World Series of Fighting 8 Date: January 18, 2014 Arena: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino City: Hollywood, FL Bantamweight bout: Tyson Nam (+100) vs Cody Bollinger (-120) Fight Breakdown: The main card for WSOF 8 will feature a bantamweight scrap between pair of seven year veterans of the sport, when the Hawaiian Tyson Nam squares off against Southern California’s Cody Bollinger. The betting odds for this match-up are currently at a near coin-flip, with Nam being +100 ($100 to win $100) and Bollinger being -120 ($120 to win $120) at Several Bookmakerss. TYSON NAM (12-5 MMA, 0-1 WSOF) is coming off of a first round knockout loss at the hands of Marlon Moraes in what was his promotional debut. Moreas dropped him with a headkick, and followed up with punches, forcing the referee to step in and call off the action. Nam was doing alright up ‘til that point, and was using good head movement, but to me, he was just unlucky and got caught. The loss followed the biggest win of his professional mixed martial arts career; a first round knockout of current Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas at Shooto 33 in Brazil. Nam came through as a huge underdog in enemy territory, knocking Dantas out with a counter, and running out of the ring in celebration. Nam is a talented striker who moves well on the feet, and generally has good striking defense. He has a high fight IQ, and is a terrific counter striker. He works some solid leg kicks, but should be careful with them against Bollinger, as Bollinger will be looking for any openings to take the fight to the mat, where he figures to have the advantage. Nam’s takedown defense isn’t great, although he does have decent submission defense. He may be at a cardio disadvantage heading into this bout, but he will certainly be at a size disadvantage against the former featherweight in Bollinger. CODY BOLLINGER (14-2 MMA, 0-0 WSOF) will be making his World Series of Fighting debut tomorrow night against Tyson Nam. He is coming off of a stint on The Ultimate Fighter reality series, where he defeated New Mexico’s Brazilian prospect Rafael De Freitas via second round TKO to earn a spot on the show, and move in to the TUF house. De Freitas had him in trouble several times with various submission attempts throughout the first frame, and all of those attempts proved to be taxing, as he clearly he nothing left to offer when answering the bell for the second round. After dropping the first round, Bollinger was fully fresh and ready to go in the second, while the Brazilian was barely standing. De Freitas displayed incredible heart, as he kept throwing punches with everything he had. Unfortunately, he was completely gassed and kept moving towards the cage, where Bollinger picked his shots until the ref called it off. On the television series, Bollinger failed to make weight for a fight against Anthony Guitierrez, and was kicked off the show by UFC President Dana White. The former featherweight has a tough time cutting down to 135 pounds, so it will be interesting to see if he makes weight for his WSOF promotional debut. Bollinger is a talented wrestler who works good takedowns, and should have the grappling edge over Nam heading into this contest, as well as a physical size advantage. His striking is not bad, either, as he mixes it up pretty well on the feet with his punches and kicks. He likes to his knees, as well, and loves using his elbows, especially on the feet and up against the cage. Bollinger is a well-conditioned mixed martial artist who will be ready for a hard three rounds against Nam. Fight Prediction: Bollinger will have advantages in size, grappling, and cardio, while Nam will have the edge with striking, fight IQ, and mental toughness. Bollinger is going to try to take this fight to the mat, and Nam is going to try to keep it standing. If Nam could keep it on the feet long enough, I think he could stop Bollinger. Though, if he is unable to stop him, I think he can do enough damage to take two out of three rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Gabe’s Pick: Tyson Nam by TKO (counter-hook, 2:13 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Tyson Nam +100 3u to win 3u
