UFC 107 Preview: Gouveia vs Belcher

Wilson Gouveia (18-6) vs. Alan Belcher (14-6): a quality middleweight bout between two guys, who both fought for top contender status in their last fights, but lost.

ATT’s Gouveia is a heavy handed BJJ black belt. That doesn’t sound too bad, right? While Gouveia is a very good fighter, unfortunately for him, he has a few chinks in his armor. Gouveia’s biggest weakness has been his insufficient gastank, which has costed him at least couple of fights (Reljic and Jardine) in the UFC. Gouveia also gassed badly in his last fight where he found himself on a collision course with a whirlwind of violence named Nate Marquardt. The other weakness of Gouveia in my opinion is that he relies too much on his naturally heavy hands while his dangerous ATT-tweaked ground game goes to waste.

Much like Gouveia, Belcher is also a fighter with very dangerous weapons in his arsenal and few unfavorable qualities. Belcher, who was 14 years old when he fought his first MMA fight against a grown man, is primarily a striker with an improving ground game. In his UFC fights The Talent has shown that he has flashy striking skills and a very effective guillotine, which he used to choke out Sean Salmon and Denis Kang. Belcher’s biggest weakness is without a doubt his inconsistency. When he has his game on, he can choke out guys like Kang and strike tough dudes like Jorge Santiago to sleep. But on the other hand he might get outstruck and destroyed in few minutes by a guy like Jason Day. Belcher’s training camps have varied and that has definitely played a role in his performances, but still it’s hard to know which Belcher will show up.

Prediction: Gouveia has dynamite in his hands while Belcher can carve your face off with his sharp elbows. When you couple these weapons with the fact that both guys have mediocre head movement and footwork, you know this fight is going to be a bloody, skin slicing, eye socket crushing, jaw breaking war. Belcher is one of my personal favorites, which is why my prediction is: Belcher by KO knee R2.