UFC 165 Date: September 21, 2013 Arena: Air Canada Centre City: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Bantamweight bout: Ivan Menjivar (-165) vs Wilson Reis (+155) Fight Breakdown: The UFC 165 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 features a bantamweight match-up between two veterans of the sport, when “The Pride of El Salvador” Ivan Menjivar takes on promotional newcomer Wilson Reis. Menjivar is currently the favorite at -165 ($165 to win $100), while the kickback on the underdog Reis is +155 ($100 to win $155) at Several Bookmakerss. IVAN MENJIVAR (25-10 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is coming off a rear naked choke submission loss to Urijah Faber at UFC 157 seven months ago. At 31 years of age, Menjivar is already a thirteen year veteran of the sport, having fought in four different weight classes. His first ever career loss came at welterweight to current UFC welterweight champion and pound-for-pound great, Georges St. Pierre. No biggie, just three weight classes above where he fights now. Menjivar holds a notable career victory in the lightweight division against current UFC standout Joe Lauzon (which would have been a more impressive statistic if mentioned prior to Lauzon vs Johnson). Menjivar has been through all kinds of wars in his career; there isn’t anything he hasn’t already seen. He is a well-versed fighter in all aspects of mixed martial arts; he is solid both on the feet and on the mat. When a bantamweight steps into the cage with “The Pride of El Salvador”, he is always at risk of being knocked out or submitted. Menjivar definitely is a finisher, as 19 of his 25 career victories have come inside the distance; 10 by knockout and 9 by tapout. The 31-year old El Salvadoran has a good chin; he is capable of taking punishment and coming back strong. The only ever knockout loss was, again, in his first ever pro career loss at welterweight against GSP. No one has stopped him since. Aside from his last loss to Urijah Faber, he has only been submitted one other time in his entire career, as he generally has excellent submission defense. His cardio differs from fight to fight, but he is generally in decent shape. Menjivar is a mixed martial artist who fights with a lot of heart; he will be entering this bout with a height and reach advantage, and will be looking to get back in the W column. WILSON REIS (16-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who is riding an impressive four-fight win streak that includes three submissions. The streak started when Bellator released him after back-to-back losses to Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and current Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas; he was knocked out in both bouts, and those remain the only two knockout losses in his professional mixed martial arts career. While Menjivar is a very talented grappler, Reis will have the grappling advantage heading into this. He is excellent everywhere on the mat. He likes to take opponents down, beat them up, and secure a choke. He will likely be at a striking disadvantage but I think he will be able to handle Menjivar on the feet. I don’t see him getting tooled, at all. He can make it very competitive. The 28-year old Brazilian and former EliteXC bantamweight champion has good conditioning and is ready to make his UFC debut, as he’s had his sights on the Octagon since the first time he put on a pair of MMA gloves. Fight Prediction: I think this will be a back and forth war with Reis getting the better of it en route to a decision or a possible finish. Gabe’s Pick: Wilson Reis by Submission (rear naked choke, 3:43 round 3) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Wilson Reis +3.5 -180, Wilson Reis +155, and a small play on Wilson Reis by Submission +540
