UFC 98 Preview: The Prelims

While the lay fan spends night and day going over the minutiae of the UFC 98 main card, the rest of us know that the undercard is where the good fighting is at. With a lineup that features former champions, “Ultimate Fighter” alumni and heavyweight aces in the making, the fisticuffs should be to everyone’s liking.

So get the cable bill paid off, disown any dependants and make a raid on the pantry in preparation for one of the UFC’s best offerings yet. In between carbo-loading and sending the kids to Brangelina, make sure to get in some prognostication from your least favorite degenerate gambler.

Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson

The Breakdown: With the welterweight division rapidly turning into a shark tank of hybrid zombie-sharks, every fight is critical in the ongoing struggle for main card exposure. Although Wilson has made an impression before against top-tier wrestlers like Jon Fitch, he’ll be hard pressed stopping the Silverback style offense of Larson, whose combination of chin-crunching overhand punches and Mach Five-like shots make him a physically dominating force. While Larson’s submission defense has been exposed before, Wilson will have to find an opening in between getting the Tim Treadwell treatment.

The X Factor: Intimidating as Larson’s brute strength can be, Wilson is accustomed to making up the difference with skill and opportunistic timing. Given Larson’s reliance on merely overwhelming his opponents, Wilson is custom-made to brush off the disparity, assuming he doesn’t buckle under the pressure of Larson’s bull-rush blitz. A big assumption to make, but it’s Wilson’s best hope of scalping the “Silverback.”

The Bottom Line: As much as Wilson’s versatility makes him a threat to Larson, the disparity in power and explosiveness means he’ll have to bank on surviving early and capitalizing late. That’s a tough proposition considering Larson’s new found in-cage mean streak and Wilson’s own troubles with explosive foes such as John Howard and Brad Blackburn. Watch for Larson to go bull in a china shop on Wilson from the opening bell and deliver a surprisingly one-sided short-order win.