UFC Fight Night 34 Date: January 4, 2013 Arena: Marina Bay sands City: Marina Bay, Singapore. Bantamweight bout: Leandro “Brodinho” Issa (-150) vs Russell Doane (+110) Fight Breakdown: Kicking things off on the preliminary card is a bantamweight scrap between ONE FC veteran Leandro “Brodinho” Issa and Tachi Palace bantamweight champion Russell Doane. Brodinho is currently the favorite in this bout at -150 ($150 to win $100), and Doane is an underdog at +110 ($100 to win $110) at Several Bookmakerss. LEANDRO “BRODINHO” ISSA (11-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his Octagon debut after going 3-1 in the ONE FC promotion. He last saw action nine months ago in a unanimous decision victory over Yusup Saadulaev at ONE FC 8. Issa is a talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black-belt who is very solid in the submission game, although it is worth noting that his jiu-jitsu game does not translate into MMA too well. That is because he is not well-versed in no-gi jiu-jitsu, and is used to having a gi to assist him with his submissions. Some of his favorite submissions are near-impossible to pull off without a gi. That said, his jiu-jitsu game in MMA is still quite dominant. He works decent takedowns and has excellent top control. He keeps heavy pressure on his opponents, as he constantly looks for submissions. He transitions well on the mat, has powerful top control, and takes chances looking for submissions. Issa loves looking for the arm triangle choke, though he has only finished one opponent with it thus far in his professional mixed martial arts career. To compliment his offensive grappling, “Brodinho” is also very good in the defensive grappling department. He has a great sprawl and takedown defense, and being somewhat large for a featherweight, it is generally a difficult task to take him down to the mat. When he is taken down, he can be quite dangerous off his back, always a threat to catch his opponents with a submission. Issa is also good at reversing positions, and finding his way on top. It would be wise of the Hawaiian Russell Doane to avoid the ground game with him. While Doane is no slouch there, he will be at a grappling and submission disadvantage against the 30 year old Brazilian. While he is flat-footed and is not a very good striker, Issa does have a decent over-hand right, not to mention some powerful kicks. His striking defense is atrocious, and he has a poor chin. In fact, two of his three career losses have been due to knockouts. Due to the low confidence he has in his striking skills, Issa often relies in his grappling and jiu-jitsu to win fights. When he chooses to stand with his opponents and feels the disadvantage on the feet, he immediately turns to what he knows, which is his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As soon as he gets hurt, he wastes no time closing the distance and going for the takedown, and he is relentless about getting it. Training out of Evolve MMA in Singapore with fellow Brazilian UFC fighters Rafael Dos Anjos and Antonio Braga Neto, Issa is well-prepared, and will have his conditioning in-check and ready for a three round affair. He will be the hometown favorite in his UFC debut, as he has made Singapore his adopted home. RUSSELL DOANE (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will be making his UFC debut just weeks after defeating UFC veteran Jared “The Jackhammer” Papazian for the vacant Tachi Palace bantamweight title. He dropped Papazian in the fourth round, and then followed him to the mat, where he delivered a barrage of elbows forcing the referee to step in and call off the action. It was a very impressive performance for Doane, as he displayed high fight IQ, and became the first person to ever defeat “The Jackhammer” via T/KO. The win caught UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby’s eye and earned him a contract with the promotion. Now, the Hawaiian looks to make a quick turnaround and pick up his first UFC win in Singapore, where he plays the role of a road underdog, as he takes on the hometown favorite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist in Issa. Doane is a well-rounded mixed martial artist who is good at everything he does. He has solid boxing and kickboxing skills; he works his punches well, and is effective with his kicks, both high and low. He has fast hands, and packs a lot of power behind all of his strikes. Doane has good footwork; he uses the cage well, and moves great on his feet. He is quick, though he often prefers to be patient and look for opportunities to explode and hurt his opponents. The 808 Top Team product is a talented grappler who possesses great takedowns and works a powerful top game. He works a very nice body lock takedown, and is generally relentless with all takedowns, especially when he’s going for a double or single. He works the guard well, as he likes to rain down heavy punches and elbows in bunches and hell-knows. The young Hawaiian has a very good submission game, though he will be at a disadvantage in that department against the advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in Issa. That said, I would not be surprised if Doane did indeed submit the Brazilian. He is skilled in jiu-jitsu in his own right, and has impressive flying submission attacks. Complimenting his offensive submission game is an equally good or better defensive submission game. That said, he is hardly ever in submission trouble, as his fight IQ generally tends to keep him out of it, though he has suffered two losses due to tapout throughout his six year professional fighting career. Doane has solid takedown defense, and a great sprawl, but when taken down, he works an excellent guard. He is very dangerous off his back, as he threatens with fists, elbows, and all sorts of submissions. Doane is also good at finding escapes, and pulling off reversals, ultimately finding himself in top position, where he most favors being. Even though he has not had a full training camp for this fight, I expect him to be able to go all 15 minutes of action without the slightest of fatigue setting in, as he is generally a very well-conditioned fighter with tremendous cardio. All things considering, he should still have the edge in that department heading into his Octagon debut. Fight Prediction: I think Doane will look to keep this fight on the feet, where he will have a clear advantage over Issa. He will defend his takedown attempts, outstrike him, and quite possibly knock him out. Gabe’s Pick: Doane Russell by KO (punches, 3:08 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Russell Doane +110 4u to win 4.4u
