On just one week’s notice, Dequan Townsend will step into the Octagon for the first time in his 30th professional fight at UFC Minneapolis.
The UFC is coming to Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 29. The card is set in stone with 13 bouts headlined by Francis Ngannou and Junior Dos Santos. The event holds important contender bouts for the future as well as five debuting fighters. The card has taken a hit with injuries with five canceled bouts. One would be the newcomer Dequan Townsend filling in for the injured Justin Ledet to take on Dalcha Lungiambula.
6’3″
Light Heavyweight
33-years-old
Lansing, Michigan
Murcielago MMA
21-8 (1 NC)
12 KO/TKO
5 Submission (2 Guillotines, 2 Triangles, 1 Rear-Naked Choke)
How Will Dequan Townsend Fare in the UFC:
Dequan Townsend is a veteran with 29 pro fights and 33 amateur fights at welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight. He’s found more success at 185 as he is currently 6-0 in the weight class. He does tend to fight at 205 often and it hasn’t worked out for the most part as he looks sluggish and is too small. Offensively, Townsend is well-rounded with finishes coming from all areas. Nothing stands out as he likes to use his range with kicks and once on top his finishing ability is good. Defensively, though, he struggles in many areas. Townsend has had a huge problem with his takedown defense getting taken down with relative ease. Off his back, he has nothing to offer as very rarely you will see him work to get back to his feet. On the feet, at times he will just stand flat-footed, allowing guys to explode in and out. Townsend is tough but still has been put in danger many times. Overall, not a great signing, but on short notice, it’s understandable. If he goes to middleweight it will be interesting to see how he does.
How Dequan Townsend Matches up with Dalcha Lungiambula:
Unluckily for Townsend, Dalcha is a strong explosive guy with solid judo. He will quickly look to exploit Townsend’s takedown defense as soon as possible. Townsend does have a size advantage at six inches taller than Dalcha. With that said, Dalcha is super aggressive and I’m not sure Townsend’s distance management is ready for the task. On the feet, it is close as Dalcha is still limited and Townsend not so aggressive. I’m not fully confident, but the poor takedown defense of Townsend should hinder him.
