UFC 148 ‘Silva vs. Sonnen 2’ Preview

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Bantamweights

Ivan Menjivar (24-8, 3-1 UFC) vs. Mike Easton (12-1, 2-0 UFC)

The Matchup: Following a four-year hiatus from 2006 to 2010, Menvijar’s return to professional MMA has proven fruitful, as he has won three straight contests inside the Octagon and four of five bouts overall. Most recently, “The Pride of El Savador” survived an early onslaught from John Albert to submit “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 alum in the first round at UFC on Fuel TV 1.

Menvijar was originally scheduled to square off with Renan Pegado but will instead get Easton, with “Barao” moving to the UFC 149 headliner against Urijah Faber. Easton is unbeaten in two UFC bouts after earning a majority decision in a highly entertaining scrap with Jared Papazian in January. Both men have above-average power for bantamweights, and their penchant for all-out aggression makes this a dark horse contender for “Fight of the Night” honors.

With fights at various weight classes and against opponents such as Georges St. Pierre, Matt Serra and Urijah Faber, Menvijar brings a veteran’s savvy and experience to the cage. He has a multi-faceted arsenal of kicks, knees and punches, and his elbows in clinch can be especially deadly, as he proved against Charlie Valencia at UFC 129.

Easton favors a fast pace and has proven comfortable fighting at close quarters, with knees in the clinch being his weapon of choice. The Alliance MMA product likes to set up takedown attempts with punching combinations and leg kicks. Easton is the type of wrestler who is not simply content to “lay and pray,” as he will throw strikes and look to advance position from his opponent’s guard. Should Menvijar shoot for a takedown, he needs to be conscious of the Easton guillotine choke. The Tristar Gym representative did a good job defending submissions from an active Albert in February.

The Pick: Easton is usually stronger than most of his opponents, but that will not be the case here. Look for a back-and-forth battle, with Easton using his six-inch reach advantage to land enough strikes from the outside to get the decision.

Last Fights » The Prelims