Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago

Paulo Thiago’s claim to fame is his knockout of Josh Koscheck, which was awesome. Nobody expected it to happen. Paulo was advertised as a submission expert, nothing more. It just goes to show that anything can happen in the UFC – and that line has become quite the wonderful cliché, hasn’t it?

Don’t be fooled though. Mike Swick is the superior striker. Mike will also be highly motivated in this fight. First of all, he’s coming off a loss to mouthy Brit, Dan Hardy. One can’t imagine what that’s done to Swick’s ego. Also, Mike will be eager to avenge his teammate’s afore-mentioned knockout at the hands of Thiago.

Even though Swick has only been a would-be contender, he’s still a very good fighter. Plus, he’s well rounded. Although Thiago will have an edge in the submission department, it’s doubtful he’ll have an opportunity to make good use of it.

If Swick fights intelligently while standing, he should be able to inflict plenty of damage to his opponent. His wrestling is strong enough to keep him from winding up on his back. He may even try a takedown or two. If he does, he shouldn’t feel bad about standing back up. He doesn’t need to do anything on the mat. He just needs to keep Thiago guessing throughout the fight.

If Swick gets too excited, either on his feet or on the ground, he could get in trouble. However if Swick fights with composure – and more importantly: confidence – he’ll defeat Thiago.

Next Fight: Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller

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