UFC 102 Preview: Mike Russow Makes UFC Debut Against Justin McCully

The heavyweight division will be well represented at UFC 102 with four bouts out of eleven total. Three of the battles will feature UFC newcomers looking to make an impression. With criticism in the past that the UFC's heavyweight division lacks any real depth, the UFC is doing a great job in not only acquiring veteran talent, but also obtaining a number of greener fighters with potential for season ten of The Ultimate Fighter.

One of the bouts on Saturday night will feature former PRIDE and Yarennoka! participant Mike Russow (11-1-0-1) making his UFC debut against veteran UFC fighter Justin McCully (9-4-2) in a heavyweight tilt. Russow comes into this match-up riding a seven-fight win streak with stints in Adrenaline MMA, XFO, and an appearance at the Yarennoka! event in 2007. He holds notable wins over Jason Guida and Roman Zentsov while his lone loss came against Sergei Kharitonov at PRIDE 33 in a controversial stoppage. McCully enters this bout with a recent decision victory over Eddie Sanchez, and a 5-1 record in his last six fights spanning six years. His lone loss in that timeframe came against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 86.

Mike Russow is a Chicago-native who works as a police officer for the Chicago Police department. If you happen to live in the Englewood area, you might run into the 6'2" 265 lb. part-time MMA fighter making drug busts as a plain-clothed street officer. The 31-year-old veteran became interested in mixed martial arts during his high school years at Bradley-Bourbonnais. He wrestled there and won the 1995 state wrestling championship. He moved onto college at Eastern Illinois University where Matt Hughes was actually a grad assistant coach, and Russow states that he learned a vast array of wrestling moves from the UFC veteran.

Interestingly enough, Matt Hughes and Mike Russow entered the sport of MMA at around the same time. Russow's first battle at Jeet Kune Do Challenge I in Chicago, Illinois was Matt Hughes' second professional bout. Hughes went on to become a UFC legend while Russow became a police officer after graduating from EIU with a degree in Sociology. Eight years later, Russow returned to active competition after his lone win back in 1998, and he will now fulfill a dream of entering the UFC after nearly 11 years after his initial taste of the fight game.

Justin McCully has had a much different upbringing into the sport of MMA. While Russow wrestled in high school and collegiately while obtaining his degree, McCully played football in high school while skipping class and eventually dropping out. He managed to play on a junior college football team, but dropped out due to a feeling of not belonging in the college setting and the lure of MMA.

After seeing his brother, Sean McCully, take on Eric Paulson back in 1995 at a World Combat Championships event, Justin began training in wrestling and jiu-jitsu while also taking night classes to obtain his high school diploma. He's fought in Pancrase when pioneers of the sport such as Bas Rutten, Frank & Ken Shamrock, and Guy Metzger took to the mats, and he's battled it out in Aruba, Holland, Brazil, and Japan over the course of his twelve year career.

View Russow vs. Kharitonov, Russow vs. Zentsov after the jump...

McCully trains out of Maui, Hawaii with Troy "Rude Boy" Mandaloniz and Kendall Grove as a part owner of the I&I Training Center, a Team Punishment-affiliated gym. McCully trains with many of the members of B.J. Penn's camp in Hilo along with former Vitor Belfort boxing trainer Al Stankie. He's a BJJ black belt under Allan Goes, and he has had some training with former NCAA wrestler Rafael Davis.

Russow works with former marine and wrestling coach Dennis Hughes at Team No Ego in Plainfield, Illinois, and he also trains with BJJ black belt Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, famous for training Brock Lesnar, at FLO MMA in Palatine, Illinois. His boxing trainer is former heavyweight boxer Thomas Hayes (26-2, 18 KO's) at Celtic Boxing.

I think the ultimate question in this match-up is whether or not Justin McCully can stop the wrestling abilities of Mike Russow. A lot of fans always question McCully's jiu-jitsu skills because he doesn't normally work a quick transition game or defend submissions very well in many of his bouts. Russow will need to take advantage of that weakness in McCully's skill-set along with his wrestling deficiency. Strength will also play a factor as well as Russow is going to be one of the more powerful wrestlers in the division. If he shows up in optimal shape for this fight, Russow may have his way with McCully on the ground. 

McCully's key to victories are slim. He doesn't have the boxing to endanger Russow, but his ground game is going to be an area in which he may be able to take advantage. If he can tighten up his BJJ skills on the floor and move for quick transitions, he may be able to catch Russow. Russow's past fights have been at heavier weights, but he's pushed back down to 240 in recent bouts. It really will depend what weight Russow comes in at, but McCully doesn't have a real easy task in this bout in any area. 

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Michael Russow (PRIDE 33)
by FightingWorld