UFC 106 Preview: The Prelims

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

The Breakdown: In a tale of over-hyped middleweights desperate to shed their past disappointments, Grove and Rosholt make up the second half of the Spike TV twin bill in what will be a true crossroads fight for both men. The fight itself comes down to Rosholt’s ability to use his stultifying top control to corral the multi-faceted offense of Grove, who will present an ongoing threat regardless of where the fight goes.

Preventing takedowns will be the issue for Grove -- an all but impossible task considering his sub-standard wrestling and past struggles against takedown-minded opponents. With that in mind, Grove needs to stay the aggressor throughout by taking advantage of Rosholt’s mind-numbing love affair with striking and still unproven submission defense.

Grove has the bigger toolbox of skills, but it has not saved him from getting wrestle-stomped by the likes of Ricardo Almeida, and Rosholt has proven himself a bear in the wrestling department. All that changes if Rosholt tries to step outside his limited game; Grove must create such a scenario one way or another.

The X-Factor: For a guy who supposedly trains like an animal, Rosholt’s cardio has proven to be inconsistent at best. Not a positive development considering he will have a hard time finishing Grove, who will spend every second of this fight trying to sap the will from Rosholt’s soul.

Like most young fighters, Rosholt struggles to pace himself -- a skill he will need for this fight. The alternative will have him looking at the clock and realizing he has an eternity left in the cage with a guy who looks like a genetic splice of a praying mantis and a Yakuza.

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The Bottom Line: Expect Rosholt to find some early success, suffocating Grove’s offense before the physical strain starts snatching the air from his lungs. Once that happens, Grove will take away the rest of Rosholt’s oxygen with a rear-naked choke midway through the third round.