The second episode of Road to UFC features fighters from around the globe, including Japan, Australia, China, India, and more. The tournament sees four weight classes in the spotlight: flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight. It’s win and move on, with the eventual tournament champion breaking into the UFC.
We’ve got our predictions ready for Road to UFC 2 — let’s go!
Flyweight: Shaun Etchell Vs. Takeru Uchida
Tale of the tape
Shaun Etchell
Tasmania, Australia
28-years-old
5’7″
7-2
2-fight win streak
Takeru Uchida
Chiba, Japan
19-years-old
5’5″
5-1
4-fight win streak
Pros and Cons
Shaun Etchell
Pros
- Good leg kicks
- Good ground and pound
- Durable
- Forward pressure
- Decent wrestling
Cons
- TDD needs work
- Plodding footwork
- A bit slow
- Gives up his back
Takeru Uchida
Pros
- Huge submission threat
- Dangerous off his back
- Lightning-quick transitions
- Slick jiu-jitsu
- Improved wrestling
- Chain wrestles well
Cons
- Shoots desperate takedowns
- One-dimensional
Prediction: To me, all focus is on the 19-year-old grappling phenom Takeru Uchida. There are significant concerns in this fight for him though. He is still very young and still lacking physically. Uchida is still grapple-heavy and hasn’t yet branched out to other aspects of MMA.
Etchell is easily more well-rounded and the more proven fighter. On tape, the Aussie should take this win home. With that said, Uchida is so good on the mat I’m not sure Etchell survives if he gets taken down even once. His takedown defense isn’t too good and he has given up his back to lesser grapplers. He can’t afford to do that with Uchida. Even on the feet, Etchell isn’t anywhere close to a great striker so he’s not that much of a threat to the kid from Japan. The pick is Uchida.
