UFC on FOX 9 Date: December 14, 2013 Arena: Sleep Train Arena City: Sacramento, C.A. Lightweight bout: Abel Trujillo (-130) vs Roger Bowling (-110) Fight Breakdown: Starting things off for the UFC on FOX 9 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 is a rematch between two heavy-swingin’ lightweights who fought to a controversial no-contest last time around. A score will be settled, when Abel Trujillo faces off against Roger Bowling in a fight that will likely produce a knockout. The odds for this bout are at a near coin-flip, with Trujillo being -130 ($130 to win $100), and Bowling being -110 ($110 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. ABEL TRUJILLO (10-5-1 NC MMA, 1-1-1 NC UFC) is a decent wrestler who loves to throw leather. His offensive wrestling is average, and his defensive wrestling is not very good, as he was taken down a record setting 21 times in his bout agaist Khabib Nurmagomedov. Trujillo likes taking opponents down and beating them up in a merciless ground and pound attack. He trains out of the Blackzilians camp in Coconut Creek, F.L. with notable fighters Michael Johnson, Jorge Santiago, Miguel Torres, and Eddie Alvarez. Before their first meeting, I pegged Trujillo to have the cardio advantage heading into the bout, but that did not seem to be the case, as he seemed to tire slightly quicker than Bowling. I have not been impressed with Trujillo thus far in his Octagon career. He hits hard and he can wrestle, but he does not do either of those or anything else especially well. In other words, he does not excel in any specific area of mixed martial arts. The most impressive thing he has done is not get finished by Nurmagomedov. I’d say more impressive than his come from behind TKO victory against Minneapolis’ Marcus LeVesseur, who never belonged in the UFC to begin with. Trujillo’s game-plan for this bout will likely be the same as the first: just go in there and try to take the other guy’s head off. ROGER BOWLING (11-4-1 NC MMA, 0-1-1 NC UFC) will be fighting for the third time at 155 pounds, as he gets ready for his immediate rematch following the no contest. UFC President Dana White publicly stated that he thought Trujillo won the fight, and went on to reward him his win bonus. Along with many other fans, I felt Bowling received the short end of the stick there. If anyone should have received a win bonus, I thought it should be him. He was winning both rounds until getting hit with what appeared to be an illegal knee. Bowling is a strong athlete with good boxing who throws heavy punches and powerful kicks. He puts a lot of steam behind his strikes, as he is looking to badly hurt his opponents with each one. In fact, that plays part in why he tires early on in fights. His cardio is also not the greatest, especially at 155 pounds. I have a feeling he will show improved cardio in this bout, as he should be extremely motivated to defeat Trujillo. Bowling has above average wrestling; he works takedowns pretty well, especially the double leg. He applies his wrestling to take opponents down, and get in a ground and pound position, from where he likes to employ his attack. He looks to get his hands on his opponents, regardless if they’re on the feet or if he has them down on the mat. Bowling does not have a great chin, so anyone with power always has a chance to put his lights out. That said, as strong as Trujillo is, Bowling was able to take his best shots and keep moving forward. Fight Prediction: I think both of these guys are going to look to take each other’s heads off right from the opening bell. I give the boxing advantage to Bowling, as well as a slight strength advantage. I would side with him getting the KO, especially considering he feels he was cheated out of a win last time around. I expect him to be more motivated than Trujillo, and to be really hungry for that win bonus. Should the fight go the distance, I think Bowling will take the decision, as he was convincingly on his way to doing so when they last squared off. It is also possible that Bowling could win with a choke, possibly a guillotine, or more likely a rear naked choke. He came close to finishing the first fight with a choke on two accounts; once in the first round, and again in the second. Gabe’s Pick: Roger Bowling by KO (uppercut and punches, 1:33 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Roger Bowling (-110) 2.2u to win 2u
