UFC on FUEL TV 4 – Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Anthony Njokuani preview
‘UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman’ is next in a busy week of mixed martial arts action as the UFC takes a solid six-fight line-up to the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, on Wednesday, July 11th. MMABay is here to strip down the main card bouts, beginning with an intriguing lightweight clash between Brazilian sensation, Rafael dos Anjos, and lightning-fast striker, Anthony Njokuani. It’s the classic striker vs. grappler matchup – will the BJJ phenom expose Njokuani’s ground game or will ‘The Assassin’ land the kill shot? Find out after the jump…
Rafael Dos Anjos (16-6, 5-4 UFC)
One of the more under-valued lightweights on the roster, Evolve MMA grappler, Rafael Dos Anjos, has struggled to find a groove since signing with the UFC a few years back but the Brazilian has never been anything less than competitive, even in defeat.
The BJJ black-belt is 2-1 in his last three, with the lone defeat coming via split decision to fellow countryman, Gleison Tibau, at UFC 139. Dos Anjos needed just 59-seconds to knock out Australian grappler, George Sotiropoulos, prior to that loss and in May the Brazilian ran roughshod over Kamal Shalorus.
Dos Anjos quickly dropped the Iranian wrestling machine and wrapped hi m up in a rear-naked choke, finishing the fight in less than two minutes.
Anthony Njokuani (15-6, 2-2 UFC)
Nigerian-born kickboxer, Anthony ‘The Assassin’ Njokuani, is another talented 155lb’er who has found the UFC lightweight division tough going, amassing a 2-2 record since making the switch from the WEC.
The Janjira Muay Thai man has lost close decisions to wrestler, Danny Castillo and fellow striking specialist, Edson Barboza. But ‘The Assassin’ looked great handing a brutal three-round beating to Andre Winner at UFC 132 and was most recently seen out-pointing another kickboxing convert, John Makdessi, at UFC 145 in April.
Njokuani gets a bump to the televised portion of the card in San Jose and the exciting stand-up artist could book himself a showdown with a high-profile striker if he can get past the Brazilian.
The Verdict: Njokuani’s weakness has always been the ground game, but he usually struggles against wrestle-heavy grapplers, something Dos Anjos is not. But the Brazilian is always improving his striking and is confident enough in it to be able to close the gap on the taller man. From the clinch, Dos Anjos will be looking to catch a leg or trip Njokuani to the mat and while the Nigerian isn’t the worst of grapplers, he’ll be overmatched soon enough once the fight hits the deck. Look for Dos Anjos to add another notable name to his record, submitting a tired Njokuani in the final round after controlling him for much of the fight. Dos Anjos, submission, 3rd round.
By Steve Davies.
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