The Road to UFC 3 semifinals arrive on Friday night, with some of Asia’s hottest prospects looking to fight their way into the big show. Two cards will go down live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas; the first, episode five of the current season, sees bantamweights and flyweights in action.
Haven’t kept up with Road to UFC 3, which has unfortunately been a bit of an afterthought for the promotion at times? We’ve got you covered with our breakdown and predictions below.
Bantamweight, Tokitaka Nakanishi (12-3) vs. Balgyn Jenisuly (17-5)
Tokitaka Nakanishi
Pros
- Submission threat
- Heavy ground and pound
- Timing on level changes
- Solid grappling
- Good cardio
Cons
- Limited on the feet
Balgyn Jenisuly
Pros
- Strong wrestling
- Submission threat
- Uses a lot of feints
- Good footwork
- Good grappling
- Active ground and pound
- Heavy top position
- Athletic
- Aggressive
Cons
- Loads up at times
- Open to being countered
Prediction: So much was unknown about Nakanishi prior to his last fight but we got a good look at him. The takeaway is he’s not much on the feet but a strong wrestler and grappler.
Jenisuly lost last season to a wrestler and he’s getting an even better one in Nakanishi. That said, Jenisuly is the better fighter and it’s not close. He’s a strong wrestler/grappler as well but also good on the feet. As long as he doesn’t let Nakanishi control him this is his fight to win. There is still a lot unknown with Nakanishi and the guy he beat in the opening round, he really should’ve finished that level of fighter. I like Jenisuly because he’s more tested and has more ways to win.
