UFC Fight Night 39 Date: April 11, 2014 Arena: DU Arena City: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Heavyweight bout: Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt (-230) vs Daniel Omielanczuk (+190) Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight Night 39 in Abu Dhabi preliminary card will be featuring a heavyweight bout between former NCAA Division I wrestler Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt and Poland’s Daniel Omielanczuk. Rosholt is the betting favorite heading into this match-up at -230 ($230 to win $100), while Omielanczuk is the underdog at +190 ($100 to win $190) at Several Bookmakerss. Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his promotional debut at The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale over four months ago, notching a unanimous decision victory over Walt Harris on the judges’ scorecards. He displayed great heart and recovery, as Harris had him hurt in the early going of the fight. With debut victory under his belt, Rosholt now rides a five fight winning streak, and looks to make it six in a row in Abu Dhabi. “The Big Show” is a talented NCAA Division I wrestler who competed for Oklahoma State University and holds the school record for most wins by a heavyweight. After his college career, the three-time All-American decided he was not done competing at a high level, so he followed his older brother, UFC veteran Jake Rosholt’s footsteps and made the transition into mixed martial arts. The 27 year old’s striking skills are elementary, as he generally uses it to set up his takedowns. His footwork is okay, but his striking defense is not very good. He gets tagged easily, and by fighters who are not talented strikers. Rosholt is a well-conditioned athlete who is will be ready to go all three rounds of action, and I expect him to have the advantage in cardio in this bout, as well as an advantage in the grappling department. Daniel Omielanczuk (16-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is coming off a third round knockout victory over Nandor Guelmino at UFC 165 nearly seven months ago in what was his Octagon debut. He got the better of the Austrian on the feet and in the cage against the cage until ultimately putting him away in the final frame, when both heavyweights were quite fatigued. The 31 year old now enjoys an impressive 12 fight winning streak that includes 10 finishes. He is a talented striker with a background in Muay Thai. He has good footwork, as well has good head movement. Omielanczuk is very powerful, and throws heavy kicks. His favorite striking technique is the high kick, which he attempted many times in his debut against Guelmino. He also has some damaging leg kicks he loves to employ. The southpaw has solid striking defense, and is all-around talented on the feet. However, he has many holes in his grappling, as his ground game is very raw. His takedowns are decent at very best, and if he is able to get the fight to the mat, he makes a lot of mistakes while being in top position; mistakes a talented wrestler like Rosholt would be able to capitalize on. The Pole does not have very good conditioning, so even if he wins the first round, he will likely be outgrappled and lose the second and third to the better conditioned former NCAA Division I wrestler in Rosholt. Gabe’s Prediction: I think Omielanczkuk’s best shot at winning this fight is by knocking Rosholt out in the first round. If Rosholt survives the first round, I think he will win the second and third. More often than not, I believe Rosholt wrestlers his way to a decision victory or possibly a late stoppage. That said, I would not be surprised if the Pole gets the KO, as he has a clear advantage in striking heading into this bout. If Rosholt makes the same mistake as he did in his last outing and opts to stand and trade with Omielanczuk, it could prove to be costly. That is why I will be looking at the Omielanczuk in Round 1 prop for a hedge, should such odds for this bout be released. Gabe’s Call: “The Big Show” by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Rosholt/Omielanczuk Over 1.5 rounds (-215) parlayed with Thales Leites (-440) for -126 2.2u to win 1.5u
