Preview: UFC Fight Night 149 ‘Overeem vs. Oleynik’
Shtyrkov vs. Clark
Light Heavyweights
Ivan Shtyrkov (16-0-1) vs. Devin Clark (9-3)Advertisement
The time has come for the UFC debut of the “Ural Hulk.” An undefeated Russian light heavyweight, Shtyrkov has become a cult favorite; and it is easy to see why. He is a bricked-up ball of meat whose entire game revolves around power. Shtyrkov is a bit more well-rounded than expected. For someone so stocky, he has a solid bit of lateral movement and an effective array of power submissions. However, all that power does come at the expected price: After about a round and a half, Shtyrkov starts to tire and the whole package begins to fall apart. Even with his flaws, the 205-pound weight class is flawed enough that Shtyrkov can make an impact. His run starts here against Clark.
Clark has been a solid light heavyweight prospect for a while now, even if his improvement has been slow enough to leave everyone wanting more. Clark came into the UFC as a solid wrestler but an unnatural and defensively open striker, and that still holds true, even if he has been adding a few more weapons to his striking quiver. If Clark can outwrestle an opponent like Mike Rodriguez, he can get a clear win, but beyond that, he has not been able to overwhelmingly control his fights and has shown a distressing ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Clark charged right into a standing choke against Jan Blachowicz, and his other two losses have resulted from flash knockouts against Alex Nicholson and Aleksandar Rakic, during which he was charging forward only to find himself tagged and unconscious on the mat shortly thereafter. He has earned enough rope that a loss will not completely derail his UFC career, but a win here would do a ton to finally give Clark some momentum.
This fight has a simple dynamic. Either Shtyrkov’s power game gets him an early finish, or Clark survives and takes over the balance of the fight. If Shtyrkov was purely a power puncher, Clark could just immediately start grinding out a win, but the undefeated newcomer has shown enough wrestling defense and even submission ability to keep this fight on the feet early. Shtyrkov is going to find an opponent that he cannot get past soon enough, but Clark’s lack of defense and questionable chin makes him one of the easier opponents for Shtyrkov to beat. The pick is Shtyrkov via first-round knockout.
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