Prior to each UFC fight card, Jay Primetown takes a look at some of the key contests at each event. In the latest installment, we look ahead to the preliminary headliner at UFC Fight Night 109 as 12th ranked bantamweight Pedro Munhoz takes on Polish grappler Damian Stasiak.
Pedro Munhoz (Record: 13-2, -700 Favorite, Power Ranking: B-)
The 30-year-old Brazilian is on the cusp of contendership in the UFC’s competitive bantamweight division. He enters Sunday’s Fight Night card on the back of a two-fight winning streak, which includes the biggest win of his career, a submission win over highly-touted prospect Justin Scoggins.
Munhoz is one of the more intriguing fighters to enter the division in the past few years. He has an all-around skill set, which allows him to compete with even the best in the division. He had a very competitive fight that went to a split decision with Top 5 bantamweight Jimmie Rivera just 18 months ago. On the feet, Munhoz is an aggressive fighter and tends to push a high pace in his fights. He presses forward with regularity, looking to land leg kicks and combining that with punches. Speed is not his forte, so he can be beat in a standing exchange by a fighter with good movement and footwork. He does have above average power in his hands and can finish with strikes, as he showed in his victory over Matt Hobar. Where he’s particularly crafty is in scrambles and grappling exchanges. Munhoz has one of the best guillotine chokes in the UFC and is capable of securing it with minimal setup and from abnormal angles. It makes Munhoz a threat in any fight he is in.
Damian Stasiak (Record: 10-3, +500 Underdog, Power Ranking: D)
Poland’s Stasiak entered the UFC in April 2015 and has fought three times in the organization. He lost his UFC debut to Yaotzin Meza as a late replacement but then won his next two fights in the organization, including a surprise submission victory over Davey Grant.
Stasiak is first and foremost a grappler. His output on the feet is minimal, as he hasn’t landed more than 14 significant strikes in any of his three UFC fights. Everything he does on the feet is in order to get his opponent to the mat. Stasiak is an effective grappler securing 3.48 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 53 percent success clip. In top control, he does a good job of maintaining position and looking for submissions. His level of competition is a real question mark, and this fight with Munhoz is a serious step up in competition.
Matchup
Munhoz heads to Europe to take on Stasiak at UFC Fight Night 109 in Stockholm, Sweden. Munhoz is the biggest favorite on the fight card and one of the biggest favorites in the UFC this year at -700. Munhoz opened as a deserving large favorite considering the gap in skill set. Stasiak offers nothing on the feet. Munhoz is a capable striker with real power in his hands, and he combines that with good volume and forward pressure. In any prolonged standing exchange, Stasiak is going to be in real trouble. Stasiak’s game plan is very predictable, and Munhoz knows that takedown attempts will be coming at any time in this bout. To counteract that, Munhoz has an excellent guillotine and can easily convert one of Stasiak’s takedown attempts into a choke to finish the fight. Stasiak’s skill set plays right into Munhoz’s abilities. This is going to be a very difficult fight for Stasiak to not only win, but to last 15 minutes. Given Munhoz’s ability to finish, the best opportunity for a bet on this fight is the Under 2.5 rounds prop (+100), which is lined better than Munhoz Inside the Distance (-120). While it’s not the best opportunity on this card, it is worth at least a small wager given the lopsided skill sets and Munhoz’s propensity to finish.
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