UFC Welterweight bout: Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
Odds: (-120 Hallman /-110 Ebersole )
Betting Pick: Hallman
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In the third bout of the evening, prolific grappler and long-time veteran Dennis “Superman” Hallman will square off against another savvy veteran with a decade of experience in Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole. This is an interesting matchup, because Ebersole is a very well-rounded fighter with a versatile skill set, whereas Hallman relies very heavily on his grappling. That would seem to give the edge to Ebersole, but “Bad Boy” has notoriously poor submission defense, and against a guy as effective at finishing fights with submissions as Hallman, that could easily spell disaster. Will Ebersole’s superior versatility allow him to exploit Hallman’s more limited game, or will Hallman’s submission prowess be too much for Ebersole’s porous defense?
Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole is a long time veteran of smaller shows, having fought as a professional for over a decade before making his UFC debut. His debut was a successful one, as he scored an upset decision win over another skilled veteran in Chris Lytle. Ebersole is a very well-rounded and effective fighter who can get the job done both standing and on the ground. His striking is technical and powerful, he is a solid wrestler with good takedowns and defense, and he has a pretty good submission attack to go along with it. The only real hole in Ebersole’s game is his submission defense, which is notoriously porous. Against Hallman he might want to concentrate on working his striking, where he will probably enjoy a notable advantage, because with his poor submission defense and Hallman’s incredible grappling prowess, forcing this fight to the ground might be suicide.
Dennis “Superman” Hallman has been fighting as a professional for over 15 years, and is one of the most effective submission finishers in the Welterweight division. He isn’t the most versatile guy in the world, and despite all his experience his striking is still fairly rudimentary, but his ability to force fights to the ground and secure submission holds is second to none. He is probably not going to have much for Ebersole on the feet, and it is entirely possible he will be outwrestled as well, but he has one significant advantage in that Ebersole’s submission defense is not good at all and Hallman is as poised to exploit that hole in his game as anyone in the world.
Ebersole is definitely the more versatile of the two, but I think the style matchup here favors Hallman. It is a simple case of a guy with very poor submission defense being matched up against one of the most effective submission fighters in the world. Eventually this fight will find it’s way to the ground, Ebersole will make a mistake, and Hallman will capitalize. Hallman by submission.
Prediction: Dennis “Super Man” Hallman via second round rear naked choke.
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