just don’t think Siler has the takedown defense to keep Elkins at bay.
Pick: Darren Elkins