Preview: UFC 186 ‘Johnson vs. Horiguchi’

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MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Michael Bisping (25-7, 15-7 UFC) vs. C.B. Dollaway (15-6, 9-6 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Two veteran middleweights meet in a solid clash. Bisping looked like he might be done as an elite fighter following a one-sided loss to Tim Kennedy a year ago, but he rebounded with a dominating win over Cung Le before dropping his last outing to the surging Luke Rockhold. Lyoto Machida took out Dollaway in December, but prior to that, the American bested Francis Carmont and Cezar Ferreira.

Bisping is an out-fighter by nature who relies on circular movement, high work rate and a crisp jab to keep his opponent out of the pocket and off-balance. He throws a constant stream of 1-2s and picks his spots to launch longer combinations, and he has recently added a much more consistent kicking game to his arsenal, slamming home a steady diet to the legs, body and head at every opportunity. Raw power is not Bisping’s strong suit, but his volume wears down opponents over the course of the fight, and he is a finisher when he smells blood. Despite his high-profile knockout losses, Bisping is not easy to hit cleanly, with good head movement and generally solid defense overall. In addition to his striking skills, Bisping is a surprisingly strong clinch fighter, usually defends takedowns well and can hit the occasional trip or double-leg of his own. He is active if not dangerous from his back and generally scrambles well.

Dollaway is a strong and athletic wrestle-boxer with great size for the division and reasonably well-rounded skills. The former Arizona State University wrestler is a deceptively dangerous striker with good power in his shots, particularly his left hook and right kick. He could stand to improve his footwork and movement and string together more consistent combinations, but he covers distance fairly well and gets his weight behind his strikes. As a wrestler, Dollaway remains outstanding. He is nearly impossible to take down and chains together singles, doubles, trips and throws, although he is not a particularly clean finisher. On the mat, Dollaway loves the scramble, and he has a slick front headlock series, excellent control from the top ride and more traditional grappling positions and real power in his ground strikes.

BETTING ODDS: Bisping (-160), Dollaway (+130)

THE PICK: This is a tough fight to pick. On the one hand, Dollaway has looked increasingly good on the feet, lands more powerful shots and is obviously the better wrestler. On the other, Bisping is hard to take down or control in the clinch and should have a drastic advantage in work rate and volume. While a Dollaway win would not surprise me, even in dominating fashion, I lean toward Bisping on that basis. In a fight that consists mostly of striking exchanges and some work in the clinch, the pick is Bisping by decision.

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