Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Bigfoot vs. Mir’

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MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Cezar Ferreira (8-3, 4-1 UFC) vs. Sam Alvey (24-6, 1-1 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Vitor Belfort protégé Ferreira draws well-traveled journeyman Alvey in a decent middleweight pairing. A competitor on the widely panned 16th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Alvey dropped a close decision to Tom Watson in his official UFC debut in August but rebounded with a win over Dylan Andrews in November. Ferreira has not quite lived up to his substantial potential and, despite winning four of five outings, has yet to truly impress.

Alvey is a striker by preference, and although his game is more than a little awkward, it is effective and surprisingly powerful. He likes to cover up, wait for his moment and then blaze away with a succession of right hooks and left straights from his southpaw stance. Defense is a huge problem, however, and Alvey relies far too much on his granite chin rather than investing in some real skills that might lead to him getting hit less.

Alvey is a strong wrestler, both offensively and defensively, though he uses that arsenal less often than he might. Nobody will confuse him with an Abu Dhabi Combat Club competitor, but he is solid on the ground and knows how to survive and scramble back to his feet.

Ferreira’s game is predicated on his explosiveness and athleticism, but he is far from consistent in any phase of the fight and, like his mentor, works at a glacial pace punctuated by occasional moments of shocking violence. He prefers to operate at long range, slinging single round kicks, spinning kicks and straight lefts from his southpaw stance, but he rarely throws combinations. Defensive wrestling is a strong suit for Ferreira, and he can hit the occasional double or trip of his own. On the ground, Ferreira can find the occasional submission and his control game is stifling, but he is not exceptionally dynamic.

THE PICK: If Alvey cannot drag Ferreira into an exciting fight, then nobody can. Alvey will look to throw volume and engage, while Ferreira will presumably back away and circle at long kicking range, outside of the American’s wheelhouse. If Alvey had better footwork or a more defined pressure game, he would be the easy pick here, but his tendency to wait on his opponent to engage will play against him. The pick is Ferreira by slow-paced decision -- again.

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