Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Gustafsson vs. Teixeira’

Middleweights

Jack Hermansson (14-2) vs. Alex Nicholson (7-3)

THE MATCHUP: Nicholson is tough. This fact cannot be denied, and it is toughness which makes up the bulk of Nicholson’s MMA game. A brawler by nature, Nicholson showed that he is able to fight a more disciplined fight against Sam Alvey, though it was not a fight he was able to win. When the chips are down, however, Nicholson’s ability to absorb punishment and dish it out in return is his greatest strength. A natural middleweight, Nicholson has fought three times as a heavyweight. Not only was he able to take the best punches of much larger men, but he actually knocked out every one of the heavyweights he faced, including current UFC fighter Chase Sherman.

Nicholson’s martial arts background is in taekwondo, and while his penchant for spinning back fists is not ideal, he did demonstrate some surprising leg dexterity in the Alvey fight. Had the bout not taken place at altitude, Nicholson may well have been able to push the pace necessary to win. Doubtless Stockholm will prove a more forgiving environment than the potent combination of elevation and air pollution that is Mexico City.

If Nicholson does utilize his arsenal of kicks, he could give Sweden’s Hermansson some serious trouble. Hermansson is a boxer by trade, with smart, unpredictable footwork and a volume-based approach. Hermansson works behind a smart jab, but his best punches are his lunging right straight and short right uppercut -- one leads to the pocket and the other does damage within it. Hermansson was stifled and surprisingly outstruck by Cezar Ferreira in his last bout, but the Brazilian brought a perplexing blend of counterpunching and wrestling to the table. The combination put a serious damper on Hermansson’s normally high output.

In contrast, Nicholson will be more willing to lead and much less likely to wrestle, which means a fast-paced striking battle is in store. It should be fun. If anyone goes for a takedown, it will be Hermansson. The Swede is capable of setting up some tricky shots with his hands, and he does have three submissions to his credit. Nicholson’s takedown defense in the UFC stands at 55 percent.

THE ODDS: Hermansson (-115), Nicholson (-105)

THE PICK: Nicholson is certainly the more immediately dangerous fighter of the two, but he is extremely hittable, absorbing a full 50 percent of his opponents’ strikes. While he throws just about as many strikes as Hermansson, he does so less deliberately. In a sense, Nicholson looks like a novice student of the Mike Winkeljohn school of striking, mixing up his attacks but rarely doing so in a way which really forces opponents into pick-your-poison scenarios. This is not to say that Nicholson cannot win. If his out-of-nowhere victory over the talented Devin Clark proves anything, it is that Nicholson will keep looking for the knockout no matter how the fight is going. Hermansson has been durable throughout his career, however, and his more technical, deliberate approach should give him the edge. The fact that he can mix in the occasional takedown to keep Nicholson guessing is just icing on the cake. The pick is Hermansson by unanimous decision.

Last Fights » The Prelims