UFC Fight Night 67 : Condit vs. Alves - Preview and Predictions

UFN GOIANIA POSTER

This Saturday, May 30, 2015, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to the Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil (Sunday, 4:30 A.M, IST) with the UFC Fight Night 67 event, featuring the long awaited return of former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, as he takes on former No. 1 contender Thiago Alves in the main event in Goiania

While in the co-main event, Nik Lentz will take on Charles Oliveira in a rematch and will look to settle the bad blood as their last fight ended in a no-contest due to an illegal knee thrown by Oliveira. Lentz and Oliveira previously fought at UFC Live 4 in 2011.

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, Sun, 4:30 A.M. IST)

• Luiz Dutra Defeats Tom Breese via Decision.
• Ericka Almeida Defeats Juliana Lima via submission.

Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1, Sun, 5:30 A.M. IST)

• Mirsad Bektic Defeats Lucas Martins via TKO.
• Nicolas Dalby Defeats Elizeu Zaleski via Decision.
• Jussier da Silva Defeats Wilson Reis via Decision.
• Rony Jason Defeats Damon Jackson via Decision.

Main Card (FOX Sports 1, Sun, 7:30 A.M. IST)

Darren Till

Wendell Oliveira(24-8) vs. Darren Till(12-0)

A pair of hard-hitting welterweight prospects looks to open the card. As great as this fight looks on paper, in practice, they're a lot more alike. Both are aggressive fighters and go after their opponent in search of a finish.

Till has a clean, chopping right hook and is an active kicker who might be able to successfully stay at range. While Wendell's power and speed could be able to land enough to get Till in trouble. He doesn't need to be this well rounded mastermind because he's got brute force on his side.

Till is yet another undefeated Englishman. The welterweight is 12-0 with 10 finishes over nameless competition, but Oliveira's seven career losses via finish make the Brit the obvious choice here.

Prediction: Till wins via TKO

Parke looking for a win

Norman Parke (20-3) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (16-4).

I have to be honest and say this could very well be the worst fight on the main card yet it is hard to pick a clear winner here. Neither guy has an obvious advantage in the stand-up or on the ground. With no signs of real finishing ability from either man, this feels like a tossup.

Parke lost a tough fight to Tibau, but Tibau is one of the longest tenured guys on the UFC roster and represents a solid test for anyone looking to get into the top 15. He was on a four-fight winning streak, with a draw mixed in, but he hadn’t really defeated anybody of name value to earn consideration for a top-15 ranking. Parke couldn’t get the job done and obviously wasn’t ready for the next step in competition quite yet.

Trinaldo is a decent lightweight when he’s on his game. He could definitely control Parke and earn a legitimate decision win. The Brazilian faced Michael Chiesa and Tibau and was on the wrong side of the unanimous decision in both fights and I think this week won’t be any different as the Northern Ireland native is a little faster and should throw a lot more volume to get the win

Prediction: Parke wins via Decision

Battle of the vets!

Francimar Barroso (16-4) vs. Ryan Jimmo (19-4).

Jimmo is an experienced karate striker and has scored eight knockout wins. Thus far, each of his losses has been fairly close as Jimmo's failure to really take control of the fight has cost him the fights. In order to avoid a similar fate here, Jimmo needs to stay aggressive. Barroso is not really an expert at anything, but he could make the fight close with consistent punches and takedown.

To defeat the Brazilian, Jimmo should be careful with his distance control. If he can keep Barroso reaching with his punches and shooting from too far out, Barroso will likely slow down. Once that happens, Jimmo can take advantage. Jimmo cannot let him get away with that and needs to capitalize on any counter opportunities in violent fashion.

Francimar Barroso is a black belt in both kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Though he scored plenty of finishes on the regional scene, both of his UFC fights have gone the full distance. Thus far, Barroso has mostly relied on his jiu-jitsu skills. He's got some quality top control, although his takedowns aren't the best In short, Barroso can't simply rush Jimmo and hope to catch him off guard. Not only will that probably fail, he'll likely eat some counter punches, too

This surely isn't a confident pick, but you simply can't deny that Ryan Jimmo has knockout power in his hands. His knockouts over Anthony Perosh and Sean O'Connell were absolutely devastating, and I think he wins against an aging Francimar Barroso inside the distance.

Prediction: Jimmo wins via KO.

KJ Noons takes on Alex Oliveira

K.J. Noons (13-7-1) vs. Alex Oliveira (10-2).

K.J. Noons looks to come back with a win after his last fight ended in a no-contest due to an eye poke. His opponent will be Alex Oliveira, who is looking to get back in the win column following a loss to Gilbert Burns in March.

Noons is a former professional boxer and the striker has scored nine knockout victories. In order to limit the effectiveness of Oliveira's kicking attack, Noons should keep the pressure on his opponent and be ready to counter with punches. Also, Noons will go to the body early and often.

For the second time in his short UFC career, Oliveira is stepping up on short notice. Last time, it cost him, as his fatigue allowed Gilbert Burns to rally late and earn a submission. A dangerous Muay Thai-style kickboxer, Oliveira has finished eight of his opponents via knockout. In addition, the Brazilian showed some pretty nice defensive wrestling and grappling against one of the most highly touted prospects in the division.

To defeat Noons, Oliveira should get very active with his kicks. In particular, Oliveira should dig into Noons' legs as often as possible. Not only will it limit his movement, but it will slow Noons down and prevent him from turning the tide if Oliveira gets tired.

This should be an entertaining striking bout between a veteran and a prospect. Oliveira is a powerful and aggressive striker, but that should play into Noons’ favour. Noons may not be a title contender or even a top 10 talent, but he is gifted on the feet. Noons should have a technical striking advantage and he should be able to out point the Brazilian.

Prediction: Noons wins via Decision.

Nik Lentz (25-6-2-1) vs. Charles Oliveira(19-4-1).

Lentz Vs Oliveira face off in their first meeting

Oliveira is one of the best featherweights in the world. The 25 year old Brazilian is 7-4, 1 NC in the UFC including a 5-2 record at featherweight with wins over Jeremy Stephens, Hatsu Hioki, Andy Ogle, Jonathan Brookins and Eric Wisely, with his losses at 145 coming to Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson. Oliveira is one of the most skilled submission fighters in the entire division and 11 of his wins have come by submissions. Four of Oliveira’s last five victories have been submissions that range from calf slicers to anaconda chokes and all points in between.

He has underrated wrestling and is able to drag the majority of his bouts to the mat. He’s also improving his striking, and in his career he has six wins by TKO. The Brazilian is also three inches taller and five inches longer in reach than Lentz. He previously fought Lentz in 2010, a fight he won by submission but that was later overturned to a No Contest as Lentz was hit with an illegal knee that set the submission up.

Lentz is one of the most underrated featherweights in the UFC. The 30 year old American is 9-3-1, 1 NC in the UFC including a 4-1 mark at featherweight, with wins over Manvel Gamburyan, Hacran Dias, Diego Nunes and Eiji Mitsuoka with a loss to Chad Mendes. Lentz is a grinding wrestler, and is just a tough out for anyone in the division.

His pace and relentlessness is unmatched by many in the division, and has great cardio as well. He is one of the best in the world at getting top control and holding his opponents on the mat. He is not the best finisher but he is improving his BJJ and his ground and pound. Despite a layoff he is more than capable of making this a tough match to win for Oliveira

Lentz could definitely score takedown after takedown and grind his way to victory, as he’s done so many times in the past, but Oliveira can finish the fight at any moment. Oliveira has grown and improved more than Lentz in the last 4 years and he will show that by legally winning the fight this time.

Prediction: Oliveira wins via Submission

Carlos Condit (29-8) vs. Thiago Alves (21-9)

Condit Vs Alves media day staredown

In the main event of the evening, two former contenders look to re-establish themselves at the top of the UFC welterweight division as ‘Natural born killer’ Carlos condit returns to the octagon after a 14 month layoff due to a knee injury to face Thiago Alves.

Both guys are extremely technical and mix up their strikes as well as anyone in the division, but this fight may come down to Condit’s combination of striking and speed against the brute force and power of Alves. Condit has a six-inch reach advantage over Alves, and he will most likely use that advantage to keep Alves on the outside and away from landing any power shot.

I think this will be an easy outing for Condit as he is very technical and flourishes in fights like this where he has significant striking advantage. He will pick his shots which will take a toll on Alves eventually making referee to intervene.

Prediction: Condit wins via TKO