UFC ‘Jones vs. Matyushenko’ Prelims Preview

James Irvin vs. Igor Pokrajac

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Much of the appeal of any prelim slate is the lurid drama of the “win or go home” fights that routinely fill out the bottom half of any UFC event. Whether they’re unwitting players or not, Irvin and Pokrajac appear set to continue the prelim soap opera with their light heavyweight fight for a UFC contract renewal.

Both fighters are mired in two-fight losing streaks and neither is likely much longer for the UFC win or lose. With that said Pokrajac has looked woefully overmatched in the UFC thus far since his one-dimensional top-control style has been a poor match against world-class competition.

Contrast that with Irvin, who has thankfully given up on his career as an emaciated middleweight and will now fight at a weight more accommodating to his all-or-nothing striking style. Striking is the shotgun blast-sized hole in Pokrajac’s game. He isn’t the sort of wrestler who is going to instantaneously take down anyone staring at him from across the cage either. Worse yet is his bizarre inclination for getting into hopeless striking exchanges.

That’s the backbreaker for Pokrajac’s hopes. For all of Irvin’s flaws -- his chin and cardio foremost among them -- he can put the lights out on anyone who can’t hold their own on the feet. It would hardly be a surprise if Pokrajac managed a few takedowns, but he’s eventually going to end up in a tight corner of the cage that he doesn’t have the tools to escape from.