UFC Fight Night 45 Date: July 16, 2014 Arena: Revel Casino Hotel City: Atlantic City, NJ Lightweight bout: Pat “Bam-Bam” Healy (+115) vs Gleison Tibau (-155) Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight Night 45 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 will be headlined by a lightweight contest between veterans Pat “Bam-Bam” Healy and Gleison Tibau, with Healy being the underdog at +115 ($100 to win $115) and Tibau being the betting favorite at -155 ($155 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. Pat “Bam-Bam” Healy (31-18-1 NC MMA, 0-3-1 NC UFC) is still in search of his first official UFC win, coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jorge Masvidal just a couple of months ago, which follows a competitive unanimous decision loss to Bobby “King” Green and a lopsided unanimous decision to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Before the Nurmagomedov bout, “Bam-Bam” made his Octagon debut against Jim Miller and won the fight via third round rear naked choke submission. He took home $130,000 in bonus money for winning ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Submission of the Night’ honors. Unfortunately, he tested positive for having marijuana metabolites in his system, so the New Jersey State Athletic Commission overturned the result of the bout, ultimately costing Healy the victory, $130,000 plus his win bonus. Heading into this bout, being on a three-fight skid, his back is undoubtedly against the wall this time and I expect him to give it all to save his job. Healy had a somewhat successful run at welterweight before dropping down a weight class, as he holds notable victories over the likes of Dan Hardy, Paul Daley, and Carlos Condit. That said, he realized he needed to make the drop if he was ever going to get serious about making run in the UFC. “Bam-Bam” is a gritty wrestler who loves to close the distance and grind his opponents out with an aggressive, smothering attack. He likes to grind his opponents against the cage, score takedowns, and constantly keep the pressure on them. The Strikeforce veteran has decent striking skills that are still improving after 48 professional fights. He is a warrior with incredible heart, and a will that is near impossible to break. Healy has tremendous cardio; I have no doubt he will be able to go hard for all three rounds of action, should the fight go the distance. Gleison Tibau (28-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC) is coming off a second round TKO loss at the hands of Michael Johnson, which marked the first time he has been finished by strikes inside the Octagon since his promotional debut against Nick Diaz way back in 2006, so it was a major feat for the constantly improving Johnson. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak the Brazilian had put together, which included wins over Jamie Varner and John Cholish. Tibau has been a bit of a journeyman in the UFC’s lightweight division. He has been steadily winning some and losing some; not putting many streaks together, good or bad. The Brazilian is a skilled fighter, all-around. His stand-up is solid, as is his ground game. He has a great submission game and is always a threat when the fight hits the mat. If he doesn’t find a submission, he settles for raining down heavy punches. My main complaint about him is that he sometimes does not show up and give it his all in his fights, sort of allowing his opponents to get the better of him. Many spectators believed he could have defeated Khabib Nurmagomedov in their bout, but put zero effort in doing so. Coming off a loss, though, he is generally eager to get back to the win column. Training out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, the Brazilian is very durable with decent cardio, a good chin, and excellent submission defense. Though, it is worth noting that his chin could possibly be on a decline, considering his wear-and-tear and the fact that he was knocked out in his last outing. Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Healy is going to completely show up in this fight and control the action from the get-go. He is going to be all heart here; I wouldn’t be surprised to see him earn a stoppage, but I think he is going to get the better of Tibau for three rounds of action en route to a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. The fight could be very close, or Healy could be winning clearly, but either way, I am feeling confident it will be “Bam-Bam” who gets his hand raised. Gabe’s Call: Healy by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Pat Healy (+115) 4u to win 4.6u
