185 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (14-5)
The opening bout of the televised card is a Middleweight matchup between up and coming prospect Alan Belcher and highly-touted Japanese judo standout Yoshihiro Akiyama. Akiyama pulls into UFC riding a massive hype train, and has the skills to back the hype up. Belcher, though, made short work of UFC’s last big acquisition from the Japanese MMA scene, Denis Kang, and will no doubt be looking for a repeat performance.
Belcher, a well rounded fighter with knockout power and a solid submission attack, has nevertheless had mixed success inside the Octagon. He has won a few fights he should have lost, lost a few he should have won, and cemented himself a spot somewhere in the center of the Middleweight pack. In his last fight, against dangerous Canadian Denis Kang, Belcher showed his potential, handily defeating Kang by guillotine choke at the end of the second round. Belcher’s biggest problem is that, while there are no sizable holes in his game, he doesn’t stand out in any one area, either. He is the proverbial “jack of all trades, king of none.”
Akiyama, on the other hand, has some fairly definite strengths. An extremely skilled judoka, Akiyama’s throws, takedowns, and submissions are all quite dangerous. Surprisingly, though, despite his high-profile name, Akiyama hasn’t really fought much tougher opposition than Belcher. Two of his biggest fights, against Kazushi Sakuraba and Kazuo Misaki, both ended in no contests. Other than that, his only two big wins were against the aforementioned Denis Kang and K-1 MMA star Melvin Manhoef. Still, even without a sizable experience advantage, this is Akiyama’s fight to lose.
Belcher is no match for the man fondly referred to across the internet as “Sexyama” on the ground, so his only chance is to score a knockout on the feet. Akiyama has been across the ring from better strikers than Belcher, though, and his takedowns are so good that I don’t see Belcher’s standup posing much of a threat. Akiyama should be able to get this one to the ground fairly easily, and it’s only a matter of time before he secures the submission and the victory.
Akiyama by armbar, early in round 2.
