UFC Fight Night 36 Date: February 15, 2014 Arena: Arena Jaragua City: Jaragua do Sul, Brazil Bantamweight bout: Wilson Reis (+235) vs Iuri Alcantara (-270) Fight Breakdown: UFC Fight Night 36 will be featuring a bantamweight contest between a pair of Brazilians in the preliminary portion of the evening, when Wilson Reis takes on Iuri Alcantara. Reis is the underdog at +230 ($100 to win $230), with Alcantara being the favorite at -270 ($270 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. WILSON REIS (17-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over the veteran Ivan Menjivar in his promotional debut nearly five months ago, and he now looks to make it two in a row inside the Octagon, as he squares off against a fellow Brazilian in front of his countrymen. Reis is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who is riding an impressive five-fight winning streak, which includes three submissions. The streak started when Bellator released him following back-to-back losses to Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and current Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas. He was knocked out in both bouts, and those remain the only two knockout losses in his professional mixed martial arts career. Reis is very talented on the mat. He generally likes to take opponents down, beat them up, and look for a choke. The former EliteXC bantamweight champion is well-conditioned and will be ready for a three round war against Alcantara, as he has his heart set on making a run in the UFC’s bantamweight division. IURI ALCANTARA (28-5-1 NC MMA, 3-2-1 NC UFC) will be making his return to the Octagon, following a unanimous decision loss to recent title challenger Urijah Faber six months ago. He looked impressive in the loss, enough so that he is being given a bout against a fighter coming off a win. Alcantara has decent takedown defense and can defend himself well from his back if put on the canvas. He is good at working his way back to his feet, but he also has an excellent guard. He is active off his back, as he likes to work his elbows and look for submissions opportunities. He does not constantly attack with submissions, but he does always look to set them up. He has great reversals, especially during grappling exchanges. He is very good at getting the mount position and working it, as was displayed in his last outing against Faber, as well as others in his Octagon career. He is also talented on the feet, and is a very explosive striker, most particularly in the first round of action. Alcantara is a southpaw who has a strong straight left, a nice left hook, and an unorthodox yet effective overhand left. The 33-year old also loves to implement his knees in his striking attack, and he is always looking to finish the fight. It is no surprise that 24 of his 28 professional career victories have come inside the distance, at an even split with 12 knockouts and 12 submissions. Fight Prediction: Alcantara is a very tough fighter, but he does not have good conditioning. He starts off strong in the first frame, but is slow in the third. I believe he will be at a cardio disadvantage in this bout, so if he does not score an early finish, he is at risk of losing one or possibly two rounds on the judges’ scorecards. He has advantages in physical size and strength, height and reach, as well as striking, so it is possible he could score a finish. However, I feel more often than not, this fight will go all three rounds. If Reis is able to find success with his grappling, he could use it to seal at least two out of three rounds, especially once Alcantara starts fading after the first frame. Gabe’s Pick: Wilson Reis by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Over 2.5 rounds (-150) 2.25u to win 1.5u. Keep an eye out for my Props article, as I will be recommending a prop play for this bout.
