UFC Fight Night 74 Date: August 23, 2015 Arena: SaskTel Centre City: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Bantamweight bout: Felipe Arantes (-200) vs Yves Jabouin (+170) Fight Breakdown: The preliminary card for UFC Fight Night 74 will feature a bantamweight contest between Brazilian Felipe Arantes and French-Canadian Yves Jabouin, with Arantes being a -200 ($200 to win $100) favorite heading into the contest and Jabouin being a +170 ($100 to win $170) at Several Bookmakerss. Felipe Arantes (16-7-1-2 NC MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) last saw action 10 months ago where he dropped a unanimous decision to Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili in his own Brazilian backyard. He will look to get back on track this Sunday night against the French-Canadian. Though currently residing in the United States, specifically New Jersey, all seven of the Arantes’ Octagon appearances prior to this bout had come on Brazil cards. The 27-year old is a talented Tae Kwon Do and Muay Thai fighter who likes to use all of his limbs and has a variety of tools in his striking arsenal. He is dangerous from top position on the mat, as he likes to work a brutal ground and pound attack. Arantes has very good takedown defense and a solid base, as he has been training in Judo since childhood. He also holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so he is well-versed on the mat, owning four career wins by way of tapout. The Brazilian generally has good cardio, so I expect him to have enough gas in the tank for a full three rounds of action, if necessary. Yves Jabouin (20-10 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is coming off a first round TKO defeat against the undefeated Thomas de Almeida at UFC 186 four months and looks to get back on track with a win over the Brazilian in his backyard. Jabouin is a very talented technical striker, but is more of a point fighter than a finisher, not having finished an opponent in nearly seven years. The 36-year old has a traditional Muay Thai stance, uses excellent footwork and works nice leg kicks. He has many kicks in his arsenal, including a spinning back-kick which he likes to use. Jabouin favors the spinning attack, as he also uses the spinning back-fist quite frequently, which seems to be one of his favorite strikes, though he does not often find success landing it. His preferred kick is the lead left high kick, which he likes to throw frequently. While it does not a strong enough kick to finish or even hurt his opponents, it looks good, scores points and is somewhat effective. He certainly has a solid kicking game, and definitely delivers them in high volume. When the French-Canadian closes the distance on his opponents, he likes to employ the clinch, where he favors knees, but also does damage with punches and elbows. One thing to note is that he is not very good at closing the distance on opponents who have a reach advantage over him and are able to implement it well, which could give him trouble against the taller, longer Arantes. Despite not having finished an opponent of over half a decade, Jabouin still packs a powerful right hand. At 36 years of age, he still has his speed and moves well on his feet. His striking defense is still very good, though his chin may be starting to diminish. “Tiger” has developed his wrestling game over the years and has good takedown defense. His offensive grappling is on point, as well. He has a nice single leg takedown he likes to use whenever he desires to take the action to the canvas, though that doesn’t ring true against fights with great takedown defense. It benefits Jabouin to have the threat of the takedown, because he is good at using faints, and does so often. While on the mat, he puts his elbows to good use in a brutal ground and pound attack. His cardio seems to be hit or miss; he tends to fade as the fight goes on, and sometimes does not have much to offer in the third round. That said, the judges love him, especially in Canada. The two times he has gone the distance inside the Octagon in front of a Canadian crowd, he has won two split decisions, one against Walel Watson and the other against the aforementioned Dustin Pague. Many spectators believed Watson and Pague deserved those nods; I am one of them. Gabe’s Call: Jabouin by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Thoughts: I expect this to be a closely contested bout and see it as a coin-flip situation, so I am opting to side with the +170 underdog for a play. Even if Jabouin does not deserve the nod, I can see the judges in Canada giving it to him, anyway. Arantes will find most success if he is able to successfully use his reach, but I think the French-Canadian will be able to get inside and land his shots. I think Jabouin dictates Octagon control and outpoints Arantes for a close win on the judges’ scorecards. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Jabouin (+170) 1.5u to win 2.55u
