After a couple of false starts dating back to last September, Robert Bryczek finally makes his promotional debut at UFC Vegas 86 on Saturday. The Oktagon MMA veteran has been paired up with Ihor Potieria (who took the fight on short notice but missed weight) on a card headlined by 185’ers Jack Hermansson and Joe Pyfer.
Robert Bryczek
Standing at six-foot
Fighting at 185 lbs (middleweight)
33-years-old
Fighting out of Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Training out of Veto Team Bielsko-Biała
A pro record of 17-5
11 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
How will Bryczek fare in the UFC:
Bryczek was an odd signing since he isn’t this young fighter with a good-looking record. It’s the opposite; Bryczek is 33 and already has five losses. Five losses before you get to the UFC is never a good sign. Over the last two years, Bryczek has been able to get on a run winning his last five fights. He’s finished all those five fights in round one which is a good way to draw in the UFC.
If anything, Bryczek is dangerous early on. His power is the focal point but he will throw a long jab and straight punches. His one-two is blistering when he connects. Bryczek is at his best when he has his opponent hurt and he swarms with punches. There isn’t much to his overall game since he’s only a striker. Hardly throws any kicks and he doesn’t wrestle at all. In fact, his takedown defense stinks and he’s lost off his back.
There is no way the UFC matchmakers looked into Bryczek and signed him. They just had to see the five straight knockouts and sign him. If they had looked into him they would’ve seen gaps in his game. He has no ground game at all, his cardio is about gone after five minutes, his striking defense lacks and he’s chinny. Bryczek does some notable things wrong like dipping his head when he throws and he doesn’t check leg kicks.
It’s puzzling fighters like this can get straight to the UFC but some of the better prospects have to go through the Contender Series. There is no upside to this signing. He’s not going to go far and he’s going to struggle to even get a win or two in the UFC.
How he matches up with Potieira:
As flawed as Bryczek is, this is a fight he can win. Potieira is also dangerous early on and just falls apart after a few minutes. He’s lost his last two and got knocked out. His only win in the UFC is to a senior citizen, Shogun Rua. The best thing about this fight is we will see a knockout. Potieira could very well finish Bryczek early and vice-versa. I’m only siding with Bryczek because he has the momentum and Potieira is the opposite.
