UFC Fight Night 156: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche II - Predictions and Picks

#6 Enrique Barzola vs. Bobby Moffett

Enrique Barzola's fighting style is reminiscent of an early Diego Sanchez

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Barzola – one of the winners of Season 2 of TUF: Latin America on a UFC main card, but even if he isn’t highly ranked, I’m not complaining about finally seeing him showcased again. ‘El Fuerte’ essentially fights like a young Diego Sanchez – a ball of furious energy looking to take his opponent down and beat them up en route to a possible TKO or submission.

Unfortunately, while he’s beaten five of his seven UFC opponents, he seems to have the same limitation as Diego – even if he deserved the decision in his fight with Kyle Bochniak, his recent loss to Kevin Aguilar suggested that if he can’t get a takedown, he’s somewhat limited standing, even if he’s a perfectly willing striker.

Will that be a major issue for him against Moffett, otherwise known as ‘Wolfman’? I’m not convinced it will be. After winning a fight on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Moffett debuted with a cool submission win over Chas Skelly, choking him out with a beautiful D’Arce, but his second fight saw him just about outworked by Bryce Mitchell to lose a decision.

Worryingly, he was taken down basically at will by Skelly, who is a tremendous wrestler, admittedly, but then relied on his wrestling for his successes against Mitchell. That doesn’t bode well against Barzola in my opinion. While ‘El Fuerte’ isn’t as credentialed a wrestler as Skelly, he’s certainly got the aggression to back Moffett up and get him down.

And while Barzola’s somewhat erratic striking was exposed a little by Aguilar, Moffett just doesn’t seem like the kind of technician who can capitalize on that hole in the Peruvian’s game.

Assuming Barzola doesn’t get silly with his head positioning – Moffett is a true expert at the D’Arce and could snake his way around Barzola’s neck if he’s given the opportunity – I think he’ll have too much for ‘Wolfman’ and outwork him for a clear decision.

The Pick: Barzola via unanimous decision