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but he has to be clinical.
Every fight Braxton Smith has participated in has ended in a (T)KO and his last 5 have been 5 round 1 (T)KO wins. This is what he did to his last opponent:
Parker was KOed in the 1st round by Justin Tafa in his last fight. He has been chosen to welcome Braxton to the UFC and either Braxon hits the ground running or Parker shows he is a cut above.
Physically the fighters are close in size and weight but Parker is 5 years older and has quadruple the experience. He needs to use that to avoid falling victim to another big-hitting newcomer. Grappling is not his wheelhouse but he should have an advantage there over Smith, who has a kickboxing background and only 6 MMA fights. The sooner Porter closes the distance and initiates the clinch the better. From there he can look for a trip or takedown and take Smith where he doesn't want to go.
Hanging out on the feet could be dangerous for Parker and he will need to mind his Ps and Qs and keep moving, not let the Beautiful Monster plant his feet or step inside and get off any power shots while Parker is within range or has his chin exposed. If Porter keeps it technical and keeps circling and resetting, and uses his cagecraft to find options to get off his own strikes without taking unnecessary risks, I think he can beat Smith on volume.
This alone would be a risky strategy however. He just can't be too predictable with his grappling entries but that has to be Plan A. Parker has lost his last 2, both in the 1st round, and he could be fighting for his UFC career here and at 38 he is unlikely to get that chance again. With a win here against a dangerous opponent he can show that he is still relevant and can handle explosive strikers (Daukas stopped him in the 1st round as well in 2020).
I'm picking Parker to get the job done on Saturday and start moving back up the rankings! He will show Braxton he is in a bigger pond now. Probably by decision but if he can put the Beautiful Monster on his back with time to work a finish is possible.
Every fight Braxton Smith has participated in has ended in a (T)KO and his last 5 have been 5 round 1 (T)KO wins. This is what he did to his last opponent:
Parker was KOed in the 1st round by Justin Tafa in his last fight. He has been chosen to welcome Braxton to the UFC and either Braxon hits the ground running or Parker shows he is a cut above.
Physically the fighters are close in size and weight but Parker is 5 years older and has quadruple the experience. He needs to use that to avoid falling victim to another big-hitting newcomer. Grappling is not his wheelhouse but he should have an advantage there over Smith, who has a kickboxing background and only 6 MMA fights. The sooner Porter closes the distance and initiates the clinch the better. From there he can look for a trip or takedown and take Smith where he doesn't want to go.
Hanging out on the feet could be dangerous for Parker and he will need to mind his Ps and Qs and keep moving, not let the Beautiful Monster plant his feet or step inside and get off any power shots while Parker is within range or has his chin exposed. If Porter keeps it technical and keeps circling and resetting, and uses his cagecraft to find options to get off his own strikes without taking unnecessary risks, I think he can beat Smith on volume.
This alone would be a risky strategy however. He just can't be too predictable with his grappling entries but that has to be Plan A. Parker has lost his last 2, both in the 1st round, and he could be fighting for his UFC career here and at 38 he is unlikely to get that chance again. With a win here against a dangerous opponent he can show that he is still relevant and can handle explosive strikers (Daukas stopped him in the 1st round as well in 2020).
I'm picking Parker to get the job done on Saturday and start moving back up the rankings! He will show Braxton he is in a bigger pond now. Probably by decision but if he can put the Beautiful Monster on his back with time to work a finish is possible.
Onwards and upwards!
