Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall ‘Da Spyder’ Grove (12-8-1) takes on Tim ‘The Barbarian’ Boetsch (12-4) in what will be the burly Americans first fight campaigning in the middleweight division since stepping down from lightheavyweight.
Both fighters will look to regain momentum following difficult losses against top tier opponents with Grove falling by way of decision to former middleweight title contender and ju jitsu maestro Damien Maia and Boetsch succumbing by way of unorthodox submission known as the Wonderbar (Philmura anybody?) to potential light-heavyweight contender and wrestling powerhouse, Phil Davis.
The Ultimate Fighter reality show was designed to propel the UFC into the mainstream arena and create identifiable faces for which the brand can build upon, but the show has become somewhat of a poison chalice for a few of its stars. That includes the winner of its third season, with Grove continuing to flatter to deceive particularly after showing perceived improvements against lesser talents but then failing to capitalize with frustrating performances against the likes of Ricardo Almeida and Mark Munoz respectively.
He will have his hands full when facing tough Maine native Boetsch whose career has also fluctuated between impressive wins (like his debut in the UFC where he rag-dolled David Heath to the ground before punishing his opponent with several unanswered strikes) and disappointing losses to the likes of Matt Hamil and Jason Brilz which saw him cut from the UFC roster but subsequently reinstated after putting together a string of convincing victories in smaller organisations.
Grove is the type of fighter who gets the spectator excited yet nervous in equal measure. You feel the likeable Hawaiian could really excel when at his best using his height (at 6ft 6” the tallest fighter in the middleweight division) and reach (79″) coupled with his excellent Muay Thai and flamboyant submission attempts but he is also error prone and perhaps guilty of losing focus and making obvious mistakes by playing into his opponents strengths.
The BJ Penn trained fighter will have to stay focused and nimble on his feet as Boetsch will look to explode and punish the naturally lighter man with his powerful flurry’s and solid wrestling. If Grove can maintain the distance and use his Muay Thai whilst moving in and out of range Boetsch will be in for a long night. Though he would initially prefer to keep it standing, if taken down ‘Da Spyder’ will feel he has the technical nous to catch Boetsch in his web and become the first man to submit his resilient adversary.
‘The Barbarian’ must look to press the action and use his leverage to lean on and wear down his wiry opponent. If he can secure the takedown and remain cautious whilst keeping top position he may be able break Grove’s resistance with his devastating hammer fists and ground and pound.
The consensus would be that the longer the fight goes on the better it is for Grove as he has displayed a good job of hanging in there and finding a way to win as his opponent begins to tire. Boetsch has stated that the weight cut has only served to make him more hungry (no pun intended) for victory and though his stamina has always been suspect, it should be noted that the always game fighter has taken many a bout in the UFC on short notice.
I believe the nomadic Boetsch maybe the more motivated of the two, and after initial problems with Grove’s reach will eventually be able to impose his game plan.
Prediction: Tim Boetsch by TKO in Round Two.
