Monday, 14 September 2009 11:02
by Dallas Winston
The theme for this week's dissection is "Q&A with Dallas". Through an intricately formulated poll carefully distributed throughout the vast expansion of the internet in an attempt to reach each of our 17 regular readers, we requested detailed questions about UFN 19 to be fielded, analyzed, and answered by yours truly. Of the 6 questions we received, 5 were from me, and the remaining question pertained to my interest at enlarging my penis from an anonymous source. But all is not lost, as I'm officially packing an extra half-centimeter of girth as of this morning, and the show must go on.
Nate Diaz x Melvin Guillard: 1) "Why is this the main event, considering Diaz is coming off two losses, and Guillard tested positive for cocaine after the Stevenson fight and just got out of jail earlier this year?" Many believe that that the co-main event of Maynard and Huerta is more deserving of the event centerpiece, but let's not forget that Diaz choked out Gray Maynard on TUF and Guillard won a decision against Huerta in FFC, but the win was overturned due to Huerta's claims that Guillard was greasing. If that doesn't suffice, look on the bright side- you can't possibly feel as slighted as Rich Clementi, who choked out Guillard within seconds of the opening bell yet was released from his UFC contract while Melvin enjoys headline status.
2) "Isn't it likely that Guillard will lose by submission since that method accounts for 85% of his losses and Diaz has incredibly formidable BJJ skills?" Yes. However, Nate Diaz stated that he's happy that Melvin will stand and bang instead of trying to stall and hold, and Nate, much like his brother, is too proud to be reduced to diving desperately for takedowns. His confidence anywhere in the fight and willingness to trade punches with Melvin just may be his undoing, as Melvin's glaring weakness is his submission defense. Melvin also displayed improved takedown defense against his largest opponent to date in Gleison Tibau, and has powerful wrestling skills with bricks for hands. Diaz will implement fearless bravado in the form of his lengthy and awkward stand-up, which lacks power but lands often, and is backed by a ten-ton chin that must be plenty sturdy to support the weight of his big mouth. Guillard is too much of a brawler to avoid following Diaz to the ground at some point and falling into one of his crafty and gangly traps. My guess: Diaz by submission
Gray Maynard x Roger Huerta: "Is it true that the UFC gave Huerta the toughest possible opponent because this is the last fight on his contract and he might skedaddle to pursue acting/modeling?" Trying to get inside the heads of the Zuffa brass and understand the true motive behind their decisions is like peeing on an electric fence- you're never sure what will happen, and no good can really emerge from the process, so you just avoid it. I can attest in full that Gray Maynard is a nightmare match-up for Huerta. He's got the kind of power and wrestling technique that could only be bested by a knockout artist, a submission extraordinaire, or a better wrestler- none of which fittingly describes Huerta.
Huerta amassed a six-fight UFC winning streak by outhustling his opponents, using his athleticism and solid skill in all areas combined with a frenetic pace and busy hands. Although he is the much more exciting fighter, Maynard’s smothering ground game will stifle the type of chaotic scrambles that Huerta has thrived on in the past, and he will be swallowed in a Maynard takedown if he attempts the lunging left kick he prefers. Huerta's attack will be limited to boxing and BJJ, and his lack of excellence in any one area will not give him many avenues to victory against “The Bully”, who takes the model’s lunch money in this one. My guess: Maynard by decision
