Lightweight bout: James Vick (+160) vs Ramsey Nijem (-170) Fight Breakdown: The Facebook prelims portion of UFC Fight Night 26 from Boston, MA features a lightweight contest between TUF Live semi-finalist James Vick and TUF 12 finalist Ramsey Nijem. Vick is currently the underdog at +160 ($100 to win $160) with the favorite Nijem being -170 ($170 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. James Vick (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut coming off a long layoff. He has not seen action since his TUF 15 semi finals loss to Michael Chiesa, so ring rust may be a concern. Vick was doing very well on TUF Live until coming up against Chiesa. He mentally broke in that match-up and simply crumpled. Living in the TUF house for such a long time and having multiple fights during that time just wore him down; he’d had too much. He broke down during the fight, and Chiesa stopped him. He should be fresh and hungry for his first UFC win. James Vick is a very capable striker and will certainly carry with him the striking advantage heading into this bout. He will have a four inch height advantage over Ramsey Nijem, and a two and a half inch reach advantage. Vick has a nice jab and he will attempt to use it to keep Ramsey on the outside. He has solid takedown defense, and he will need to use it to defend Nijem’s takedowns and keep the fight standing for the majority of the fifteen minutes. Ramsey Nijem (7-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) returns to the Octagon after suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Myles Jury at UFC on FOX 7 nearly four months ago. Nijem is a former High School Wrestler of the Year and he uses his wrestling to control his opponents. His striking is very poor, as is his striking defense. He does not posess a good chin, either. His wrestling and his drive to win are really his two biggest assets. Nijem trains out of The Pit Elevated in Orem, Utah, under the tutelage of John Hackleman and with notable training partners Glover Texeira and Court McGee. Ramsey Nijem has very good cardio and is always capable of going hard for fifteen minutes. In order to win this bout, he will need to close the distance on James Vick and beat him up against the cage, while mixing takedowns and ground-and-pound into it. Fight Prediction: I see Vick getting the better of the striking and defending Nijem’s takedown attempts. I see a lot of the fight taking place against the cage, as Nijem attempts takedowns and Vick defends, meanwhile both exchanging short strikes. If Nijem spends too much time trying to strike, it’s likely Vick can find his weak chin and put him out, but I don’t think he will be looking to strike for long. Ultimately, I think Vick will get the better of the striking and defend takedowns on his way to his first UFC victory. Gabe’s Pick: James Vick by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended 7*UNIT Play: 4u on James Vick +3.5 -130, 2u on James Vick +160, and 1u on James Vick by Decision +435
