UFC Fight Night 101: Whittaker vs Brunson Date: November 26, 2016 Arena: Rod Laver Arena City: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Middleweight title bout: Robert Whittaker (+125) vs Derek Brunson (-135) Fight Breakdown: The main event for UFC Fight Night 101 in Melbourne will be a middleweight contest between #7 ranked UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker and #8 Derek Brunson. Whittaker is a slight +125 ($100 to win $125) betting betting heading into the contest, with Brunson being a slight -135 ($135 to win $100) betting favorite at Several Bookmakerss. Robert Whittaker (16-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) last saw action at UFC 197 seven months ago, where he picked up a unanimous decision victory over veteran Rafael Natal. He now enjoys a five fight winning streak inside the Octagon and is undefeated since stepping up to the UFC’s middleweight division from 170-pounds. He will be looking to extend his winning streak to six while simultaneously picking up the biggest win over his professional mixed martial arts career, as Brunson is his stiffest test to date at 185-pounds. Whittaker is a very talented striker and he he is very fun to watch. He fights with a bit of a flashy unorthodox Karate style that keeps opponents guessing. The down-side of said style is that he keeps his hands down, leaving him open to a possible knockout, which was the case against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Despite the lack of keeping his hands up, he has decent striking defense. The 25-year-old also has good takedown defense, good submission defense and can generally manage his own on the ground, although he does not offer much of a submission threat, despite owning a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As far as his cardio is concerned, I believe he will have enough in the tank for the full 25 minutes of action in this here his first main event match-up. Derek Brunson (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is coming off a first round TKO win over Uriah Hall just over two months ago and enjoys a five fight winning streak inside the Octagon, with all five victories coming by first round TKO. Brunson is a talented wrestler who is good at scoring both single and double-leg takedowns. He employs solid top control and is a capable grinder, as well as having a brutal ground and pound attack. Training out of Jackson-Winklejohn MMA in Albuquerque, Brunson has improved cardio and he has also been making major improvements in his striking, as has been evident from fight to fight during his UFC career. The 32-year-old is very flexible and athletic. He has a solid straight left, a nice high kick and does good work against the cage, where he likes to employ his knees. His submission defense is good, but his striking defense is not quite so good, which could spell for trouble in a striking exchange with a precision counter-striker like Whittaker. Gabe’s Call: Brunson by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Brunson opts to use his superior wrestling to make this a grappling contest where he will grind Whittaker out for a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards, potentially securing a TKO stoppage along the way. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Brunson (-135) 2.7u to win 2u
