Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Bloody Elbow gives you a brief glimpse of all the fights taking place at tonight's UFC 156 event in Las Vegas, including a lightweight preliminary card fight between Yves Edwards and Isaac Vallie-Flagg.
UFC 156 is not short on lighter weight class matchups, and his 155 lbs tilt is no different. Strikeforce's Isaac Vallie-Flagg (13-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on Yves Edwards (42-18-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in one of 4 preliminary card fights on FX. This is one of three UFC vs. Strikeforce matchups on the FX broadcast.
Vallie-Flagg comes in on a hot-streak while Edwards is only two months removed from a Knockout of the Night performance. It's not a fight that will mean anything in the top 25 of the division, but it's certainly one to watch. The FX prelims kick off at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.
How do these two stack up?
Edwards: 36 years old | 5'9" | 73" reach
Vallie-Flagg: 34 years old | 5'10" | 69.5" reach
What have these two done recently?
Edwards: W - Jeremy Stephens (KO) | L - Anthony Ferguson (UD) | W - Rafaello Oliveira (TKO)
Vallie-Flagg: W - Gesias Cavalcante (SD) | W - Brian Melancon (SD) | W - Danny Rodriguez (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Yves' best highlight is also one of MMA's all-time greatest moments. In 2004 at UFC 49, he knocked out Josh Thomson with a flying head kick and then followed it up with punches for good measure. While he's never competed at an elite level he's always kept an active schedule and his latest UFC run has been more than respectable. He's gone 4-2 in his latest UFC run dating back to 2010, and in December recorded a memorable 1st round KO win over Jeremy Stephens.
Vallie-Flagg fights out of Greg Jackson's camp in New Mexico, and he is unbeaten in his last 11 fights. His lightweight debut came against Gesias Cavalcante in Strikeforce, and Vallie-Flagg eeked out a split decision win to give him the biggest victory of his career. Admittedly, he hasn't fought any notable competition aside from Gesias, so Yves is a fairly big step-up for him both in name and in skill.
Why should you care?
Really? This is Thugjitsu we're talking about here! There isn't a single fight you could make where you're not interested in watching him. The fact that Vallie-Flagg is a good opponent only makes this matchup better.
SBN coverage of UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar
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