Preview: Bellator 237 ‘Fedor vs. Rampage’

Lightweight

Goiti Yamauchi (24-4) vs. Daron Cruickshank (22-12)

Yamauchi has much in common with former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida outside of being a Brazilian with Japanese heritage. The young fighter mirrors Machida in terms of approach. While the 26-year-old Yamauchi does not have the decorated karate background “The Dragon” possesses, his kickboxing style looks quite similar. He likes to stand in a wide stance with his core lined up off center, like many traditional martial artists. The southpaw prefers to work from range, using his constant movement to create opportunities to spring forward with an attack. Yamauchi lacks Machida’s power but throws many of the same techniques. His best weapons are his hook kick, question mark kick and push kick, and he excels at cutting off his opponent’s attacks with perfectly times step-in knees. Yamauchi also holds the rank of black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has established himself as a serious threat to end fights with submissions. He has displayed excellent flexibility in scrambles, leading to submissions from both the top and bottom positions. His high-level grappling game has helped him handle business in five out of his last six appearances. Yamauchi followed the biggest win of his career—a decision over former M-1 Global champion Daniel Weichel—with a submission of Saad Awad in just 100 seconds in his most recent outing. However, the Brazilian’s comfort with fighting off his back has resulted in his giving away valuable control time to fighters who are willing to stall in his guard.

Cruickshank will be the only American representing Rizin on the card. A seasoned 34-year-old veteran, he was a cast member on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter” before going on to compete a dozen times under the UFC banner. Since being released by the UFC, he has made 10 appearances in Rizin. Cruickshank is a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and uses his traditional martial arts experience in his standup attack. He stands in a traditional stance, throws a lot of kicks and has tremendous dexterity in his hips, as he can kick any area of his opponent’s body with either leg. Cruickshank is light on his feet and uses his movement to set up spinning backfists and spinning back kicks. Though he is athletic and uses his feet well, his boxing leaves a lot to be desired. Cruickshank hangs his hands low—a tendency that leaves him vulnerable to overhand rights and left hooks. He also needs space to use his kicks, so he does not perform well while being pressured. Though he wrestled in college, “The Detroit Superstar” rarely uses those skills and has in fact struggled in the canvas. In his most recent appearance against Tofiq Musayev, Cruickshank had difficulty returning to an upright position after being taken down. Worse still, he often makes the mistake of surrendering his back in scrambles and has been submitted seven times in his career.

Cruickshank was once a promising prospect but has never fulfilled the expectations many had for him. He has lost seven of his last 13 fights, leading most observers to view him as little more than an entertaining journeyman. Expect Yamauchi to press the issue, catch a kick and take Cruickshank to the ground before securing a first-round submission.

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