The UFC is back this weekend for its final trip (for now) to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. UFC Fight Island 3 is headlined by a pair of middleweight contenders in former champ Robert Whittaker taking on Darren Till. Also on the card is Shogun Rua vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira and Fabrício Werdum vs. Alexander Gustafsson. Joining the festivities as well is Niklas Stolze. Stolze will be making his octagon debut against Ramazan Emeev (18-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC).
Niklas “Green Mask” Stolze
6’5″
Welterweight
27-years-old
La Onda Fight Club
Magdeburg, Germany
12-3
4 KO/TKO
5 Submissions
How will Stolze fare in the UFC:
Niklas Stolze is a kickboxer by trade. He’ll actively attack the legs and body and throw them at the end and the start of combinations. He has a very sneaky head kick as well holding a knockout win going that way.
Stolze throws with a good output, being hard to read throwing something different every time. He does hold his hands low which is a big concern because he isn’t particularly quick enough to get away with it. His striking/kickboxing is where he’s at his best but he does have the ability to secure takedowns as well. I’m not sold on his wrestling as he’s taken down mainly lower-level competition, and he’s not blowing me away with how he does it. Still, on the mat, Stolze does well with four rear-naked chokes.
Takedown defense wise, Stolze needs work as he can be taken down multiple times in a fight. With that said, he’s gotten away with being taken down multiple times in a fight because he’s darn good at getting back to his feet. Stolze is good at using the cage and putting his feet on the hips and exploding up. His cardio does well throughout two rounds but does slow as the fight goes on. Stolze is pretty decent everywhere but doesn’t have that one weapon that will blow you away. In my opinion, he fits the bill as a mid-tier fighter at the moment.
How he matches up with Emeev:
Ramazan is a veteran who will have the UFC experience and has no doubt fought the better competition. I don’t really see a path to victory for Stolze in his debut as I think Emeev is better everywhere.
