UFC Fight Night 58 Date: December 20, 2014 Arena: Jose Correa Arena City: Barueri, Brazil Middleweight bout: CB “The Doberman” Dollaway (+650) vs Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (-600) Fight Breakdown: The main event for UFC Fight Night 58 in Brazil will be a middleweight contest between first-time headliner CB “The Doberman” Dollaway and Brazil’s own Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. Dollaway is a big betting underdog headed into this 25 minute scrap at +450 ($100 to win $450) and Machida is the big favorite to win at -600 ($600 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. CB “The Doberman” Dollaway (15-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is set to make his 15th trip to the Octagon, following a unanimous decision victory over Francis Carmont, thus far being the only fighter to take home a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus without scoring a finish. He now rides a two-fight winning streak headed into this five round main event, and it would be a five-fight winning streak if not for a controversial split decision loss to Tim Boetsch. Dollaway has been showing major improvements in his all-around game, especially in the striking department. His striking defense looked good against Cezar Ferreira, as he shoulder rolled in defense against the cage during a flurry, and answered with a hook that sent the Brazilian to the canvas. “The Doberman” has shown that he possesses some serious power in his hands, and even came close to putting away Daniel Sarafian in their 2013 bout. My main concern with him is his chin, as he’s easily been rocked in the past, not to mention the fact that he’s suffered a pair of knockout defeats inside the Octagon. The 31-year old is a talented grappler with solid wrestling and an excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game. He is the only fighter to win a UFC fight with a ‘Peruvian necktie’ submission, a move he used to submit recent WSOF middleweight title challenger Jesse Taylor at UFC Fight Night 14 back in 2008. Dollaway is a Division I wrestler out of Arizona State University and while he does not possess the greatest takedowns, he is pretty effective from top position on the mat, once able to get the fight there. “The Doberman” trains out of Power MMA in Tempe, AZ and has generally has solid cardio, but this is his first five round fight, so he will be tested if the fight makes it past the 15 minute mark. It wasn’t very good before but he has shown improvements in that department, as well, so I expect his conditioning to be spot-on. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (21-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) is coming off a unanimous decision loss against UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman in his first bid for the 185 pound title, and will be looking to bounce back into the win column against “The Doberman” this Saturday night in his native Brazil, as he has his sights set on another crack at the gold. He was competitive against Weidman and the two produced an entertaining 25 minute title fight. “The Dragon” is a very talented striker with a bit of an unorthodox Karate style that he has definitely made his own. He is a fighter who remains very calm and collected. He is patient on the feet, does not get over-aggressive, and looks for his opportunities to attack. Machida is very accurate and calculated with his striking, he does not waste any strikes. He is good when pushing the pace and being the aggressor, but he is also an incredible counter-striker. The Brazilian likes to bait opponents into his traps; he often frustrates his opponents into making mistakes he capitalizes on, which is how he has earned many of the knockouts in his professional mixed martial arts career. The former UFC light heavyweight champion has great striking defense and uses his distance really well. He likes to be flashy at times, as was evident with his jumping crane kick knockout of veteran UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, and his head kick knockout of Mark Munoz in his middleweight debut. He likes working his knees, especially the left knee to the body. Machida has tremendous takedown defense, as he has very strong hips and a solid base, thanks to time spent training as a sumo wrestler long before getting involved in mixed martial arts. The Brazilian works excellent kicks, including a solid front kick, and a variety of head kicks, like the one he used in his aforementioned knockout of Munoz. Training out of Black House MMA in Los Angeles, CA, Machida is generally a well-conditioned fighter who I think will have a slight advantage in the department against Dollaway, as he is used to five round fights. Gabe’s Thoughts: Simply put, I think Machida is going to catch Dollaway and put him away within the first 10 minutes of action. Gabe’s Call: Machida by T/KO (head-kick and punches, 4:56 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 2.5 rounds (-150) 4.5u to win 3u
