UFC Previews: UFC 95 Preview

Pro Fighting Fans is the home of UFC fans across the world and we now bring you the best place to find the latest UFC preview. UFC 94 has come and gone and Scott Dryden takes a look at what we learned in his UFC 94 recap and we also have posted our UFC Fight Night 17 results & review, but now it is time for our UFC 95 preview.

UFC 95 will be held this Saturday night, February 21, 2009 on Spike TV from the O2 Arena in London and our UFC 95 preview is below for UFC fans across the globe to enjoy. Also be sure to check out our popular "A Fans' View from his Couch" column where UFC fan Greg Vorse gives us his take on each major UFC fight, including UFC 95 & more in the coming days and buy UFC tickets online here through Pro Fighting Fans!

The next event for UFC after UFC 95 will be UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 available via PPV and we list future UFC event fight cards.

This weekend UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson will be the company’s third event in less than a month. Taking place at the O2 arena in London, England, it will have its share of international talent. UFC 95 will feature a total of 10 bouts with Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, in his lightweight debut sharing main event duties with Joe “Daddy” Stevenson. Also included among the nights fights will be 10 fighters that are from outside the United States and 4 English born fighters. It will serve as a great showcase for the next generation of mixed martial artists. It will also serve as a great indication of how far the UFC has come.

Evan Dunham vs Per Eklund

If you’re a fan of ground fighting featuring grappling and submission attempts then you will not want to miss this lightweight bout. Both Dunham and Eklund are at their best when the fight hits the ground. Eklund has 7 submissions out of his 14 wins and Dunham has 5 submission victories out of 7 career victories.

Eklund, a Swedish fighter, will try to put together back to back wins after starting 1-1 in his first two UFC fights. This fight will mark the third time Eklund has fought for the UFC outside of the United States. His first fight was a tough one matching up against hard-hitting Sam Stout at UFC 80. Stout dominated Eklund all three rounds in a fight that Eklund demonstrated terrible conditioning. He never was able to execute his game plan mainly because of his limited conditioning. He was continuously trying to catch his breath while lying on his back.

After his UFC 80 loss, Eklund was matched up against Samy Schiavo at UFC 89 in October of 2008. This time Eklund and Schiavo fought evenly for three rounds. Fans were able to see a little more of Eklunds’ skill set throughout the fight. When standing, fans saw Eklund snapping some solid leg kicks to the body and head. When the fight was on the ground Eklund was persistent in trying to end the fight with a submission. He finally was able to do that when he submitted Schiavo early in the third round.

Evan Dunham will step inside the octagon for the first time at UFC 95. With him, he brings a perfect record of 7-0. He is a veteran of a variety of organizations including Ring of Fire, Rise FC and most recently Pacific FC. While being known mostly as a submission specialist he does have the ability to stand and trade as well.

His last two fights have featured a TKO and a submission. He beat a heavily favored Eben Kaneshiro at a Rise FC event in September of last year by overwhelming him on the ground and executing some beautiful ground and pound. In his most recent fight, he overmatched a less experienced Dustin Akbari by a series of takedowns and submission attempts. He finally wore his opponent out and submitted him by way of rear naked choke in the third round.

Eklund will probably need to win this fight to continue to fight for the worlds’ top organization. He will have to show much better conditioning to beat the rookie Dunham. On the other hand, Dunham doesn’t have a lot to lose fighting in his first fight with the UFC.

Prediction: Dunham over Eklund via majority decision

Paul Kelly vs Troy Mandaloniz

This preliminary fight is between two young welterweights on the UFC roster. Kelly will be fighting in his native England for the third time under the UFC banner, while Mandaloniz makes his first appearance on an England card and his second overall UFC fight.

Paul “Tellys” Kelly brings with him an overall record of 7-1 and 1-1 UFC record into this UFC 95 bout. Kelly’s only loss of his career actually came in his last fight at UFC 89 against a very tough opponent in Marcus Davis. Both Davis and Kelly are known for their skills on their feet but this fight ended when it went to the mat. After Kelly lost a lopsided first round he began the second round by taking “The Irish Hand Grenade” down. As he took Davis down, he left his head open and was submitted via guillotine choke midway through the second round.

Prior to that loss Kellys’ record was undefeated including his debut with the organization when he stopped his fellow countryman Paul Taylor. In a fight that won a bonus of $35,000 for Fight of the Night at UFC 80, Kelly showed what he is capable of with his stand up skills. He and Taylor went three action-packed rounds with Kelly winning via unanimous decision.

Troy “Rude Boy” Mandaloniz is making his second UFC start, but his first since his debut at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale in December of ’07. Before being selected to Matt Serra’s team on TUF 6, Mandaloniz had only three professional fights to his credit. While on the show he made it to the quarterfinals where he was stopped by Matt Arroyo. He then appeared on the TUF 6 finale card opposite his friend and teammate Richie Hightower. Hightower and Mandaloniz traded punches, knees and elbows evenly for the first four minutes before a right jab from “Rude Boy” dropped Hightower causing the referee to step in and halt the fight.

Kelly has delivered for his native British fans with exciting fights and this match up looks as if will be much of the same thing. Both Mandaloniz and Kelly would rather stand and strike rather than take the fight to the ground. With an impressive back and forth battle both fighters look to be safe within the UFC but with anything less the loser may be next fighting outside the organization once again.

> Pro Fighting Fans lists the top UFC forums & discussion boards so you can talk about our UFC previews online!

Mike Ciesnolevicz vs Neil Grove

This heavyweight bout features two UFC first timers trying to make a good first impression for the British fans. The IFL veteran Ciesnolevicz (16-3) replaces an injured Justin McCully, as the opponent for English-striker Neil Grove (7-1). Ciesnolevicz brings with him a three fight win streak fighting for Adrenaline MMA, Extreme Challenge, and Courage FC organizations in that span. Grove has fought exclusively with English based organizations that include Ultimate Challenge UK, formerly known as Cage Rage, and UKMMAC.

Ciesnolevicz name is a familiar one mainly because of his stint on the Quad City Silverbacks team in the IFL. The 30 year old Pennsylvania native was a standout wrestler at Central Pennsylvania wrestling powerhouse Lock Haven University. Shortly after his amateur wrestling career ended he went west to train under legend Pat Miletich. He fought in a variety of organizations before he was selected to compete in the IFL. In the IFL, he fought opponents such as current UFC light-heavyweight Andre Gusmao (lost 2 times), former UFC veterans Carmelo Marrero (No Contest), Alex Schoenauer (won 2 times), and recently released UFC light heavy Reese Andy (Loss). Since the fold of the IFL Ciesnolevicz has fought and won three times in three different organizations against little known competitors.

Neil “The Goliath” Grove burst into the MMA scene when he stepped in as a replacement to fight the heavily favored James “Colossus” Thompson at Cage Rage 22 in July of 2007. With one other fight under his belt at the time Grove surprised Thompson with a 10 second KO. Since the win over Thompson he has won 4 out of 5 and now set to appear on his first UFC card.

Grove has good stand up skills that include power in both hands as well as excellent leg kicks to the body and head. He also is very strong on his feet, in the clinch and can set up a KO with his combination of leg kick + jab. He showed that combination in his TKO win over Robert “Buzz” Berry at CR 27 in July of 2008 when he hurt Berry with a series of leg kicks to the knee then dropped him with a stiff jab and finished him off with ground and pound.

This fight is like a fight from the old days of UFC glory when the wrestler matched up against the striker. Ciesnolevicz will try and capitalize on the weakness of Grove which is his takedown defense. If Ciesnolevicz can manage to keep the much larger Grove on the ground he will have a good chance of victory. If he is unable to take the karate specialist to the mat it will be a long night for the Miletich Martial Arts fighter.

Prediction: Grove over Ciesnolevicz via 2nd round TKO

Terry Etim vs Brian Cobb

Brian Cobb finally gets his chance to prove he is worthy of fighting in a major MMA organization. He will be taking on the excellent British striker, Terry Etim. Etim, who was originally expected to face Justin Buchholz, will now face the UFC rookie who has a record of 15 wins and only 4 losses. Long rumored to be making the move to the UFC or WEC, Cobb gets put into a difficult position fighting on Etim’s home turf.

Etim (11-2) has either been very impressive or totally dominated since making the move to the UFC at UFC 70 in April of 2007. He looked solid in his debut over Matt Grice, at UFC 70, by submitting him in the 1st round. He then was totally dominated his next two UFC fights by Gleison Tibau (UFC 75) and Rich Clementi (UFC 84). Both Tibau and Clementi utilized the same game plan and took Etim to the ground at will. He lost both fights in dominant fashion by unanimous decision. However, the UFC matched him up against another talented striker at UFC 89 in Sam Stout. He was able to use his size (6’1”) and reach (72”) to pick Stout apart with leg kicks, knees and punches. He took the decision win over Stout in October at UFC 89.

Cobb (15-4), who was a wrestler at Cal State Bakersfield, has been very impressive on his journey into the UFC. “The Bandit” has fought his way to the lightweight championship in Pacific FC, as well as War Gods, and Gladiator Challenge among others. He is notorious for being a slow starter, which might not be the best thing against Terry Etim. His strength lies in takedowns, ground and pound as well as submissions (10 sub. wins).

Cobb has won 9 in a row including his last two fights both by way of rear naked choke. His last loss came at a Cage Force event against PRIDE FC vet Eiji Mitsuoaka. In his last victory, which was less than a month ago, he started slow against Pacific FC lightweight Lance Wipf, almost being submitted at the end of the first round. However, when the second round bell rung Cobb showed solid striking and took down Wipf. When the fight hit the ground in the second, Cobb loosened his opponent up with some strikes then submitted him early in the round with the rear naked choke.

If the newcomer has a chance in this fight he must utilize his strength by attempting takedowns and ground and pound. If he tries to stand and trade punches with Etim he will be in for a long night. Etim does have great striking but not a great deal of KO power so I like Cobbs’ chances. We will see how his success in the minor organizations will work against the elite lightweight contenders, like Etim, in the worlds’ biggest organization.

> How will the UFC 94 results impact the Pro Fighting Fans 2009 MMA Pound for Pound rankings? Keep checking back to find out!

Junior dos Santos vs Stefan Struve

The second heavyweight bout on the card for UFC 95 features two international fighters. The Brazilian, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos (7-1) is making his second appearance for the UFC after upsetting fellow Brazilian Fabricio Werdum. Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve, who hails from Holland, is making his debut fight for the UFC after compiling a 16-2 record for a variety of organizations including M-1 Challenge, Cage Gladiators(formerly Cage Rage), and Mix Fight Gala.

At one time before his UFC 90 fight, dos Santos was a 10-1 underdog heading into the bout. He scored one of the year’s most brutal knockouts and biggest upsets with an 81-second drubbing of Werdum. He was able to shake the nerves from his first UFC fight and connect on a solid right uppercut that sent Werdum directly to his knees. Werdum seemingly down for good was then pummeled by dos Santos with a flurry of punches until the referee stopped the fight giving dos Santos his first UFC victory.

At 6’9, Struve will be one of the tallest competitors to fight in the UFC octagon. In his last fight he took on a former UFC vet and Brazilian black belt in Jiu-Jitsu in Mario Neto. Neto, thinking that he would have no chance fighting the lanky Dutch fighter on the feet, continued to attempt takedown after takedown. When he finally did get Struve down to the ground he had a hard time keeping him stationary. Struve was constantly moving and trying to control Neto from the bottom position. He even used the rubber guard in an attempt to control Netos’ posture. Eventually, Neto made the mistake and tried to deliver elbows from the top thus leaving his arm out for a submission. Struve grabbed the arm transitioned to take Netos’ back and strapped the rear naked choke on early in the second round.

“Cigano” will have to work a great deal harder in this fight than he did in his last fight. Struve will have the reach advantage when standing, which is where this fight should be for the majority of the time. If it does hit the ground both fighters are skilled enough to submit and/or defend the submissions, but Struve will have the slight advantage (12 sub/16 wins). I look for this fight to be a quick one and a possible KO of the Night candidate.

Prediction: dos Santos over Struve via 1st round KO

Josh Koscheck vs Paulo Thiago

Josh Koscheck (12-3) will be making his third fight in the octagon in less than 4 months as he welcomes UFC rookie Paulo Thiago. Thiago brings an undefeated 10-0 record to the octagon, mostly fighting for the Jungle Fight promotion in Brazil. Thiago will try and show UFC fans why all the excitement surrounds him as he is placed on the main card for his debut match.

Koscheck, who will be making his 14th UFC fight, is coming off a devastating knockout of Japanese fighter Yoshiyuki Yoshida. “ Kos,” who was headlining the UFC-Fight for the Troops event, took little time in sizing Yoshida up and delivered the KO punch 2 minutes and 15 seconds into the fight.

Before his 1st round KO of Yoshida, he faced number one welterweight contender Thiago Alves. Koscheck took the fight with three weeks notice when Diego Sanchez pulled out with an injury. Koscheck looked very good in all areas but not as good as Alves. Alves was quicker and stronger with his strikes, dazing Koscheck on three occasions throughout the fight. Koscheck did demonstrate his conditioning and iron chin by lasting all three rounds with the decision going to Alves.

> Check out Scott Dryden's recent interview with Josh Koscheck as he talks about his upcoming bout in UFC 95.

Paulo Thiago is known mostly for his slick submission skills but has shown his standing repertoire in his last two wins. His most recent win came by way of TKO due to a knee injury to his opponent Luis Dutra Jr. at Jungle Fight 11 in September of 2008. At Jungle Fight 10 in July of ’08 Thiago demonstrated his striking skills against French fighter Ferrid Kheder. Thiago used many combinations including some unique spinning kicks to get the decision win over Kheder.

Koscheck is always ready to fight anytime against anyone. He is one of the few fighters in MMA who can match the skills of any welterweight. His wrestling credentials are flawless to go along with his takedown defense and improving striking skills make him a dangerous opponent for any fighter. Thiago will need to get by the bright lights of the UFC and by far his most high profile fight. He must work hard to somehow get Koscheck to the ground and utilize his submission skills when there. Needless to say, that is a task that is easier said than done.

Prediction: Koscheck over Thiago via majority decision

Demian Maia vs Chael Sonnen

This fight features two middleweights at the top of the division in the UFC. Chael Sonnen makes his return to the UFC after his former home, the WEC, did away with their middleweight division. Maia will try and improve his 9-0 record overall and 4-0 UFC record against the 31 year-old Sonnen. Both fighters feature a dynamic ground game to go along with solid striking skills.

Maia has finished all four of his UFC opponents with submissions. In fact, 7 of his 9 victories have been a result of some type of submission. Maia usually uses the same type of strategy no matter who his opponent may be. He likes to take it to the ground ASAP. He demonstrated perfect technique in his last two fights when he finished Jason MacDonald (UFC 87) and Nate Quarry (UFC 91) by way of rear naked choke. MacDonald was able to defend a couple of Maias’ submissions to make it to the third round and Quarry was quickly overwhelmed and choked out less than 3 minutes into the first round.

Sonnen brings an improved skill set with him to the UFC in his second tenure with the organization. Between October of 2005 and May of 2006 Sonnen put together a record of 1-2 for the UFC before moving on to the Bodog Fight promotion. He later returned to Zuffa owned WEC going 2-1 with wins over Bryan Baker and Paulo Filho. His only loss was a controversial verbal submission to Filho at WEC 31.

Although Chael Sonnen is no stranger to competing with high level fighters he will need to be at the top of his game to compete with one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players today. Maia trains with some of the top ground fighters in the world and regularly taps out heavyweights in training. He has accumulated 3 Submission of the Night bonuses in his 4 fights with the UFC. This fight is an important fight for the middleweight division and will carry title contender implications for the winner.

Prediction: Maia over Sonnen via 3rd round submission

> Buy UFC clothing, hats & merchandise online through Pro Fighting Fans where we also feature Hostility clothing, TapouT apparel & more!

Wilson Gouveia vs Nate Marquardt

This middleweight bout features two skilled strikers that are trying to get a big win for consideration in a title bout. Marquardt has been there before losing to Anderson Silva at UFC 73 over a year and a half ago. Since that title fight he has been up and down, winning 2 fights over Jeremy Horn (UFC 81) and Martin Kampann (UFC 88) but also losing a split decision against Thales Leites at UFC 85. Gouveia has been impressive since his switch from light-heavyweight to middleweight. He has gone 2-0 with wins over Ryan Jensen (UFC Fight Night 15) and Jason McDonald (TUF 8 finale).

Marquardt (27-8-2/6-2 UFC), will try and make it two wins in a row after his UFC 88 win over an undefeated Martin Kampann. Kampann came into the fight with a wave of confidence but it didn’t get him very far against “The Great”. Marquardt stunned Kampann with a series of jabs, uppercuts, knees and elbows that went unanswered. After the flurry of strikes, Kampmann dropped to his knees and the referee halted the fight early in the first round.

Gouveia, who trains with American Top Team, has proven he is a talented all around fighter but has struggled with conditioning issues that sometimes causes him to weaken late in the fight. Since Gouveia has made the move to the 185 lb. division he hasn’t needed much in the way of conditioning. He dismantled hometown boy Ryan Jensen in Omaha (UFC FN15) in the second round and then shocked a talented Jason McDonald with elbows 2:18 into the first round.

In both of those wins Gouveia set the submissions up by showing excellent striking then transitioning to submissions. In fact, the Jensen fight was impressive enough to earn Submission of the Night bonus. He will need to show the same skills in order to continue competing against top middleweight competition, such as Nate Marquardt.

Prediction: Marquardt over Gouveia via 3rd round TKO

Dan Hardy vs Rory Markham

Dan Hardy only has one UFC win to his credit but, “The Outlaw” is quickly becoming a superstar in the UFC. The UFC likes the way Hardy fights and also his energetic personality in the octagon. The Nottingham, England product will be right at home fighting IFL veteran Rory Markham. Markham should not be taken lightly as he is coming off one of the best knockout kicks in UFC history.

Dan Hardy is quick, has an excellent chin and wins most of his fights by KO (10 out of 20). He also demonstrated his conditioning and toughness when Japanese superstar Akihiro Gono took Hardy the distance in his debut match last October at UFC 89. Hardy utilized his striking in his hands as well as his kicks for the majority of the bout. When the fight did hit the ground Hardy was quick to his feet. He was taken to the ground on occasion by Gono but showed the judges enough to earn the split decision victory.

No matter how long Markham stays in the UFC his first bout with the organization will be featured on highlight clips for years to come. He made his debut against Brodie Farber, who was also making his organizational debut, at UFC Fight Night 14. Markham demonstrated solid striking but was on the defense when he unleashed the devastating head kick. It has been over 7 months since that KO and the Miletich Martial Arts student should be rested and at the top of his game.

Hardy is obviously being marketed as a future superstar appearing on international UFC cards, and for good reason. He is a very mature and talented welterweight that has the potential for superstardom but don’t count out the American, Markham. Markham may have been put on the main card as a possible stepping stone but that does not mean he has to play along. He poses a severe threat to Hardy with his excellent technique and precise striking ability. He will take a huge step in the crowded welterweight division if he can pull off the upset victory over Hardy.

Prediction: Hardy over Markham via majority decision

UFC 95 Main Event: Diego Sanchez vs Joe Stevenson

Diego Sanchez won the first season of the Spike TV show The Ultimate Fighter as a middleweight fighter. Shortly after the show aired he had moved to a more comfortable weight division and competed in the welterweight division. Now, after losing to two of the top welterweights in the UFC, Sanchez is on the move again. This time “The Nightmare” will fight The Ultimate Fighter 2 winner, Joe Stevenson in the lightweight division. Stevenson makes his first appearance on an UFC card in 2009.

Diego (19-2/8-2 UFC), will not get a “warm-up” bout against a non title contender, instead he gets “Joe Daddy” who was knocking on the door for a title fight before he was stopped by Kenny Florian at UFC 91. Sanchez did accumulate 2 more wins in the welterweight division after his slide against Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. He showed impressive all around skills against David Bielkheden at UFC 82 and tremendous striking ability against Luigi Fioravanti at The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale.

In that last fight against Fioravanti he demonstrated how his game is evolving into a dangerous striker to go along with his skills on the mat. He was able to use a variety of punches, knees and kicks to stun the former U.S. marine. Fioravanti recovered early in the fight each time he was shaken up, but it was a combination of strikes late in the third round that did him in. Fioravanti was struck by a head kick followed by a knee to put him down, then was finished off by Diego’s’ ground and pound flurry.

Stevenson (29-9/6-3 UFC) has been at the top of the lightweight division for much of the last 2 years. He lost only once in his first six UFC fights to get a title bout versus the king of the lightweight division, BJ Penn. Stevenson hung tough for two rounds but Penn showed his expert status and dismantled “Joe Daddy” before the end of the second round. Stevenson then rebounded with an impressive win over Gleison Tibau at UFC 86. His submission victory over Tibau earned him a shot as the number one contender against Kenny Florian. Florian showed why he is one of the fastest rising stars in MMA today. Florian was able to put Stevenson to the ground, loosen him up with his striking and then strapped on a guillotine choke that made Stevenson tap late in the first round.

This main event bout will give both fighters some answers as to where they stand in the lightweight division. Sanchez is trying to earn his third straight victory and figure out his identity as a lightweight. Stevenson is trying to get back on track and earn a rematch with either Penn or Florian. With a win over Sanchez he should be back at the top of an ever growing lightweight division.

Prediction: Sanchez over Stevenson via 2nd round submission

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer