Road to UFC 3: Episode 4 Breakdown and Predictions

By
Shawn Bitter
-

Flyweight, Ruel Panales Vs. Toki Matsui

Tale of the Tape

Ruel Panales
Silang, Cavite, Philippines
27
Five-foot-five
5-1
Combined opponent’s record: 6-3
Toki Matsui
Hyogo, Japan
24
Sive-foot-six
6-1
Combined opponent’s record: 37-37-12

Pros and Cons

Ruel Panales

Pros

  • Heavy kicks
  • Explosive
  • Goon ground and pound
  • Good cardio

Cons

  • TDD needs some work
  • Struggles on the outside
  • Lacks volume
  • No setups

Toki Matshi

Pros

  • Heavy ground and pound
  • Big knockout power
  • Good lead right handCons

N/A

Prediction: This is one of the toughest fights to call on Road to UFC 3. I watched a ton of Panales but still don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to think because he doesn’t do much in fights. He throws kicks and that’s about all. It seems like he has some wrestling but nothing outside of that.

With Matsui he looks promising but the footage lacks because Pancrase sucks at getting video out there. From what I’ve heard and seen he’s well-rounded and has a lot of upside. He’s coming off a loss but to a good prospect. I’m picking Matsui only because I know Panales isn’t at a certain level.

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