UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) featherweight talents Cub Swanson and Kron Gracie clash at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, this Saturday (October 12, 2019) at UFC Fight Night 161.
The 35-year-old "killer chick" was rough in time. Swanson lost a fairly high level of competition in his previous four fights, but effectively escaped the title title. But the striker is now heading for a member of the legendary Gracie family, so his path won't be too difficult. Kron Gracie is a decorated black belt and ADCC gold medalist, one of the earliest submitted fighters on the roster. Still, I have a MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) career, which is an important step in the competition.
Let's take a closer look at the key to each person's victory.
Swanson Cub
record: 25-11
Main win: Dooho Choi (UFC 206), Jeremy Stevens (UFC Fight Night 44), Harland Dias (FUC of FOX 19), Charles Olivera (UFC 152)
Main loss: Frankie Edgar (UFC Fight Night 128), UFC Fight Night 57), Max Holloway (UFC in FOX 15), Brian Ortega (UFC Fight Night 123), Renato Moicano (UFC 227)
Key to victory: Swanson is a very creative striker. He wants to destabilize his opponent with a calf kick. He becomes more difficult to follow irregular movements. After that, Swanson inhales with a roofing punch and once comfortable in the pocket.
Although Swanson was submitted seven times in his long professional career despite being a black belt, takedown refusal is absolutely important for Swanson. In general, Swanson is good at blocking traditional double legs, but in the past he was tricked by awkward clinching work and the trick of jiji-jitsu guys.
Therefore, Swanson should not be far from the fence, but far from Gracie. Calf kick may be an important weapon for Swanson in this game. It's hard to catch and you can quickly freeze opponents, especially those who attack in a boxing-centric stance like Gracie.
Swanson's strategy is simple in paper. Keep moving, spoil your calf and surprise Gracie with quick combinations. But it can be difficult to run.
Cron Gracie
record: 5-0
Main win: Tatsuya Kawajiri (Rizin World Grandprix 2016: Final Round), Alex Caceres (UFC on UFC), Hideo Tokoro (Rizin World Grandprix 2016: First Round)
Main loss: none
Key to victory: Gracie wants to take his opponent to the mat, but not as desperate as many families in the past. Gracie, a training partner of the Diaz brothers, likes to stalk opponents and keep a lot of punches on the enemy. After all, this leads to clinching and take down or guard pull.
Each of his five victories came through.
Gracie's work with the Diaz brothers has proven to be an effective recipe for success in his career so far, but it is also important to learn through loss. Gracie can imitate flat foot shuffles too accurately, and it's much harder to implement these style footprints for 145 pounds for more mobile fighters. Swanson is making himself a hard goal and kicking his leg. So Gracie should be more focused on cutting the cage and ready to check.
In addition to that, it would be wise for Gracie to receive a note from Brian Ortega. Ortega couldn't land a traditional takedown against Swanson at Clinch, but was able to atch his neck twice when Swanson withdrew. If the takedown turns out to be truly difficult, simply choking to get the top ranking, like pulling expenses, would be a smart strategy for Gracie.
conclusion : It's a very important game for both, and it's fun to watch.
Is Swanson at risk of being released as a loss? Personally, I hope not because of the exciting nature of his fights and the high level of competition. At the same time, would you be surprised to see the 35-year-old Featherweight released after five consecutive defeats? Not at all. Swanson's UFC career has just started, but he hasn't thrown a softball.
Gracie says this is a big opportunity. He proved to be skilled enough to be on the list, but it's been a long time since a member of the Gracie family was truly a competitor. Swanson's victory won't support the weight of a few years ago, but it will still be enough to keep Gracie at the top 15. Given the lack of professional experience, Gracie is already a big achievement.
MMAmania.com will send the entire UFC Fight Night 161 fight card in one round starting this weekend. ESPN +"Preliminary" ET scheduled to start at 5 pm, part of main card to stream ESPN + 8 pm ET.
To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 161: Check out our comprehensive event archive via "Joanna vs. Waterson" news and notes. Wolf.
In UFC Fight Night 161, Cub Swanson and Kron Gracie are squared. Which man raised his hand?