UFC 126 Fight Card Preview: Jake Ellenberger Vs Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Jake Ellenberger thought he'd be fighting Jon Fitch tonight at UFC 126. Instead, Fitch was pulled in favor of a matchup with BJ Penn at UFC 127 in Sydney. It's not the fight he wanted, but Ellenberger is still going to approach this fight like he's fighting a top ranked welterweight.
Ellenberger has a tendency to make good fighters look really bad. Carlos Condit managed a controversial split decision win over him, but dominating performances over guys like John Howard and Mike Pyle really show you his toughness. I like Ellenberger in this fight wherever it ends up.
There isn't much to say about Rocha just yet. He's only had one fight in the UFC and it was a relatively painless affair as he knee barred TUF runner up Kris McCray back in November. He's spent just over two minutes in the octagon. What I can tell you is that he wins his fights by submission. In fact, eight of his nine victories came via submission. Ellenberger has only been submitted once in 28 fights, so it's going to be tough to catch him. I hope for Rocha's sake he's more well rounded than his record would indicate.
