WEC 30 Undercard Preview

by Luke Thomas on Sep 4, 2007 10:07 AM EDT in MMA News

MMA Weekly has a nice write-up of the undercard on tomorrow's WEC event. Most of the fights are intriuguing, but this one stands out above the rest:

WELTERWEIGHT BOUT:
JOHN ALESSIO VS. MARCELO BRITO

UFC veteran John Alessio takes on Brazilian striker Marcelo Brito. John Alessio has a 19-10 record in MMA and trains out of Xtreme Couture with Mike Pyle. Marcelo Brito has a 6-1 record in MMA and trains out of The Amory with Kurt Pellegrino. Alessio won a quick submission victory over Alex Serdyukov at WEC 28. Brito earned a close split decision victory over Omar de la Cruz at MMAC: The Revolution.

Alessio is slowly working his way back up to a title shot and a win here could very well earn him a rematch with Carlos Condit for the WEC Welterweight Championship. Brito will be making his WEC debut and has been training at The Amory in anticipation for his fight with Alessio.

On the feet, Brito has the advantage coming from a solid Muay Thai background, while Alessio will be the more well-versed fighter on the ground. Alessio is slick enough on the feet that he should be able to withstand Brito's assault and get the fight on the ground. Once on the ground, look for Alessio to put Brito out of his comfort zone and end the fight with a submission.

I'll have to disagree here. I watched Brito at the MMAC event and his stand-up is passable, not great. He hangs his hands low and his jab is a little lazy. He also is not a power puncher. While he took a great deal of punishment in that fight, his cardio seemed suspect from the outset. Additionally, Alessio will only have the edge on the ground insofar as wrestling is concerned. Brito's jiu-jitsu is excellent.

I expect Alessio to stuff Brito's takedowns and wear him out on the feet, either through scrambles for positional control or strikes inside the clinch. Any fighting from the outside should be Alessio's bread and butter, but I suspect Brito will hunt for the takedown quite feverishly. Brito seems to prefer takedowns in close range as opposed to outside shots.

Prediction: Alessio, 2nd round TKO

Tweet Comment 0 comments | 0 recs |