UFC 87 Preview Part II

Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta

Standup: This is the technical very calculating style of Kenny Florian vs. the wild unorthdox and extremely exciting style of the very talented Sports Illustrated coverboy Roger Huerta. Florian's standup has advanced by leaps and bounds since he was a contestant on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. He even went to Thailand to hone his Muay Thai and you can ask Sean Sherk how sharp Florian's elbows can be. He does not have tremendous knockout power but, he will pick you apart and he is one of the few fighters in the UFC who, you actually have to worry about getting hit by one of his elbows and getting the fight stopped because he can cut you open that badly. Huerta's standup is powerful but, not nearly as technical as Florian. He throws things with a lot of power but, he can become very wild with his strikes specifically his kicks and leaves himself open to straight counters which I am sure a smart fighter like Florian can use to his advantage. I have to give the edge to Florian but, that does not mean Huerta can not knock Florian out.

Edge: Florian

Wrestling: This aspect clearly goes to Huerta who actually has the wrestling experience in high school and college. He also uses the takedown a lot after he flurries to finish off scrambles. Florian only really has utilized the takedown against guys who he clearly outclasses on the ground and have no takedown defense, examples would be guys like Kit Cope and Sam Stout. Sean Sherk threw around KenFlo like a rag doll, however, Sherk has thrown a lot of people around like that. Huerta just has to be careful because once it gets to the ground it leads to the next aspect of MMA....

Edge: Huerta

Jujitsu: Florian is the clear winner in this area. A Brazilian Jujitsu Black Belt who uses it very well in MMA, submitting a bunch of his opponents. He is not only good at Jujitsu, he knows how to game plan it against fighters who do not have his skill level on the ground. Huerta is no slouch either though. For a guy who takes that many risk both with his striking and his takedowns, giving up his back all the time he does not get submitted. This is not because he has not faced anyone with Florian's level of Jujtsu either. Alberto Crane and Leonard Garcia both are tremendous BJJ competitors and Huerta showed amazing submission defense against both of these fighters. Huerta should still be careful with his style though in this fight because if he makes a mistake Florian will be there and try and take advantage of it.

Edge: Florian

Prediction: I think this one may actually go the distance and it will be a close and hotly contested hard fought win for Huerta. I just think Huerta may outhustle him and be more aggressive for takedowns but, definitely a "Fight of the Night" contender