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#4 Ilir Latifi vs. Corey Anderson
In a battle of two top-ten 205lbers, TUF 19 winner Anderson faces off with cult favourite Latifi in a fight that could push one of them into genuine title contention; with Jones and Gustafsson facing off for the vacant belt and no clear-cut top contender right now, a title fight could actually be on the horizon for the winner.
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The key to winning this fight could come down to wrestling; both men love to take their opponent down and work from the top, and in their recent wins over Tyson Pedro and Glover Teixeira respectively this game was extremely evident. So who’s more likely to put the other man on their back here? Well, Latifi is extremely stocky and powerful, but against strong wrestlers like Ryan Bader, his takedowns haven’t been as effective, and Anderson is a Division III All-American wrestler – which means he likely has the advantage.
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On the feet, it’s clear that while Latifi has clubbing power – as evidenced in his wins over Hans Stringer and Sean O’Connell, as well as the knockdown against Ovince St. Preux which led to his guillotine choke victory – he isn’t the most technical striker. That isn’t to say he’s terrible defensively – he’s only been stopped twice by strikes although he was easily picked apart by Gegard Mousasi using little more than a jab – but he’s clearly hittable at times.
Anderson meanwhile has also looked hittable, particularly in his fights with St. Preux, Jimi Manuwa and Shogun Rua, but recently his striking has looked hugely improved. He was able to largely outstrike Teixeira in their fight – and Teixeira is a notable, proven kickboxer – and that also allowed him to set up his takedowns excellently.
Overall I favour Anderson here; he’s a better striker and I think he can use that to set up his takedowns and put Latifi onto his back, where he should be able to hold him down and work him over for a likely decision. Latifi could catch him with something nasty – and if he can, it’s likely he’ll put him away for either a TKO or a submission set up from the knockdown – but judging on the Teixeira fight I think ‘Overtime’ will have enough to stay out of trouble and win this fight.
The Pick: Anderson via decision
