Much like RFA has been able to do in the Western United States, Legacy FC is becoming the go-to promotion for the UFC to sign fighters coming out of the South. Three examples of the talent the organization has developed are Carlos Diego Ferreira, Henry Cejudo and Damon Jackson, who will all be stepping into the Octagon for high profile bouts on Saturday night at UFC 177. Legacy looks to unearth a few more promising fighters on Friday night at Legacy FC 34. Brazilian flyweight prospect Pedro Souza makes his US debut in the main event against Brian Hall, in a bout that should have title implications at 125lbs. Up a weight class from his return to MMA in March, former TUF winner Jonathan Brookins takes on Hall’s teammate in Austin Lyons. ‘Ultimate Fighter’ competitor Giblert Smith will be competing in the third bout of the evening, and he’ll be squaring off with Ben Brewer. With this card taking place in Tunica, Mississippi — which is about 45 minutes away from where Bellator put on their pay-per-view card back in May — it’s not surprising that Hall, Lyons and Brewer were all local fighters featured on the undercard of Bellator 120. All three picked up wins that evening, but if they do so again here it will be a bit more of a shock, since each could be considered the “opponent” in their respective bouts. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for the top three fights at Legacy FC 34 today at Several Bookmakers. Take a look: ——————– MAIN CARD (AXS TV, 10pm ET) Pedro Souza -210 Brian Hall +160 Jonathan Brookins -475 Austin Lyons +325 Gilbert Smith -215 Ben Brewer +165 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: Pedro Souza has the flashy, undefeated record coming out of Brazil, but I’m always a little apprehensive about those fighters since they rarely face much good competition on the way up. That is exactly the case with Souza. On tape it’s clear to see that he’s got skills on the ground, but it’s hard to gauge where his wrestling is it based on the relative inexperience (or downright poor quality) of the fighters he’s been in against. That could be a problem against Hall, who swings big and has a solid sprawl. Hall’s style has led him to getting a bit tired later in fights, but he still shows a good ability to avoid takedowns or get back to his feet. If this stays upright, he has a very good chance against the sloppy striking of Souza. The cardio issue for Hall could also be mitigated by the fact that Souza hasn’t fought in a year, and will be making the cut down to flyweight for the first time. I’m going against the grain on this one, but given the line I have to take a shot on Hall. I don’t give his teammate Austin Lyons nearly as good a shot to win his fight. He’s primarily a grappler, but he’s not as good a wrestler or grappler as Jonathan Brookins. That’s going to translate into him getting caught on the feet, where he’s also going to be at both technical and physical disadvantages. Lyons may come into the cage a bit bigger, but with Brookins moving from 155 on the Ultimate Fighter all the way down to 125 in his last bout, it’s hard to know how big he’ll actually be come fight night. At any rate, that potential size advantage alone won’t be enough to get past the overall superior skills of Brookins. Ben Brewer is aggressive and active, but has found himself controlled in a lot of grappling scenarios and put on his back due to those traits as well. Against a strong grappler like Gilbert Smith, I have to think he’s going to end up on the bottom quite a bit. While he does have six submissions in his career (a fair number of them from his back as well), he hasn’t faced grapplers on the same level as Smith up to this point. The biggest concern with Smith is always his cardio, but Brewer has slowed significantly in all of his fights that have gone out of the first round as well, so I have to lean towards the UFC veteran here.
