UFC Fight Night 21 Preview: Nate Quarry, Jorge Rivera Clash in Potential Stand-up War

In middleweight action, The Ultimate Fighter season one contestant and one-time UFC middleweight title contender Nate Quarry (12-3, 7-2 UFC) will battle Team Sityodtong member Jorge Rivera (17-7, 6-5 UFC) in a contest that will surely test the stand-up prowess of both veterans.

Quarry is currently riding a two-fight win streak with an unanimous decision over Tim Credeur at UFC Fight Night 19, a battle that earned him 'Fight of the Night' honors, and a TKO victory over Jason MacDonald at UFC 97. Rivera is in the midst of his first winning streak in the promotion as he TKO'd Rob Kimmons in his most recent bout at UFC 104 and won a hard-fought decision over Nissen Osterneck at UFC Fight Night 18.

Stylistically, both Quarry and Rivera are similar fighters in that their primary offense stems from their heavy hands. Quarry has compiled seven of his twelve wins by knockout or technical knockout while Rivera has amassed eleven knockouts in seventeen victories. Those statistics should point to the reasoning behind this fight being of main card caliber. It's obvious that both men will likely stand and trade, and that hints at the potential of this fight battling for 'Fight of the Night' or 'Knockout of the Night' honors

Quarry has the better record with wins over some more significant fighters in the UFC than Rivera has battled. He has only lost to former champion Rich Franklin and Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Demian Maia in the last five years, although there was a long layoff due to a chronic back injury he suffered. Rivera, on the other hand, has had a somewhat back and forth career in the UFC with losses to Chris Leben, Terry Martin, and Martin Kampmann. Interestingly enough, he did manage to almost take Rich Franklin the distance at UFC 50. Quarry only lasted 2:34 against Franklin at UFC 56.

I'll spare everyone a pointless MMA math equation though. Those wins and losses don't matter as much as what both men have done lately and how they've looked in past fights. Rivera completely obliterated grappler Rob Kimmons in his last fight while Quarry survived potential defeat in the first round of battle with Tim Credeur only to come back and dominate Credeur in the final two rounds. Both men looked solid in those performances.

After looking at those battles, one question comes to mind in correlation with how this fight will play out. Can Nate Quarry avoid the early onslaught from Jorge Rivera? Quarry was battered by Credeur in the opening round, mostly by Credeur's kicks setting up his hands. Credeur wasn't able to finish off Quarry in the first round, but Rivera's power should be much more substantial. If Rivera can use kicks to setup his heavy hands, Quarry could be in trouble.

Of course, that's assuming Quarry hasn't tried to quicken his footwork to avoid that type of offense. Quarry's size and power should be the difference here. He is a fairly bulky middleweight, but he does lack the speed that Rivera can throw. Speed vs. strength is probably a good tagline for this bout, and I think Quarry may use his bulkier physique and power to move Rivera to the clinch and batter him.

If Quarry intends to stand in the center and trade, it'll be an interesting night. Either man can end this fight with a heavy shot and a subsequent drubbing on the ground, but I think Rivera's speed could give him a slight edge in a range fighting scenario. Unfortunately, Quarry's chin is very good, and he has shown some solid boxing skills in the Octagon in the past. Ultimately, I lean toward Nate Quarry countering Jorge Rivera with a heavy strike and winning via TKO in this battle.