UFC Fight Night 50 Date: September 5, 2014 Arena: Foxwoods Resort Casino City: Ledyard, CT Featherweight bout: Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira (-185) vs Nik “The Carney” Lentz (+160) Fight Breakdown: The main card for UFC Fight Night 50 in Connecticut will feature a rematch between featherweights Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira and Nik “The Carney” Lentz, with Oliveira being the betting favorite at -185 ($185 to win $100) and Lentz being the underdog at +160 ($100 to win $160) at Several Bookmakerss. Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira (18-4-1 NC MMA, 6-4-1 NC UFC) is coming off the most impressive victory of his professional mixed martial arts career, submitting Japanese veteran Hatsu Hioki in the second round of action just a couple of months ago. He will now be making a quick turnaround in hopes to get a victory over Lentz, an opponent he felt he had already beaten, before the result of the bout was later turned into a No Contest due to an illegal knee that occurred which lead to Oliveira’s submission finish. A win over “The Carney” will make the Brazilian three in a row and put him one more win away from having his name mentioned during title-talks. “Do Bronx” used to be a very poor striker, but is now pretty decent on the feet. He has been showing improved skills on the feet, as he has been working on his Muay Thai and focusing on sharpening his all-around game to become a well-rounded mixed martial artist. Oliveira is an elite black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and his ground game is just on another level. His submission game is excellent, both offensively and defensively, though it is worth noting that he was submitted by another elite black-belt in Jim Miller when competing in the 155-pound division. The 24-year old’s cardio is on point and I expect him to be game for a three round war against Lentz, should the fight go the distance. Nik “The Carney” Lentz (25-6-1-1 NC MMA, 9-3-1-1 NC UFC) has been red-hot ever since dropping down to the UFC’s featherweight division, where he has gone on an impressive 4-1 run, with the only blemish coming in a closely contested unanimous decision loss against current 145-pound title challenger Chad Mendes. He last saw action at UFC Fight Night 40 in Cincinatti just four months ago, defeating a game Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards, ultimately getting himself back into the win column. Tomorrow night against the Brazilian, he will be looking to make it two in a row, while simultaneously seeking revenge for that illegal knee from three years ago. “The Carney” is a talented wrestler who works solid takedowns and is very heavy from top position. He is without a doubt one of the best “grinders” in the UFC’s featherweight division, but to compliment his grappling-heavy style, he has also sharpened up his skills on the feet, where he can now hold his own, as opposed to being a fish out of water on the feet back when he competed at 155 pounds. Lentz is well-versed in the submission game, both offensively and defensively. He owns 10 of his 25 professional mixed martial arts career victories by way of tapout. However, against Oliveira, he will be at a tremendous disadvantage in the department. Training out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, “The Carney” is constantly improving and had incredible cardio, so I have no doubt he will be ready for 15 minutes of action tomorrow night. Gabe’s Thoughts: Simply put, I think Oliveira’s superior submission game will be the difference in this match-up. An illegal knee lead to the tapout the first time around, but he won’t leave any questions about it this time. This is a rematch I am very much looking forward to and I think the Brazilian gets his hand raised again. Gabe’s Call: “Do Bronx” by Technical Submission (d’arce choke, 2:12 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Charles Oliveira (-185) 5.55u to win 3u
