What happens when you put a heavy handed slugger against a technical, TMA based fighter? Potential fireworks as MFC standout turned UFC fighter Ryan Jimmo takes on the hard slugging New Zealand native.
Fight Breakdown – Both guys like to strike, and finish that way, but it’s in how they do it that marks the differences.
Jimmo’s best comparison is Lyoto Machida; he’s good at countering and comes out of a more traditional karate stance. He’s got game changing power in his hands but he does a lot of countering and a lot of leg kicks. He can be boring at times because he doesn’t take chances. A good chunk of his style is to wait for the counter and goad his opponent into attacking. Look for Jimmo to work the legs and force Te-Huna to be overaggressive.
Te-Huna, on the other hand, is a durable fighter who loves to trade. He’s a bomb thrower that crowds can get behind because most guys can’t withstand. He’s got enough power to stop Jimmo, who is durable when he does get hit, but he has to pick his spots. He can’t dive in and leave himself open to countering. Te-Huna needs to fight smart, avoid the brawl and use his footwork to make the cage small for Jimmo. Jimmo’s at his best when he has space to move and pick people apart. Te-Huna needs to make him fight in a phone booth.
Why it matters – Both guys are in that prospect turned contender level with a win. Jimmo has a stellar record and a win here gets him someone like a Forrest Griffin. Te-Huna has been starched by the elite before but a win here and he gets a crack at someone else with a name and a ranking.
Prediction – Jimmo
