UFC Live 5 Preview: The Main Card

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Welterweights
Duane Ludwig (20-11, 3-2 UFC) vs. Amir Sadollah (5-2, 5-2 UFC)

The Matchup: Ludwig never met a standup brawl he did not like, so, in this fight, Sadollah has a good style matchup. His smooth skills on the feet are a nice counterpoint to the stand-and-bang style of the crude slugger types, as he mixes in kicks, punches, knees and elbows in seamless flows.

Ludwig, a natural lightweight who was once somewhat small for that weight class, has his work cut out for him here. He essentially needs to land a knockout shot on a bigger guy who will not have to worry about being held down by a larger wrestler.

Ludwig is a much tougher nut to crack for opponents who elect to stand with him, even as a welterweight, but Sadollah will probably have takedowns and top control in his backup plan. In fact, it is an effective tactic even if it does not yield significant results early, because it will force Ludwig to respect the clinch and takedown, which opens up Sadollah’s standing attacks.

The Pick: Sadollah has too many options in this one, and despite his wrestling deficiencies -- which are always going to be a problem at welterweight -- he is a tough son of a gun, with great submissions, to boot. Sadollah picks his spots and moments and mixes in standing attacks and ground-and-pound en route to a third-round technical knockout or submission.

Finish Reading » Next Fight: Donald Cerrone vs. Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira