Boetsch was dropping down to middleweight for the first time since he was in college after going 3-3 in the light heavyweight division.
He showcased the same brute strength that allowed him to ragdoll David Heath at UFC 81 by repeatedly body-locking Grove and tossing him to the canvas. Once Boetsch had Grove on the ground, he was able to avoid "Da Sypda's" dangerous submissions off his back and work his ground and pound game from top position.
Grove is 6'6" and was keeping the fight even in the stand-up portion with his range but he had no answer for "The Barbarian's" brute strength.
When it was all said and done, Boetsch was awarded a unanimous decision with 30-27 scores on all three judges' scorecards.
So what's next for both fighters?
For Grove, this might be his final appearance in the UFC. After winning season three of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), he never has put together a big run in the promotion. "Da Spyda" has gone 2-3 his last five UFC fights and has now lost two in a row. He needed a big performance to keep his job and it simply didn't happen.
For "The Barbarian," he's likely found a new home in the middleweight division. He was a strong light heavyweight, but now, as a middleweight, he's freakishly strong compared to the rest and he actually stacks up with the rest of the field in size as well.
He should be thrown a middle of the pack middleweight or even a contender in his next bout to see where the Jeet Kune Do fighter stands.
No comments:
Post a Comment