From a fan’s standpoint, UFC 231 is a wonderful event. In terms of betting opportunities, I’m feeling lukewarm. Nevertheless, here are my hints of those fights that I’m looking to playwith. Gilbert Burns vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Decorated jiu-jitsu champion and second degree black belt, Gilbert Burns, has been working on his striking in the past several decades. Training beneath famed Dutch kickboxer, Henri Hooft, Burns is now comfortable wherever the fight occurs.
Together with his newfound striking abilities, Burns scored emphatic knockout victories over Jason Saggo and Dan Moret. Regrettably, preferring to bang Dan Hooker proved to be devastating and Burns was violently finished in his last struggle. I lost money thinking Burns would grapple — oh well!
Even though a good striker, Burns takes risks defensively and heaps up on his shots. Dan Hooker is the kind of fighter that could capitalize on defensive lapses — but I am unsure Olivier Aubin-Mercier is.
Coming from a judo history, Aubin-Mercier is exceptionally strong in the clinch and hefty from leading position. While he is a whole lot more proficient on the feet than he used to be, Aubin-Mercier still lacks the fluidity of somebody that is a natural striker. He is light on his toes, out and in with his movement and somewhat undependable — but is true when he flames.
While Aubin-Mercier is a jiu-jitsu brown belt, so I doubt he wants to go to the mat with Burns. Even the muscle-bound human blanket, Michel Prazeres, refused to dive to the protector of Gilbert Burns — which speaks volumes.
In his last fight, Aubin-Mercier appeared a step behind in the scrambles from Alexander Hernandez and I’d expect a master of body manipulation like Gilbert Burns to control the mat too (though I wish there was more footage of Burns fighting his back to create a much better assessment).
I believe the striking exchanges will be competitive, but I give Burns a small edge. Stylistically, this looks tricky for Aubin-Mercier and I can not predict his approach. Perhaps the Canadian will attempt to control his competitor against the weapon, but without shooting takedowns?
I do believe Aubin-Mercier is the better athlete and certainly has the superior cardio. Still, I will take my chances with Gilbert Burns as a +120 underdog as I think he must be a slight favorite.
Elias Theodorou vs. Eryk Anders
At a middleweight showdown between two boxers with contrasting designs (and personalities), Eryk Anders takes on Elias Theodorou.
A fantastic athletic, Anders is volatile yet has good cardio. Struggling out of the southpaw stance, Anders packs huge electricity in his left hand — but in my view, goes head hunting a little too much. In his final bout, Thiago Santos was prepared for the primary weapon of Anders — which limited his offensive success.
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