Diggin’ Deep on UFC 201: Lawler vs Woodley Fight Pass prelims preview

Based on what the UFC is offering on Fight Pass this week, I’d say that they are getting away from offering featured matches worth tuning into. Then they turn around and decide to put Cub Swanson and Tatsuya Kawajiri on Fight Pass for next week’s offering in Salt Lake City. What gives? I don’t have the answer; I really want to know what gives.

To be fair, Michael Graves – the fighter the UFC is spotlighting — is a prospect who appears to have a bright future. The problem is that his style isn’t going to induce any gasps of excitement in addition to being green. It could be years before he is ready for primetime. Regardless, his continued progress should be an interesting development.

Personally, I’m more interested in the flyweight contest as both Ryan Benoit and Fredy Serrano possess rare power for 125ers which has been the biggest complaint against the little guys. If you watch just one fight on Fight Pass, I’d recommend tuning into those two.

The Fight Pass prelims start at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT.

Michael Graves (6-0) vs. Bojan Velickovic (14-3), Welterweight

While both of these welterweight prospects offer some potential, they present styles that make it difficult for the promotion to get behind them at this stage. Translation: this probably won’t be the most entertaining contest.

Graves is the better known commodity to fans thanks to his exposure on TUF 21. While he has shown progression since his time on the show, his striking is still way behind his wrestling ability which leads to his fights being grinding affairs. He was able to find a submission finish in his last appearance against Randy Brown, offering hope that he doesn’t develop into a Jon Fitch-like decision machine.

Velickovic may not be the explosive athlete that Graves is, but he is absolutely huge for welterweight. Owner of a thick 6’0″ frame with a 76″ reach, it’s unusual when he doesn’t pose a matchup problem for an opponent. While he made his UFC debut at middleweight, he’s spent a good chunk of his regional career fighting at welterweight, thus the weight cut shouldn’t create a mystery as to how he’ll respond to the drop in weight.

As mentioned, Graves wrestling is his bread and butter. He has an explosive shot that almost always allows him to at least grab a leg even if he isn’t able to finish the job. If he can’t finish the takedown he’ll push the fight against the fence, either chaining further attempts from there or striking with short knees and elbows. He’s proven he isn’t just a wrestler though as he’s shown improved guard passing, greatly helped by his strong ground and pound. He isn’t afraid to throw flashy strikes such as flying knees, but Graves’ fundamentals haven’t come along as hoped… yet.

Velickovic typically looks to grind out his opponents using his massive frame. That will be a difficult proposition for him against Graves as Velickovic isn’t nearly the wrestler that his counterpart is. Instead, look for him to utilize his length, throwing a steady diet of kicks from a distance. While his punching is a bit clunky, he pumps a jab from a southpaw stance to some effect and has occasional power. Stagnant from the top position, Velickovic is sneaky good at scoring sweeps and snatching submissions in the midst of a scramble. Look for those abilities to come into play as his takedown defense has been underwhelming to say the least.

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