UFC 131 Preview Part One: Sam Stout & Yves Edwards Look To Thrill

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Fight fans will be ready for an exciting night of mixed martial arts as they tune into Spike TV this Saturday night for the UFC 131 Prelims, of which one is widely predicted to take Fight of the Night honors.  In the lightweight division, Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout takes on Yves Edwards.

Canadian Sam Stout (16 – 6) is a kick boxing and muay thai champion with knock out power is his heavy hands. Always exciting to watch, Stout has earned two of his five “Fight of the Night” awards against fellow lightweight Spencer Fisher. In another notable match up Stout was handed his first career loss against the former number one contender, Kenny Florian. In his last fight against Paul Taylor at UFC 121 Stout suffered an injury to his triceps but still managed to earn a split decision victory.

Yves Edwards (40 -16) is likewise a striker but has a well rounded set of skills that includes jui jitsu as well as Muay Thai and even some boxing. A veteran fighter, Edwards has been in bouts for multiple promotions including Pride Fighting Championships, EliteXC and the UFC. Edwards recently submitted TUF12’s Cody McKenzie in the Fight of the Night at Fight for the Troops 2. Despite Edwards having once considered retirement, his last three wins have rejuvenated his career.

With two strikers known for exciting bouts meeting inside the Octagon this weekend, fans can count on Edwards and Stout putting on a memorable show. Sam Stout will be looking to keep Edwards on the outside, relying on his good conditioning and crisp striking to wear down Edwards. It’s been years since the “Hands of Stone” has won by knockout, so he’d like to do just that in Vancouver this weekend. Given how durable Stout is Yves Edward won’t be looking for a fast knock out. Instead he’ll be to using his quickness to stay inside the pocket and out work Stout with superior boxing. While he may on paper have the grappling edge with his jiu-jitsu background, it’s worth remembering that Stout hasn’t been submitted since the fight against Kenny Florian in 2006.

This contest should remain a tactical stand up battle throughout where two proven lightweight fighters will each seek to be the first to establish control. Both are fairly evenly matched so the fight will come down to conditioning and which man outworks the other. Expect a full three rounds of action and for Sam Stout to inflict more damage and take away yet another decision victory.

Skully Williams has been a fighting fan most of his life. What started out as a casual interest in pro wrestling and boxing has evolved into a full time passion for MMA. Combined with his love of writing this pugilistic penman is delighted to be a part of the Inside Fights team.