UFC Fight Night ‘Hunt vs. Nelson’ Preview

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Lightweights

Myles Jury (14-0, 5-0 UFC) vs. Takanori Gomi (35-9, 4-4 UFC)

The Matchup: The co-main event brings us another excellent scrap, as Japanese veteran Gomi takes on an up-and-comer out of Alliance MMA in Jury. Perhaps no young fighter in MMA has more promise and has received less attention than Jury, who has won his first five fights in the UFC with ease against increasingly difficult competition. Gomi is a 16-year veteran of the sport, and he has seemingly aged like fine wine: he looks as good as ever and will attempt to stop Jury’s rise to the top.

Jury is a three-dimensional fighter with plus physical tools. At range, he throws a sharp jab mixed in with a vicious overhand right and kicks at all levels, though he could stand to string his shots together into more fluid combinations. His single best tool on the feet is his outstanding and powerful counter punching, and, in general, he demonstrates excellent fundamentals in the form of technical weight transfer in his shots, clean footwork and excellent command of angles. Jury is a good wrestler, with solid technique and great drive on his shots; this is what allows him to implement his absolutely stifling top game. A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at only 25, Jury maintains a heavy base and shows opportunistic passing and submission games that give his opponents few openings.

Gomi is not the power-punching monster he was in his prime or the decorated submission wrestler of his youth, in some ways for the better and others for the worse. His formerly top-notch athleticism and speed are mostly gone at this point, though he can still throw bombs when the mood strikes. For the most part, however, he has embraced the benefits of experience and become a finely tuned combination striker with an excellent sense of distance and timing in the pocket. Because he no longer tries to throw everything into every punch, Gomi can maintain a blistering, high-output pace for all three rounds. He still possesses plus power, and his chin remains good enough to absorb a substantial amount of damage in the high-octane fights he prefers. Gomi has always been somewhere between a good wrestler and a great one, and his takedown defense is rugged enough to keep fights mostly on the feet. While his submission defense has historically been a problem, that is mostly an issue in transitions rather than straight grappling situations. Gomi is no longer a top-15 fighter, but his ability to find a steady rhythm and throw powerful strikes makes him a tough out for anybody at 155 pounds.

Betting Odds: N/A

The Pick: If Jury falls into Gomi’s game of quick-paced exchanges, the youngster could easily find himself in real trouble after eating a few old-school left and right overhands. There is little reason to think this will happen, though. Jury is a smart fighter and always sticks to his game plan, occasionally to his detriment, which should consist of using angles to stay out of Gomi’s wheelhouse and opportunistic takedowns when the veteran sits down on his counterpunches. After working him for a while on the mat, Jury will transition to a dominant position and snag a submission in the second round.

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