UFC Fight Night 88: Almeida vs Garbrandt Date: May 29, 2016 Arena: Mandalay Bay Events Center City: Las Vegas, NV Lightweight bout: Abel Trujillo (-320) vs Jordan Rinaldi (+260) Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight Night 88 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 will feature a lightweight contest between a pair of North Carolina born fighters in Blackzilian product Abel “Killa” Trujillo and One Kick Gym protege Jordan “All Day” Rinaldi. Trujillo is a heavy betting favorite heading into this match-up at -320 ($320 to win $100), with Rinaldi being a big underdog to win at +260 ($100 to win $260) at Several Bookmakerss. Abel “Killa” Trujillo (14-6-1 NC MMA, 5-2-1 NC UFC) last saw action at UFC 195 nearly five months ago, where he took a first round guillotine choke submission win over Colorado’s Tony Sims. Prior to that, he suffered a first round rear naked choke submission loss to Gleison Tibau but that has since been overturned to a DQ win for Trujillo due to the Brazilian testing positive for erythropoietin in his post-fight drug test. Having that loss overturned followed up the win over Sims, Trujillo now enjoys a two-fight winning streak inside the Octagon and aims to extend it to three against short-notice promotional newcomer Rinaldi. “Killa” comes from a wrestling background but has evolved into a solid striker. Having always been a heavy hitter, he began to add technique to his striking arsenal when he made the move to the Blackzilian’s camp in Boca Raton, FL, and started putting time in with head striking coach Henri Hooft. Trujillo first went over there when he was brought in to be a temporary training partner for one of their fighters, but he ended up making it his home for his fight camps. The 32-year-old is an aggressive fighter who possesses an above average chin and packs a lot of power in both hands. He has nice counter hooks and throws some brutal knees, including a beautiful jumping knee to the body. The North Carolina native has decent takedowns, and when in top position on the mat, he works a merciless ground and pound attack, putting all his strength behind all of his shots. That said, since his move to the Blackzilian’s camp, he has more so been using his wrestling defensively, so he can keep his fights on the feet and look for the knockout finish, which is what he goes for with every attempted strike. His takedown defense is not the best, but when taken down, he is very hard to keep down, as he does a tremendous job of finding his way back to his feet. Trujillo’s cardio seems to be hit or miss, and I expect him to be at a disadvantage in that department in this bout against Rinaldi. Jordan “All Day” Rinaldi (12-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is taking this bout on short notice, replacing fellow Legacy FC veteran Carlos Diego Ferreira, who was forced out of the contest due to injury. He currently rides a five-fight winning streak into his UFC debut and will be looking to make it six in a row with a victory over Trujillo. Rinaldo moves well on the feet, pressures well and puts together some decent combinations. He has a good left hook and a decent overhand right. The 28-year-old works a nice jab and has some solid kicks, including his front-kick, push-kick and leg kicks. He has good uppercuts, which he sometimes likes to lead with, and a nice clinch, from which position he is effective with his knees. “All Day” does a good job of using his strikes to set up his takedowns, which he does a good job of working, most notably his double-leg takedown. He is quite effective and resilient when in top position on the mat, doing an excellent job of controlling his opponents while raining down strikes and ultimately looking for the submission finish. He also does a good job of advancing from position to position. Rinaldi has a great submission game, both offensively and defensively, owning seven of his 14 professional mixed martial arts defeats by way of submission and one submission loss to current UFC featherweight Brian “T-City” Ortega, who is no stranger to tapping out top level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. His chin is a question mark but his cardio is excellent and I believe he will have enough in the tank for the hard three rounds against Trujillo, if necessary. Gabe’s Thoughts: I think the first round could be a toss up but if Rinaldi makes it to the second, I think he will turn it up and wear Trujillo down, then either finish him late or manage to cruise to a unanimous decision win on the judges’ scorecards. I think this fight is a lot closet than the betting odds indiciate, and contrary to popular opinion, I think he should be a slight (-140) betting favorite, so at his current offering price of +260, I see a lot of value and like him for a play. Gabe’s Call: Rinaldi by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Parlays: Rinaldi (+260) 3.5u to win 9.1u
