Discover the inner workings of the main card of UFC Glasgow, including a highly anticipated battle between strikers Paul Felder and Scotland’s own Stevie Ray.
The first half of UFC Glasgow highlights prospects looking to make a name for themselves. Jack Marshman, Khalil Rountree, and Justin Willis have yet to establish themselves as proven UFC talents, but are also early enough in their careers that we don’t know just how far they can go. Though the narratives of their careers will be far from written after the event, we’ll have a much better idea of where they’ll be going.
Then there is Stevie Ray and Paul Felder, the last contest before the main and co-main event. I could care less what the stakes are between these two, I’m just excited to see the strikers throw down.
The main card begins on FS1 at 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT on Sunday.
Stevie Ray (21-6) vs. Paul Felder (13-3), Lightweight
One of the more anticipated contests on the card, Ray and Felder are both hard-nosed strikers who don’t go down easily. Felder in particular has garnered a lot of attention from fans thanks to his preference for flashy strikes, spinning techniques being a favorite of his. He endured a rough stretch where he dropped three of five in part to his reliance on the glitzy techniques, but got back to basics in his last contest with Alessandro Ricci and put together the most complete performance of his UFC career. Felder could still stand to brush up his footwork or threaten with the occasional takedown, but he shouldn’t be so far into his career that he is no longer improving.
Ray displayed all sorts of heart in his last contest, coming back from being brutalized by Joe Lauzon in the opening round only to storm back and earn a hard-fought decision. Discipline was once an issue for the Scotsman. Not anymore. Ray has stuck to his strategy in his last couple of contests despite being given reason to stray. He also survived a barrage of submission attempts from Lauzon, demonstrating great strides in his submission defense, a major weakness early in his career. Now the rugged counterpuncher needs to fix his takedown defense as Lauzon got Ray to the ground even when Lauzon had depleted his gas tank.
It isn’t hard to see why this fight is a favorite for FOTN. Given the only time either of these two have been stopped from strikes was a doctor stoppage thanks to a cut, I fully expect this one to go the distance. Felder has more power while Ray has a far more established grappling record. What’s pushing me in Felder’s direction is his superior takedown defense and experience against a higher level of competition. Neither uses their wrestling as anything more than an attempt to mix things up, but that could be all the difference in the world against similarly skilled fighters. Felder via decision
Jack Marshman (21-6) vs. Ryan Janes (9-2), Middleweight
Two fights into his UFC career and Marshman is already gaining a bit of a cult following. A brawler by nature, no one loves to trudge into the pocket and throw leather more than the Welshman. He puts together slick boxing combinations, mixing them up to the head and body effectively with occasional KO power. Marshman’s chin isn’t iron, but it usually takes quite a bit to put him down. Marshman’s takedown defense has been porous thus far in the UFC, but he knows how to grapple a bit and is capable of snagging a choke in the midst of a scramble.
Speaking of scrambles, initiating one might be Janes’ best path to victory. Having picked up most of his wins by way of submission, Janes is more than competent on the ground. Janes’ jab is outstanding too, assisted by his 76" reach. However, he tends to leave his chin out to be tagged regularly, something Marshman will no doubt try to exploit. Fortunately for Janes, he’s extremely durable. Another weakness of Janes is his takedown defense, though that may not be an issue as Marshman has yet to even go for a takedown attempt in his UFC run.
I’m always down to see a Marshman fight. He doesn’t know how to be in a boring contest and Janes will be happy to oblige. Janes has never been KO’d, but he has also fought a low-level of competition on the regional scene. Considering how easy Janes is to hit, I see Marshman finding the Canadian’s chin sooner or later. Expect Janes to land his fair share of damage up to that point. Marshman via TKO, RD2
Khalil Rountree (5-2) vs. Paul Craig (9-1), Light Heavyweight
As the sport of MMA continues to evolve, we get less of the striker vs. grappler contests that used to be a staple of the sport. In the modern version of MMA, this is about as close as we’re going to get to the formerly beloved format.
Rountree received quite a bit of public exposure thanks to his tenure on TUF 23, losing to Andrew Sanchez in the final due to his lack of wrestling and grappling. There are signs Rountree has improved in those areas as he stuffed a couple of Daniel Jolly takedowns in his last contest, though no one will really consider Jolly to be a quality victory. Rountree’s standup is exceptionally dangerous, winging kicks at unbelievable velocity to all levels. His punching power is often overlooked due to his kicking prowess, but they’re just as dangerous if not quite as flashy.
A long and lanky 205er at 6'3" with a 76" reach, Craig understands how to use his jab offensively. The problem is that he doesn’t know how to effectively keep his opponent from getting inside his range. Most often he is perfectly fine with that, opting to clinch up or drag the fight to the ground in whatever way he can. Craig isn’t a good wrestler, relying on his dangerous guard most of the time to find the submission. Though quite savvy, he’s been willing to give up position to get the sub, a tactic that doesn’t work nearly as well in the UFC as it does on the regional level.
The avenue to victory is very clear for both contestants. Rountree’s standup is exceptional, but this isn’t kickboxing. This is MMA and he still has a long way to go to keep the fight where he wants. Craig’s tactics are sure to get him into trouble if he works his way up the UFC ladder, though I think they’ll work against an unpolished grappler like Rountree…provided Craig can get the fight to the ground. I think he finds a way to do that. Craig via submission, RD1
James Mulheron (11-1) vs. Justin Willis (4-1), Heavyweight
Mulheron steps in for an injured Mark Godbeer to face raw ATT product Willis. Though Mulheron has established himself as one of the top big men in the UK, few have been clamoring to see how he performs on the big stage. While part of that is due to his workmanlike style that is all substance and no style, it’s largely due to his lack of physical tools. Sporting a short frame with a spare tire in his midsection, Mulheron isn’t much of an athlete. He doesn’t have a lot of power in his fists either, relying on a steady stream of strikes to overwhelm the opposition. His jab is his primary weapon, throwing it to all levels and mixing in a high volume of leg kicks too.
Willis is a bit of a mystery. There isn’t a lot of footage on the inexperienced big man, but what is available indicates that he has far more speed and quickness than his monstrous size would indicate. Needing to cut weight to make the 266-pound heavyweight limit, Willis has seemingly taken to the multiple wrestling sessions with Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, preferring to get the fight to the ground as soon as possible. Though he telegraphs his shots, he’s so strong it usually doesn’t matter. Well…it hasn’t on the regional scene at least. Willis’ standup is still very much a question too, though he showed a lot of power in his KO of Juliano Coutinho in WSOF.
I haven’t seen a lot of footage of Willis simply because there isn’t much out there. What I have seen of Mulheron doesn’t impress me. Sure, Mulheron is a smart fighter, which makes him a perfect test to see where the untested prospect is at in his development. But more than what I’ve seen out of Willis, it’s what I haven’t seen out of Mulheron that has me favoring Willis. Willis via KO, RD2
