34-fight veteran Derrick Krantz is stepping up on less than a week’s notice to take on Vicente Luque in the UFC Rochester co-main event.
The UFC is coming to Rochester, New York, on May 18. The event will be held in the Blue Cross Arena. The card is set with 12 bouts headlined by Kevin Lee and Rafael dos Anjos and also has four debuting fighters and many rising up-and-comers. Unfortunately, the card took a big hit in the co-main event. Neil Magny was set to take on rising star Vicente Luque but Magny was pulled due to a USADA mishap. With that said, on just five days notice, veteran Derrick Krantz will step in and fight Luque.
How Will Derrick Krantz Fare in the UFC:
Derrick Krantz has been fighting professionally for 12 years with 34 total fights. He has ten losses but some of those are to James Nakashima, Alex Morono, Dustin Poirier, Derek Campos, Sean Spencer, and Andrey Koreshkov. Krantz is a veteran who isn’t too old at 31 and is a good signing for the UFC.
He’s well-known for his big power in his hands. Krantz has lights out power in both his hands, scoring some crippling knockouts in his career. He relies on his power on the feet but is good in bursts and has a sufficient jab. Krantz has some good wrestling as well but it’s his ground-and-pound that is a fight ender. He’s got some good qualities, but against a good wrestler and a faster opponent, he will have trouble.
How he Matches Up with Vicente Luque:
Luque is 8-1 in his last nine fights and on a four-fight win streak proving he is a top contender in the welterweight division. Luque is dangerous on the feet and on the mat and can finish this fight anywhere. Luque is the much crisper and faster striker. I don’t see Krantz taking Luque down but if so, Luque has six submissions and Krantz has five submission losses. Stepping in on short notice against a legit contender doesn’t look good for Krantz.
