UFC lightweights Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman face off on the main card of UFC 132 tomorrow night in Las Vegas.
UFC 132 Fight Card Breakdown: Matt Wiman vs. Dennis Siver
Siver, a Russian-born kickboxer fighting out of Germany, rides a 3 fight win-streak into this bout and has won 6 out of his last 7 UFC bouts. The biggest win in that run came at UFC 127 when he stopped George Sotiropoulos' run at the title with a three round beating that shocked G-Sot's Australian fans.
Wiman, a veteran of the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, is also riding a 3 fight win streak and is 7-3 overall with the promotion. What he’s missing is that high profile win that will thrust him onto the contender track.
Stylistically this fight is reminiscent of an old-school MMA striker-vs-grappler bout in that each man excels at one aspect of fighting although both men are fairly well-rounded.
Siver is a dynamic kickboxer who’s succeeded in integrating a variety of exotic Taekwondo kicks into his arsenal. His spinning back kick has painfully finished more than one UFC fighter’s night, but his kickboxing fundamentals are solid.
Wiman combines good wrestling with strong submission skills and has dramatically improved his kickboxing in recent years.
Siver will have a significant advantage on the feet, but Wiman will be able to put him on his back and keep him there.
| Aspect | Wiman | Points | Siver | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Fighting | ||||
| Boxing | Improving | 1 | Good | Siver |
| Kickboxing | Ok | 2 | Innovative | Siver |
| Wrestling | Effective | 2 | Limited | Wiman |
| Clinch Fighting | ||||
| Dirty Boxing | Dangerous | 1 | Ok | Wiman |
| Thai Clinch | Good | 1 | Good | Tie |
| Throws/Trips | Effective | 1 | Limited | Wiman |
| Ground Fighting | ||||
| Positional Control | Stifling | 2 | Eh | Wiman |
| Top Game | Scary | 1 | Decent | Wiman |
| Bottom Game | Good | 1 | Limited | Wiman |
| Submissions | Very Good | 1 | Ok | Wiman |
| Intangibles | Loses the Big One | 2 | Hot Streak | Siver |
| Overall | Dark Horse | 5/9 | Crested Wave | Wiman |
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