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VERSUS |  |
| Tyson Griffin | Takanori Gomi |
The event kicks off at 9pm EST on Versus. The first fight of the televised portion is between Lightweight barn-burner Tyson Griffin and an all-time Lightweight great, Takanori Gomi. Both fighters are coming off tough losses in their last bouts. Gomi made his UFC debut back in March against perennial Lightweight crown challenger Kenny Florian, and left much to be desired. Tyson Griffin broke his two fight win streak with a loss to outstanding Lightweight up and comer Evan Dunham back in June.
Griffin seemed to be heading toward a rematch with Frank Edgar, but for a title this time around. His efforts were then thwarted by Evan Dunham in a split decision loss. It seemed as though Griffin took that fight lightly and didn't realize how much of a stud Evan Dunham really is. Griffin has outstanding stand up, with a good wrestling base and is very strong. He'll want to try to take Gomi down and work ground and pound on him all fight. If his head's on straight this fight, he should be heading his way back up the ladder, but it remains to be seen.
Several years ago, Takanori Gomi was considered the best lightweight in the world, but in recent efforts has proven to be a shell of that fighter. He's 2-3 in his last fight fights, with losses against Golyaev, Kitaoka, and Florian, though a loss to Kenflo is nothing to be discouraged about. He's always shown a good wrestling base with very solid stand up, that includes one-punch knockout power. The main predicament he's going to find himself in tomorrow night is how to close the distance and avoid Griffin's outstanding kicks, while loading up that right hand.
The story of this fight would be completely different if it took place four years ago, but given his recent shortcomings, Gomi will likely be heading out of the UFC shortly after or be sentenced to fight newcomers in the organization. Look for Griffin to batter Gomi's legs and take him down all night to earn a unanimous decision.
Prediction - Tyson Griffin by Unanimous Decision
I'm worried one of the problems with Japanese fighter coming to the U.S. might be the drug testing. In Japanese MMA, drug testing isn't mandatory at all, and not even done for most fights. A lot of Japanese fighters look great in Japan, but look like completely different fighters in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very valid point. A lot of it has to do with the lack of Athletic commissions in Japan. It's not just with Japanese fighters either, you saw a lot of exports from PRIDE FC really shrink in size when they came over to fight in the United States.
ReplyDeleteA good example of the drug use would be Josh Barnett, who was very successful over in PRIDE, but when he came over, in his second fight in the States I believe, he tested positive for steroids. There has also been heavy speculation about Alistair Overeem's size.
I don't think that steroids are the case with Gomi, because he was losing fights over in Japan before he came over. He's just on the decline, and his best years are way behind him. I say three or four years ago, if he had made the leap to the UFC, he'd be vying for a title.
Thanks for the comment! Means a lot!