Breakdown: UFC: Thompson vs Neal

Breakdown: UFC: Thompson vs Neal

Thompson vs Neal: 170 lb

Thompson(+115), MMA Record: 15-4-1, UFC Record: 10-3-1, Age: 37, Height: 6 Reach: 75 Inches, Stance: Both, Current Streak: One Win:

Stephen Thompson will look to climb the Welterweight ladder again with a win this weekend and get another shot at the belt. His game is still very similar to when he made his debut in the UFC. A karate base where he can switch stances with ease and keep his opponents at distance, Thompson's punches have really improved over time. He use to use his punches as almost a distraction from his real weapon, which are his kicks. He now is a real threat with his hands to knock someone out or down at any moment of the fight. The big question with any Thompson fight is if this fight goes to ground, how will he fair. While he has never been submitted, he still is not what I would call a wizard on the ground. A win in the main event would give Thompson his first winning streak since before he fought for the belt four years ago. Grades: Striking= 9.25/10, Grappling= 8.25/10 

*IMPORTANT STATS: 78% Takedown Defense, 59% Striking Defense, 3.93 Sig. Strikes Landed per Minute, 44% Striking Accuracy

NOTABLE WINS: Vicente Luque(UD), Jorge Masvidal(UD), Rory MacDonald(UD), Johny Hendricks(TKO), Jake Ellenberger(KO), Patrick Cote(UD), Robert Whittaker(TKO)

Neal(-115), MMA Record: 13-2, UFC Record: 5-0, Age: 30, Height: 5'11 Reach: 75 Inches, Stance: Southpaw, Current Streak: Seven Wins:

Geoff Neal will look to get the biggest win of his career this weekend in the main event of the evening. The man is called "Handz of Steel" for a reason. Four of his five UFC wins are by finish and three of those finishes are KO/TKOs. He is surprisingly very light on his feet for a man that I would assume has to cut a decent amount of weight to make that 170 lb limit. He gets in and out of range fairly well and uses his footwork to set up his missile strikes that are his punches and kicks. If he does have some trouble on the feet in this one, do not be surprised if we see him go for a takedown. While he is not known for his ground game, it is decent and he should have a slight advantage in that department in this fight. Grades: Striking= 9/10, Grappling/Ground Game= 8.5/10

IMPORTANT STATS: 6.04 Sig. Strikes Landed per Minute, 65% Striking Defense, 50% Takedown Accuracy, 0.85 Takedown per 15 Minutes

NOTABLE WINS: Mike Perry(TKO), Niko Price(TKO), Belal Muhammad(UD), Frank Camacho(KO)

Aldo vs Vera: 135 lb

Aldo(-140), MMA Record: 28-7, UFC Record: 10-6, Age: 34, Height: 5'7, Reach: 70 Inches, Stance: Orthodox, Current Streak: Three Losses:

Jose Aldo will look to get back on track with a big win this Saturday in the co-main event of the evening. Most fighters in the UFC would be worried about keeping their jobs on a three fight losing streak, but if you look at who Aldo has loss to, it is the who's who of the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. He is still as dangerous as he was in his WEC days but he is not getting any younger and has a ton of MMA miles on him against elite competition. I do believe in my heart of hearts that Aldo is not washed up just yet and can make one final run at the 135 lb belt before he calls it quits for good. Grades: Striking= 9.25/10, Grappling/Ground Game= 8.5/10

IMPORTANT STATS: 90% Takedown Defense, 3.48 Sig. Strikes Landed per Minute, 44% Striking Accuracy, 62% Striking Defense

NOTABLE WINS: Renato Moicano(TKO), Jeremy Stephens(TKO), Frankie Edgar(UD 2X), Chad Mendes(UD, KO), Ricardo Lamas(UD), Chan Sung Jung(TKO), Kenny Florian(UD), Urijah Faber(UD), Mike Brown(TKO), Cub Swanson(KO)

Vera(+120), MMA Record: 18-6-1, UFC Record: 10-5, Age: 28, Height: 5'8, Reach: 70.5 Inches, Stance: Both, Current Streak: One Win:

Marlon Vera will look to get the biggest win of his career on Saturday and fire up the Bantamweight rankings. A veteran of the UFC already at just 28 years old, he will not be short on experience for this one. He has a very well rounded game, where he can finish the fight in every area. He does have a bad habit of getting off to slow starts and putting himself in a hole early. Vera loves the underdog role, and while he is not a big dog in this fight, I would expect him to come out firing like a cannon and secure a finish in the co-main event. Grades: Striking= 8.75/10, Grappling/Ground Game= 8.75/10

IMPORTANT STATS: 1.2 Submission Attempts per 15 Minutes, 3.7 Sig. Strikes Landed per Minute, 4.05 Sig. Strikes Absorbed per Minute, 52% Striking Defense

NOTABLE WINS: Sean O'Malley(TKO), Andre Ewell(TKO), Brian Kelleher(SUB), Brad Pickett(TKO)

Pereira vs Williams: 170 lb

Pereira(-120), MMA Record: 24-11, UFC Record: 2-2, Age: 27, Height: 6'1, Reach: 73 Inches, Stance: Orthodox, Current Streak: One Win:

Michel Pereira will always put on a show and I would expect nothing different from him this weekend. With a high flying style that is unlike anything we have ever seen in MMA, Pereira has seemed like he has gotten more in control of his tools and has become a better fighter because of it. He will still do strikes off the cage and give you a couple of back flips for good measure but it is not all about the show anymore for him. His last was his best performance overall and he showed a level of discipline that was missing before. He already has 35 MMA fights under his belt and at only 27 years old, has the experience advantage in this fight. If he gets an impressive win in this fight, look for him to get a step up in competition and maybe even a spot in the top 15 rankings. Grades: Striking= 9/10, Grappling/Ground Game= 8.5/10

IMPORTANT STATS: 1.68 Takedowns per 15 Minutes, 4.02 Sig. Strikes Landed per Minute, 54% Striking Accuracy, 59% Striking Defense

NOTABLE WINS: Zelim Imadaev(SUB), Danny Roberts(KO)

Williams(+100), MMA Record: 11-1, UFC Record: 2-0, Age: 26, Height: 6, Reach: 77 Inches, Stance: Orthodox, Current Streak: Eight Wins:

Khaos Williams will look to bring some more chaos this weekend in his fight against Pereira. The man has not even spent a whole minute in the octagon in his two KO wins so far. He obviously has big power in his hands and is a strong guy. My one big question going into this fight is if he does not get a quick finish, how will he look later on in the fight. Based on fight footage that I watched from some of his earlier fights that went the distance, it does seem like he will slow down substantially, but does still carry big power in the later rounds. A win in this one would cement his status in the UFC as a finisher and get him some top level opponents in the future. Grades: Striking= 8.75/10, Grappling/Ground Game: 8.25/10 

IMPORTANT STATS: 15.79 Sig. Strikes Landed per Minute, 55% Striking Accuracy, 3.16 Sig Strikes Absorbed per Minute, 50% Striking Defense

NOTABLE WINS: Abdul Razak Alhassan(KO), Alex Morono(KO), Jeremie Holloway(UD)

Under the Radar Fights: 

Marlon Moraes (-145) vs Rob Font(+120): 135 lb

Marcin Tybura (+100) vs Greg Hardy (-110): Heavyweight

Karl Roberson (-260) vs Dalcha Lungiambula (+210): 185 lb

Jimmy Flick (-150) vs Cody Durden (+130): 125 lb

Tafon Nchukwi (-300) vs Jamie Pickett(+245): 185 lb

* All stats are from http://ufcstats.com/event-details/e49c2db95e572dc8