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411’s MMA Roundtable Preview – UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos

December 16, 2017 | Posted by Dan Plunkett
UFC on FOX 26 Rafael dos Anjos

WELCOME:
Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler fights former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in a battle of top welterweight contenders at UFC on Fox! In the co-main event, Ricardo Lamas faces Josh Emmett. Before that, “Platinum” Mike Perry takes on Santiago Ponzinibbio. Plus, Glover Teixeira vs. Misha Cirkunov, and more!

THE STAFF:

  • He’ll lock you in the guillotine, Robert Winfree!

  • He’s 411’s Jack of All Trades, Jeffrey Harris!

  • And your host for this roundtable, Dan Plunkett!

    Preliminary Card
    UFC Fight Pass
    Welterweight Bout: Jordan Mein vs. Erick Silva

    Fox Sports 1
    Middleweight Bout: Alessio Di Chirico vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
    Lightweight Bout: John Makdessi vs. Abel Trujillo
    Welterweight Bout: Nordine Taleb vs. Danny Roberts
    Welterweight Bout: Chad Laprise vs. Galore Bofando
    Middleweight Bout: Julian Marquez vs. Darren Stewart
    Light Heavyweight Bout: Jan Blachowicz vs. Jared Cannonier


    THE MAIN CARD:
    Light Heavyweight Bout: Glover Teixeira vs. Misha Cirkunov

    Robert Winfree: This fight is pretty good, and both guys are solid light heavyweights, but both men were knocked out in their last appearances and Glover is just 2-2 in his last four yet retains a top ranking. Teixeira does everything pretty well, he’s got good power but incredibly predictable punching patterns, and his grappling game is solid but he only uses it if forced to. Cirkunov is a very good grappler, his transition game in particular is sweet, but he attacks in straight lines on the feet and is a bit stiff with his head position. Teixeira is the more proven commodity but after that prolonged beating he took from Gustafsson I’m hesitant to pick him, I think Cirkunov gets back on track.

    Winner: Misha Cirkunov, Submission, Round 2

    Jeffrey Harris: This is actually a pretty good fight for the light heavyweight division considering it’s the current UFC light heavyweight division. Both men are coming off losses, but with the division in utter chaos right now, a win here puts either fighter in a very good position. Glover Teixeira is a well-rounded fighter with good boxing, knockout power, and grappling defense. Misha is an exceptional submission grappler with a 4-1 UFC record, who is looking to come back from a quick knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir. It’s a tough fight here, but I think Cirkunov is going to be too much for Teixeira. I expect a good fight, but Cirkunov uses his superior grappling skills to catch Teixeira.

    Winner: Misha Cirkunov, Submission, Round 1

    Dan Plunkett: A good bit of matchmaking here sees a fighter beginning to age out of the top of the light heavyweight division battle a fighter just coming into his own. Cirkunov stumbled in his last outing, a 28 second knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir, but he remains one of the most promising fighters in the division. I think he’ll put Teixeira on his back and win the fight on top.

    Winner: Cirkunov, Decision

    The staff picks Misha Cirkunov, 3-0.


    Welterweight Bout: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Mike Perry

    Robert Winfree: This is going to be crazy. Both guys have good chins, both guys hit hard, both guys aren’t afraid to get in and throw everything at their disposal at the other. Ponzinibbio is the more technical fighter, but he can also be lured into brawling after landing a decent punch and wanting to get a finish. Poninibbio is the ranked fighter here and has much more to lose, I can’t help but wonder if that will play into his game plan. I could see this going either way, but at the moment I’ll lean towards Ponzinibbio.

    Winner: Santiago Ponzinibbio, TKO, Round 2

    Jeffrey Harris: This is a potential fight of the night candidate. Mike Perry gets an opportunity against a ranked opponent here. But due to his exciting style, he’s probably going to get a lot more attention going into this. Santiago Ponzinibbio is a very underrated fighter. He’s put together a five-fight winning streak, including a knockout win over Gunnar Nelson in his last fight. He’s 7-2 overall in the UFC. This is his chance to fight on a big stage against an exciting opponent, who may not be as ranked, but Perry is a surging prospect. I like Ponzinibbio here. Perry is very dangerous with knockout power. But he tends to fight very recklessly and with his chin wide open. I’m picking Ponzinibbio to catch Perry while he’s being sloppy to get the win.

    Winner: Santiago Ponzinibbio, TKO, Round 1

    Dan Plunkett: Ponzinibbio has more tools and an edge in technical ability both on the feet and the ground, but how can you pick against a guy with tattoos on his face?

    Winner: Platinum Mike Perry, KO, Round 1

    The staff picks Santiago Ponzinibbio, 2-1.


    Catch-weight (148.5 lbs.) Bout: Ricardo Lamas vs. Josh Emmett

    Robert Winfree: Josh Emmett steps in on relatively short notice here after Lamas’ original opponent got promoted to a title fight. Emmett is a Team Alpha Male fighter, but he seems to be at least an update or two behind. Emmett shuffles his feet, loops all of his punches while bending at the waist and hoping to transition to a double leg. It’s been good enough to get him to the UFC, but his UFC success has been very mixed. Lamas is likely the better wrestler, the better striker, and has experienced a significantly higher level of competition. I don’t see too much reason to pick against Lamas.

    Winner: Ricardo Lamas, TKO, Round 1

    Jeffrey Harris: Ricardo Lamas was originally going to face former champion Jose Aldo in a rematch here, but Aldo got a shot against Max Holloway at UFC 218 due to Frankie Edgar’s injury. He now faces Josh Emmett who stepped up to take this fight to keep Lamas on the card. I don’t think Emmett will bring anything to the table Lamas hasn’t dealt with before. As long as he doesn’t underestimate Emmett after losing his fight with Aldo, he should take care of business here.

    Winner: Ricardo Lamas, Submission, Round 1

    Dan Plunkett: Emmett took this fight on short notice and failed to make the featherweight limit. In addition, Lamas is a level above him to begin with. We should see a decisive win for Lamas.

    Winner: Lamas, Submission, Round 2

    The staff picks Ricardo Lamas, 3-0.


    Welterweight Bout: Robbie Lawler vs. Rafael dos Anjos

    Robert Winfree: This bout is really intriguing. Dos Anjos is a pressure fighter through and through, but he still has issues when he isn’t the one coming forward. There’s a decent chance he’ll be allowed to dictate the first round or so as Lawler could start slow, or Lawler could start like a bat out of hell and try to bulldoze dos Anjos quickly. If Lawler fights complacently he’ll find himself on the fence and being smothered, possibly taken down, and worked over by a guy with a high pace and relentless pressure. That said, dos Anjos has shown a habit of being caught by guys with even half decent counter striking. Dos Anjos is also the smaller fighter and Lawler brings some pretty absurd fire power, over five rounds I have a hard time seeing Lawler fail to land a decent blow and off balance dos Anjos en route to finishing him.

    Winner: Robbie Lawler, TKO, Round 3

    Jeffrey Harris: This is a good welterweight bout that could determine the next No. 1 title contender for the division. Rafael dos Anjos has looked really good since moving up to welterweight. Now he faces his biggest test to date against the former champion Robbie Lawler, and it will be a five-round main event. I’m favoring Robbie Lawler here. He will have a distinct size and reach advantage for this fight, and I don’t think Dos Anjos has ever faced someone with Lawler’s level of power either. Lawler sometimes has a penchant for starting slow. So, I could see Dos Anjos taking a round, but Lawler eventually dominates and gets the finish later on.

    Winner: Robbie Lawler, TKO, Round 4

    Dan Plunkett: I really like RDA’s striking, particularly the pressure he brings. But until he beats an elite welterweight like Lawler, I’ll be more apt to weigh the size difference he faces heavily. I think Lawler’s size advantage plays a big difference here.

    Winner: Lawler, KO, Round 3

    The staff picks Robbie Lawler, 3-0.


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