The UFC on FUEL TV 9 main card will feature a bantamweight bout between two highly skilled fighters in Brad Pickett and Mike Easton. Both fighters are coming off losses in their respective fights in December and will be looking to get back on the winning side of things. Let’s see how this one breaks down.
Pickett (22-7) is coming off the split decision loss to Eddie Wineland at UFC 152. To put it in perspective, Wineland is fighting for the title in his next fight against UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao who Pickett already lost against in 2011. Pickett had won back-to-back fights leading into the Wineland fight, one win via KO and the other via submission. Pickett has 10 wins via submission and seven via TKO/KO. However, three of his losses have come via submission and one via TKO/KO.
Easton (13-2) is coming off the unanimous decision loss to Rafael Assuncao at the UFC on FOX 5 event last December. He was riding a three fight winning streak going into that fight, but is starting to get the reputation of a fighter that’s one dimensional without finishing power in the UFC. He has four wins via TKO/KO and two wins via submission in his career. He has lost via TKO once in his career due to an injury, so he’s pretty difficult to finish.
Easton fights as a southpaw and will have a small reach advantage on the feet. He is slightly more accurate than Pickett striking wise, but Pickett usually takes a bit more damage when it comes to absorbing strikes according to Fightmetric. Pickett is the more well rounded fighter in that he’ll mix in takedown attempts coupled with his striking, whereas Easton prefers to keep fights standing while exhibiting excellent takedown defense (100%).
This fight will likely take place on the feet as Pickett will not have much success in taking Easton down on the mat. Easton has the quicker hands of the two fighters, but does tend to allow his opponents to dictate the pace of the fight at times. Pickett is usually an aggressive in your face type of fighter that isn’t afraid to take a punch to get his off. Easton probably is the more technical of the two and puts combinations together well that usually start with his hands and end with a kick. Pickett will wing haymakers at times without setting his combinations up.
If Pickett can dictate the pace of the fight and keep Easton on the defensive, forcing him to counter-strike, he can certainly win a decision against “The Hulk”. However, if he allows Easton to be the busier fighter(like he did against Wineland), he’ll be on the losing end of another decision.