UFC Glasgow, Fight Previews

Michael Bisping (26W, 7L) vs. Thales Leites (25W, 4L)

The main event for UFC Glasgow was announced to much excitement but also to some negativity. Many fans were happy that they would get to see ‘The Count’ in action but many others were expecting a main event that ultimately would be unrealistic for Scotland’s first UFC event. Bisping comes into this event coming off a decision win over C.B Dollaway. Bisping made it out of round 1 of that fight after almost getting finished by Dollaway and then used his varied skill set to control the next two rounds winning a unanimous decision. Bisping as most fans will know has came close to a title shot in the UFC before but just hasn’t been able to climb to the top of the mountain. His win over Dollaway has once again set this train in motion but whether it gets derailed by Leites has yet to be seen.

Leites is coming into this fight on a bit of a tear, he is currently on a 8 fight win streak with 5 of them coming in the UFC and all being varied from KO, TKO, submission and decision. Many fans are straight up picking Bisping with him being the big name on the card but Leites has been in big fights. In 2009 he took Anderson Silva to a decision, so he is no slouch and a great game opponent for Bisping that should make for a great headliner for Glasgow. Bisping’s record over the last few years has been pretty sporadic, every win has been followed by a loss and then a win again.

Bisping definitely has the skills to beat Leites as he showed in the Dollaway fight but it’s crazy to look past Leites with his current form and his record for finishing fights

Ross ‘The Real Deal’ Pearson (17W, 8L) vs Evan Dunham (15W, 6L)

Pearson fights out of Alliance MMA and has fought in the UFC since winning The Ultimate Fighters season 9 in 2009. Pearson has fought an impressive 15 times in the UFC and won 9 times with 5 losses and 1 no contest. Pearson most recently fought the durable Sam ‘Hands of Stone’ Stout at UFC 185 winning the fight by second round KO. Pearson’s UFC losses are against the elite. Cole Miller, Edson Barboza, Cub Swanson and Al Iaquinta all hold wins over Pearson. Pearson also owns a loss to Diego Sanchez which is widely regarded as one of the biggest robberies in MMA since Lee Murray stole £53 million at the securitas depot robbery in 2006.

Evan Dunham fights out of Xtreme Couture and like Pearson has fought in the UFC since 2009 and has fought 14 times in the UFC with 9 wins and 5 losses. Like Pearson those losses came to some top calibre opposition. Sean Sherk, Rafael Dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone and Edson Barboza all hold victories over Dunham. Sherk a previous lightweight champion, Dos Anjos, the current lightweight champion and Cerrone arguably the current number 1 contender for the title. All no slouches in the octagon.

Dunham last fought at UFC 182 defeating Rodrigo Damn by unanimous decision and will look to put another win in the column after riding a three fight losing streak prior to that win.

Both these fighters are incredibly tough with a willingness to stand and trade. A lot will depend on Pearson getting inside the reach of Dunham but in doing this he risks a grappling exchange with the Xtreme Couture fighter. An interesting match up stylistically that is sure not to disappoint.

Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (9W, 2L) vs Pawel ‘Plastinho’ Pawlak (11W, 1L)

Edwards is an English fighters who currently trains out of The Ultimate Training Centre in Birmingham. Edwards lost his debut UFC fight to Claudio Henrique Da Silva at UFC Fight Night 56 but 5 months later rebounded in astonishing fashion at UFC Fight Night 64 knocking out Seth Baczynski 8 seconds into the fight. Prior to his stint in the UFC Edwards fought 5 times for BAMMA holding a notable victory over Scotland’s very own Shaun ‘The Disgrace’ Taylor. No stranger to a battle Edwards is sure to bring an exciting fight to Glasgow.

Pawlak is a Polish fighter out of Gracie Barra in Lodz and like Edwards has fought twice under the UFC banner. He has amassed 11 wins in his 12 fight professional career racking up a ten fight win streak in his native Poland. Pawlak lost his first fight for in the UFC and first fight out of Poland at UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin against Peter Sobotta. On his return to Poland at UFC Fight Night 64, Pawlek fought and defeated Sheldon Westcott winning by unanimous decision.

A Pole fighting an Englishman at UFC Glasgow makes for an interesting match up indeed. Will there be enough Polish support in the crowd to make it feel enough like home for Pawlak to win? Will the fickle Scottish crowd decide to rally around Pawlak? We’ll find out on Saturday.

 

To most fans of Scottish MMA Steven “Braveheart” Ray will need no introduction. Beloved by his fans, who loyally follow him and are known for their chant of Stevie “Fuckin” Ray, Stevie is comfortably Scotland’s most popular fighter domestically and I believe Scotland’s most well rounded fighter.

Stevie’s combination of athleticism, solid striking and devastating ground and pound/top control has led him not only to an impressive 17-5 record (5 KOs, 8 Submissions) but also led him to the Cage Warriors World Lightweight Championship. In April of this year he finally received the call to the UFC – albeit on two weeks notice, to fight a Pole. In Poland! Stevie however did the business and proved what many already knew – he is UFC level and he is here to stay!

The tables have turned now for Stevie as he goes from Party Spoiler to guest of honour. He will be the hometown hero and the man who want’s to replicate what Stevie did in Poland and derail the hometown hero is Brazil’s Leonarda Mafra.

Sporting an impressive record of 12-2, with 8 KO wins, it’s no mystery what Mafra wants to do. He wants to strike and he wants to finish. Although only sporting a 1-2 record in the UFC, his losses (the only of his career) were to Rick Story at welterweight (no shame in that) and to Thiago Perpetuo, again at welterweight. Mafra is a large lightweight but so is Stevie. Mafra won his last fight in the UFC and much like Stevie is looking to get a streak going in the big leagues.

Of all three Scottish fighters, I’d say Stevie has drawn the toughest fight, but it’s a reflection of his skills that he is still regarded as the bookmakers favourite here. In a stand up firefight, it’s anyones game, But Stevie’s takedowns, top control and well roundedness should prove the difference over the more one dimensional Brazilian. And the 12,000 Scots screaming his name might just give Stevie a bit of a boost….

 

Paddy ‘The Hooligan’ Holohan (11W, 1L, 1D) v Vaughan Lee (14W, 10L, 1D)

Holohan vs Lee is another fight for UFC Glasgow which has fireworks written all over it.

Holohan fights out of Ireland’s SBG and will be making the small jump over the Irish Sea to a city with a proud Irish history of it’s own. Holohan has 7 of his 11 wins via submission and Lee has 7 of his 10 losses to submission. Holohan last fought and won at UFC Fight Night 59 taking the decision victory against Shane Howell. Prior to that Holohan suffered his only career defeat to Chris Kelades at UFC Fight Night 54.

Lee fights out of the Ultimate Training Centre in Birmingham. If looking purely at stats alone his 10 losses are a poor reflection on his ability. His professional career got off to a rocky start with three straight losses which in reality can be pretty much forgotten about. He also owns losses to Brad Pickett, Chris Cariaso, TJ Dillashaw, Raphael Assuncao and Iuri Alcantara, all of which are marquee UFC fighters. His 10 losses are a testament to the calibre of opponent he has faced and his willingness to take those fights.

Lee has an alternating UFC record with his most recent fight a loss against the aforementioned Iuri Alcantara UFC Fight Night Munoz vs Mousasi. His last win before that was against Nam Pham at The Ultimate Fighter China Finale.

Lee’s record suggests that he is susceptible to submissions which appears to be Holohan’s speciality. However the calibre of opponent Holohan has been submitting doesn’t compare with the calibre Lee has been submitted by.

Lee is the more seasoned fighter and has undoubtedly fought the tougher opponents in his career. Holohan with only one loss to his name will be riding a wave of confidence and belief due to SBG’s most recent successes. This is a close fight to call and will no doubt be an exciting one for the fans.

UFC Glasgow‬ features an all European Light Heavyweight clash between Sweden’s Ilir Latifi and Dutchman Hans Stringer and is also a clash of two of MMA’s most prominent camps as Latifi represents Allstars Training Center with Stringer representing the Blackzilians

There is not much we really need to say to get you excited for this clash of the big lads – both are heavy hitters, both are finishers and there is not a chance this one goes the distance.

“The Sledgehammer” Latifi, who rose to fame and popularity when taking on, and giving a good fight to, Gegard Mousasi on a few days notice in Sweden back in 2013 has cemented his reputation as a fan favourite in all 4 of his UFC fights. He may be 2-2, but he chases the finish every time and will clearly fight anyone, anytime. Demolition wins over Cyrille Diabate and Chris Dempsey followed the Mousasi fight, however a TKO loss to then surging Jan Blachowicz put the breaks on the Latifi train for now. Latifi is always fired up and swinging hard – he literally fights like a sledgehammer would – so imagine what he’ll be like fired up, needing the win to get back on track!

Well rounded Stringer has 17 wins of his 22 coming inside the distance. An elite striker, with a BJJ Black Belt to boot, it is no surprise that he has 9 KOs and 8 Submission wins to his name. His UFC tenure started encouragingly with a good win over Francimar Barroso, but he ran into a then surging Fabio Maldonado which halted his momentum. He too wants back in the win column!

A stocky guy who throws BOMBS against a rangy technical kickboxer. A powerhouse wrestler with a BJJ Black Belt. A finisher in desperate need of a win against a finisher in desperate need of a win.

What’s not to like!? Not a fight I will be missing!