Preview: UFC on ESPN 51 ‘Luque vs. Dos Anjos’

Middleweights

Josh Fremd (10-4, 1-2 UFC) vs. Jamie Pickett (13-9, 2-5 UFC)

ODDS: Fremd (-345), Pickett (+275)

It was nice to see Fremd get off the proverbial schneid with his win over Sedriques Dumas in March, since he had put in some solid performances without much in the way of success previously. Fremd is not a particularly explosive athlete, but he is large for the middleweight division and consistent in his aggression. That made his UFC debut against Anthony Hernandez—a fighter with a similar mentality—an action-packed fight with plenty of momentum shifts and also led him to a strong showing against Tresean Gore up until the point that he suddenly got submitted. Everything finally paid off for Fremd against Dumas, particularly when it came to his wrestling, and he looks to follow it up and get on a winning streak against Pickett.

Pickett has about the opposite set of problems as Fremd, as “The Nightwolf” has plenty of physical tools that he does not put to much use. It took Pickett three outings on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a contract after some performances marked by a lack of aggression, which has continued to be an issue at the UFC level. Even Pickett’s wins have been clinch-heavy affairs where he has mostly sucked all of the action out of the fight. This could be another matchup where Pickett can just stall things out against a lesser athlete, but the lean is that Fremd’s size and activity should be enough for him to bank rounds, even if long stretches of this fight might not be all that pretty. The pick is Fremd via decision.

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Luque vs. Dos Anjos
Dawodu vs. Swanson
Rountree vs. Daukaus
Lucindo vs. Viana
Nchukwi vs. Dobson
Fremd vs. Pickett
The Prelims