DWCS 2023: Episode 5 Breakdown and Predictions

Serhiy Sidey Credit: BTC

Bantamweight: Serhiy Sidey Vs. Ramon Taveras

Tale of the Tape

Serhiy Sidey
27-years-old
5’11″
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Niagara Top Team
9-1
5 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions
Combined opponent’s record: 31-21
Ramon Taveras
29-years-old
5’7″
Jacksonville, Florida, US
Bulldog Boxing
8-1
4 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions
Combined opponent’s record: 56-77-2

Pros and Cons

Serhiy Sidey

Pros

  • Excellent ground and pound
  • Hands high
  • Good wrestling
  • Throws in combinations
  • Solid positional grappling
  • Good muay thai
  • Well-conditioned
  • Slicing elbows
  • Good elbows
  • Scrambles well
  • Good bodywork
  • Diverse attack
  • Good submission defense

Cons

  • Will give up his back

Ramon Taveras

Pros

  • Good bodywork
  • Heavy body kick
  • Good left hand
  • Accurate striker
  • Counters well
  • Submission thread
  • Good jab

Cons

  • Hands low
  • Lacks head movement
  • Questionable chin
  • Questionable TDD

Prediction: I’m not going to go too in-depth on this fight because Sidey should have this fight covered everywhere. I’m not saying Tavares is bad because he’s actually pretty good. I do think he would benefit from fighting for LFA first instead of the Contender Series so soon however.

Tavares is a sharp boxer but with as many weapons as Sidey throws he’s the better fighter on the feet. The biggest gap is the wrestling and ground game of Sidey. If he can get this fight down I’m sure he will dominate to a finish. I like Sidey by any way he wants.

Tavares also struggled to make weight, though he did make it after being given extra time.