UFC Fight Night 51 Date: September 13, 2014 Arena: Nilson Nelson Gymnasium City: Brasilia, Brazil Lightweight bout: Gleison Tibau (-225) vs Piotr Hallmann (+185) Fight Breakdown: The co-main event for UFC Fight Night 51 will be a three round lightweight affair between Brazilian veteran Gleison Tibau and Polish prospect Piotr Hallmann. Tibau is the favorite at the sportsbooks in this fight at -225 ($225 to win $100), with Hallmann being the betting underdog at +185 ($100 to win $185) at Several Bookmakerss. Gleison Tibau (29-10 MMA, 14-8 UFC) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Pat Healy at UFC Fight Night 45 just under two months ago and will be looking to make it two in a row inside the Octagon against Hallmann. The Brazilian has been a bit of a journeyman in the UFC’s lightweight division; steadily winning some and losing some, not putting many streaks together, good or bad. He is a skilled fighter, all-around. His stand-up is solid, as is his ground game. Tibau 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 did not put much effort in doing so. Training out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, the veteran has excellent submission defense and a good chin, though it is worth noting that his chin may be on a decline, considering his wear-and-tear and the fact that he was knocked out recently by Michael Johnson. As far as his cardio is concerned, it’s always a question mark regarding him. I think he is the biggest lightweight in the division, and believe he cuts a lot of weight to make 155-pounds. That often affects his conditioning during his fights, but sometimes it does not make a difference. That’s why I feel you could never really be too confident laying big units on Tibau, there are always too many risks with him. Piotr Hallmann (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is coming off an impressive third round rear naked choke submission victory over the veteran Yves Edwards at UFC Fight Night 42 just over three months ago, and he now owns two submission victories inside the Octagon. He will be looking to make it two in a row against another veteran in Tibau on enemy territory in Brazil this Saturday night. The Poland native is a well-conditioned athlete who has good footwork and solid striking skills. He has a solid Muay-Thai clinch, from which position he likes to deliver devastating knees to the body. Hallmann likes to close the distance and deliver powerful short shots. He has a good chin, regardless of having been dropping several times throughout his fighting career. He also has excellent recovery, as was evident in his promotional debut against Trinaldo. “Pletwal” is a talented grappler, being well-versed in wrestling and the submission game. He works good takedowns, preferring to get opponents to the mat and get in top position, from which point he loves to employ a vicious ground and pound attack. The 27-year old has heavy hands and does serious damage in the ground and pound, as he is very strong from the top position. He is also strong enough to pull off “strong man” submissions, such as the kimura he got Trinaldo with in his aforementioned debut. The Pole is undoubtedly a finisher, as seven of his 15 professional mixed martial arts career victories come by way of T/KO and seven by submission. He does not necessarily look for submissions, he just beats his opponents up until they give something up, at which point he takes advantage of the opening and secures the tap. Hallmann is a well-conditioned athlete who will be ready to go hard for 15-minutes against the Brazilian, should the fight go the distance. Gabe’s Thoughts: I feel this is going to be a close fight and will mostly be close because of Tibau’s size advantage. If they were the same physical size, I would pick Hallmann, hands down, but the size difference makes things very tricky. Tibau is, I think the biggest lightweight in the division, while I don’t think Hallmann cuts much weight to make 155-pounds. That said, he will hold advantages in speed, cardio, and in my opinion, technical skill; both on the feet and in the grappling department. I think the Pole should be -120 in this bout, so I like him for a value play at the current betting line of +185. Gabe’s Call: Hallmann by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Piotr Hallmann (+185) 2u to win 3.7u
