Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Mendes vs. Lamas’

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LIGHTWEIGHTS

Michael Chiesa (11-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Mitch Clarke (11-2, 2-2 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Chiesa attempts to rebound from his cut stoppage against Joe Lauzon in September, as he meets the tough and sneaky-dangerous Clarke. Canada’s Clarke, who now trains at the MMA Lab, dropped his first two outings in the UFC but bounced back with a decision over John Maguire and an out-of-nowhere choking of the rising Al Iaquinta in May.

Chiesa, a native of eastern Washington State, had strung together wins over Francisco Trinaldo and Colton Smith prior to the loss to Lauzon.

Chiesa started his time in the UFC as a lanky, awkward wrestle-grappler and has since added an increasingly functional striking and clinch repertoire to his game. His work at range revolves around his long straight left and a powerful kick to the body. He is most comfortable in the clinch, however, where his long limbs give him astounding leverage. Chiesa throws a constant stream of knees and elbows as he jockeys for position to work his trips and throws, which form the basis of his takedown game. He is not terribly explosive and has a tendency to shoot from too far away, but when he gets in on the hips, he chain wrestles beautifully. Once the fight hits the mat, Chiesa really goes to work. He immediately looks to pass, maintains a brutally heavy base and has a tremendous gift for finding the back, both in extended grappling sequences and in lightning-fast scrambles.

Clarke is a solid wrestle-grappler in his own right. He is a decent striker, with a good grasp of angles, a clean right hand and solid low kicks, but he rarely strings his shots together into combinations and is not a favorite to win many kickboxing matches. He is much better in the clinch and in wrestling exchanges, particularly when he locks onto a single-leg. Getting his opponent to the ground is less the goal than simply creating a scramble where Clarke can put his transitional offense to work, particularly his excellent front headlock series of guillotines, brabos and back takes. He is solid from top position and active from his back, but the best facet of his game is in the fluid grappling exchanges.

BETTING ODDS: Chiesa (-345), Clarke (+285)

THE PICK: This will either turn out as an underwhelming striking contest or a really fun wrestle-grappling match, and one hopes for more of the latter than the former. Either way, however, Chiesa should have an edge. He is more dangerous in the scrambles, a better wrestler, probably a better striker and should have a substantial edge in the clinch. Clarke is durable and game, though, so the pick is Chiesa by unanimous decision.

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