There are free fights on Spike TV you say? Why yes, yes there are. In another attempt to bring in more viewers for the night’s PPV, the UFC is starting the live show an hour earlier putting on two of the preliminary fights on Spike TV. Just because they are preliminary bouts doesn’t mean they don’t offer their own set of storylines.
If you’re 6’6” and fight at 185 pounds, there’s a good shot you’re going to cause some problems in the division. But the problem for Kendall Grove is his weak chin. A 5-3 record and a propensity for being on the wrong side of a big shot have kept Grove around but toiling in mediocrity. He’s taking on a guy in Jake Rosholt who is starting to come into his own. Rosholt came into MMA with a lot of hype as one of the members of Team Takedown, a group of wrestlers from Oklahoma State transitioning to MMA. Rosholt is coming off an impressive win in his last bout and would love to build off the momentum here. If Rosholt can deal with Grove’s tremendous reach and work his wrestling he has the opportunity to walk away with a win.
While Rosholt and Grove may do most of their work on the ground in their fight, Marcus Davis and Ben Saunders will prefer to do their work standing up. This is certainly a statement bout between two fighters looking to establish themselves in the division. Both fighters have a tendency to let their emotions get the best of them which, despite their respective talents, has hurt them in their fights. It’s a bout that’s going to determine who’s ready for the tougher opponents and who needs more work. Despite Saunders’ reach advantage going in, I favor Davis here because he’s had more time to develop. With only four fights in the UFC Saunders will be in over his head for the second consecutive bout.
