Preview: UFC Fight Night 131 'Rivera vs. Moraes'

Lightweights
Gregor Gillespie (11-0) vs. Vinc Pichel (11-1)
Odds: Gillespie (-460), Pichel (+365)

Hot prospect Gillespie, who has been savaging overmatched opponents since his debut against the hulking Glaico Franca, is getting a slight bump in competition against Pichel. “The Gift’s” wrestling pedigree -- he was a four-time All-American at Edinboro University and won a Division I national championship there -- is his fallback and how he typically sets up his finishes. But he is more than down to throw heavy leather in the pocket. What is exciting about his striking game is how he plays off his wrestling. The Bellmore Kickboxing export will shoot, quickly bail on it, and come up swinging. Or he’ll merely feint the takedown, getting his twitchy opponent’s guard down, before decking him in the face. As soon as his foe thinks the takedowns aren’t coming and bites down to throw, Gillespie shoots an actual shot. Once on top, his ground and pound and pressure-passing are extremely aggressive. If a choke presents itself, he’ll take it, but otherwise, he’ll pound away unrelentingly until the referee jumps in. His striking defense remains a liability, but Gillespie’s wrestling is so dominant, he can complete takedowns even when rocked. His opponents have a very small window in which to hurt him. Meanwhile, he is throwing heaters at their face.

Pichel is of a similar mind. “From Hell” returned from three years on the shelf last June and knocked out Aussie brawler Demian Brown, following it up with a close decision over Joaquim Silva seven months later. After the hiatus, Pichel became more of a counterpuncher than the aggressive pressure fighter he had been. Against Silva, who did not wade forward like Brown, Pichel had to settle for pot-shotting and kneeing in close quarters when he could tie up. Against sub-par wrestlers, the Ultimate Training Center stalwart can get a rinse-and-repeat takedown game going. And his Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt enables him to threaten with dominant positions while landing aggressive ground-and-pound.

Beating Gillespie most likely means finishing him, because winning rounds against “The Gift” would require an uncommon sprawl. He can be tagged on the feet, but the window is so small, even after hurting him. And his grappling background means catching him in a submission will be no easy task. Pichel is tough, strong and game, but that doesn’t feel like enough. Gillespie is more active standing and will gradually but uncompromisingly grind Pichel down with takedowns and ground-and-pound. A finish in the third round sounds right.

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