UFC Fight Night 29 Date: October 9, 2013 Arena: Jose Correa Arena City: Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil Welterweight bout: Igor Araujo (+275) vs Ildemar Alcantara (-335) Fight Breakdown: The preliminary card for UFC Fight Night 29 features a welterweight match-up between two Brazilians when Igor Araujo goes toe to toe against Ildemar Alcantara. Araujo is the underdog at +275 ($100 to win $275), while Alcantara is the favorite at -335 ($335 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. IGOR ARAUJO (23-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 16, where he lost a unanimous decision to eventual winner Colton Smith. He is making his Octagon debut riding a four fight win streak which includes three finishes. Araujo is not an excellent fighter but holds his own in every regard. That said, he does not fair very well against talented wrestlers, as was the case in his TUF bout versus Colton Smith, a fight in which he was outwrestled for 10 full minutes. He is a very slick submission artist and the fact that 14 of his 23 professinal mixed martial arts career victories have come by way of tapout certainly reflects that sentiment. To compliment his skills on the ground, the 32-year old Brazilian has been working hard on improving his striking, as he has been training out of Jackson-Winklejohn MMA in Albuqurque, N.M. with the likes of Donald Cerrone, Carlos Condit, Diego Brandao, and an endless list of other talented mixed martial artists. He has decent cardio, I don’t expect him to gas out, even in his promotional debut. After being on TUF, he did not impress enough to get a fight in the house. Now is his chance to make an impression. ILDEMAR ALCANTARA (19-5 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is making his third appearance in the Octagon, the first of which he fought at light heavyweight on short notice. He faced Wagner Prado and submitted him rather easily. In his second bout, he fought at his natural weight class of welterweight, which is 35 pounds lighter than light heavyweight. He was dominant in his second bout en route to a decision win. Alcantara is currently one of the prospects to watch in the UFC’s welterweight division. This 30-year old Brazilian is a jiu-jitsu ace with ever-improving skills on the feet. The fact that he is Yuri Alcantara’s brother alone means he is no slouch. He has been very impressive in his first two bouts and looks to continue his dominance and get a big name for his fourth bout. Fight Prediction: They will cancel each other out in the submission game, but I think Alcantara is the superior grappler of the two and will use his offensive grappling to earn rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Gabe’s Pick: Ildemar Alcantara by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Ildemar Alcantara -335
