UFC 101 Preview: Amir Sadollah Returns Against Two-Time NCAA Wrestling Champion Johny Hendricks

The UFC 101's main card preview continues with a very intriguing welterweight bout between The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 winner Amir Sadollah (1-0) and Team Takedown fighter and two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion Johny Hendricks (5-0). The bout will pit the diverse skill-set of Iranian-American Sadollah against the brute wrestling and take down game of Oklahoman Hendricks. It isn't tough to see how this fight may play out, but it certainly raises some big questions for both fighters.

Sadollah has a very interesting story, and it begins with the fact that Sadollah entered the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter with no professional bouts under his belt. He did manage to score 4 victories in amateur competition, and he was selected by the IFL in their 2008 draft pool. He was quickly snagged up by the UFC following the selection, and the rest is history.

Sadollah defeated Steve Byrnes via an armlock submission to advance him into the house on the show. He was quickly picked as Team Forrest's second choice during the coaches' selection. Several shows later, Sadollah's first preliminary bout against wrestler Gerald Harris ended via TKO in the second round, and his next match-up against current UFC fighter Matt Brown ended via a triangle choke in the second. His semi-final bout against show favorite C.B. Dolloway was one of the more highly-anticipated fights among viewers, and in true upset fashion -- Sadollah came away with a submission victory in the third round. The Jesse Taylor incident created the C.B. Dolloway vs. Tim Credeur match-up that eventually ended in Dolloway being given the bid to take on Sadollah in a rematch of their previous bout along with the possibility to win the show and gain the six--figure contract. In the rematch, Sadollah once again showed that his jiu-jitsu was just too much for Dolloway's wrestling and grappling as he tapped Dolloway in the first round via armbar.

Following his win at the season 7 Finale, Sadollah was matched up against Nick Catone at UFC 91, only to drop out of the bout due to a leg infection. The match-up was later rescheduled for February, but once again... Sadollah was injured during training as he broke his clavicle. UFC 101 will be his second professional bout, and hopefully Sadollah won't break something before he steps into the Octagon on Saturday night.

Hendricks comes from a very different background than Sadollah. He's been wrestling for most of his life, and his collegiate career in wrestling is what he's most known for among fight fans. Like many successful MMA fighters before him, Hendricks is a two-time NCAA D-1 wrestling champion. He was a four-time All-American, three-time Oklahoma state champion in high school, and even managed to win the 160 pound National High School championship. Hendricks made his splash into MMA in September of 2007, and he debuted with the WEC in December of 2008 with a win over Justin Haskins at WEC 37. In his toughest match to date, he defeated heavy-handed Alex Serdyukov at WEC 39, which earned Fight of the Night honors.

This bout is a pretty obvious style match-up. Sadollah has a lot of tools in his skill-set, and he's pretty diverse for such an inexperienced fighter. He not only has a solid Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler, but his wrestling and stand-up skills continue to improve. Sadollah also has a big advantage in having taken on D-1 wrestling competition in C.B. Dolloway and Gerald Harris, but the question still remains as to how he will immobilize a two-time D-1 national champion like Hendricks.

Hendricks will bring his wrestling pedigree to the table with smothering ground control and powerful shots from the top. He has submission ability in his arsenal, and he has been training with Marc Laimon at Cobra Kai in Las Vegas in his jiu-jitsu techniques. The major advantage against Hendricks will probably be the striking game as he doesn't have the raw experience to be an effective striker yet. In fact, some of his past bouts have shown some weaknesses in his timing, and he's been put on his heels a couple of times. With that type of strategy however, Sadollah could be open for a punishing evening on his back.

Ultimately, I think Sadollah has the training and raw talent to win this bout. He has very quick transitions on the ground, a key attribute in defeating wrestlers, and his stand-up is good enough to knockout opponents. He'll be able to keep some distance from Hendricks with a more dynamic striking game, but he'll definitely open himself up for a takedown if he uses his kicks too much. He'll have to rely on his jiu-jitsu heavily if Hendricks puts him on his back excessively. I'm more willing to bank on a guy who went through some legitimate fighters in the house than a question mark in Johny Hendricks, but I won't be surprised if Hendricks pulls off the upset.