The opening battle on the UFC 112 main card will feature The Ultimate Fighter season three winner Kendall Grove (11-6, 6-3 UFC) taking on 2001 NCAA Division I wrestling champion Mark Munoz (7-1, 2-1 UFC) in a middleweight scrap that could be labeled a do-or-die match-up for each fighter in terms of where their career may progress next.
While both men aren’t in danger of being cut from the promotion with a loss, Grove is still searching for another streak of wins that will give him another opportunity to prove he belongs in the upper echelon of the division. Munoz, on the other hand, is looking to break into the top immediately as the 32-year-old may not have a lot of time to produce a successful career in the UFC.
The most interesting topic surrounding this battle is their previous stints inside the Octagon. Munoz is coming off two straight wins after being floored by a surprise Matt Hamill head kick at UFC 96. He won a split decision over Nick Catone in his middleweight debut and TKO’d Ryan Jensen at UFC 108 in the first round of action.
Grove, on the other hand, defeated one of the most highly decorated wrestlers in the sport in Jake Rosholt at UFC 106 with a first round triangle choke. This has given some heavy evidence to support a win for Grove over Munoz, and it isn’t entirely off base as Grove should have the same advantages in this fight.
The Grove vs. Rosholt fight was a fairly straight-forward affair. Grove needed to maintain his feet, use his length to maintain distance and strike, and try to be successful in landing clinch strikes when Rosholt went for the shot. On the floor, he needed to use that length to create chaos in his guard and put Rosholt on the defensive. The fight worked out well into the mold, and Grove’s jiu-jitsu and lengthy limbs eventually put Rosholt in the triangle choke to win.
The same gameplan applies in my mind. Munoz hasn’t shown a threatening dose of aggressive striking or accuracy in his stand-up, and his main weapon will be his background in wrestling. He’ll want to takedown Grove while avoiding the clinch and submission attempts and punish him from top control. Unfortunately, Grove has a skill-set that is flat out dangerous to that gameplan, and more often than not — Grove will prevail in stopping his opponents in that type of battle.
But there is always an x-factor. Munoz’s training with the Nogueira brothers and his heavy hands in the ground and pound game could be ways in which Munoz can sway the vote in his favor. Where Rosholt lacked the knowledge to escape from Grove’s jiu-jitsu grips, the Nogueira’s should be able to solidify Munoz’s defense in order to see those threatening limbs locking up for a choke.
If Munoz can produce some effective ground and pound from the top, he should be able to pound on Grove’s susceptible chin on his way to a TKO victory. There are some dangers, and Grove’s stand-up and length are something to think about when looking at the match-up. Unfortunately, I think Grove’s takedown defense is one of his weakest attributes, and being comfortable off your back against a guy like Munoz won’t work out well for him. I’ll take Mark Munoz via TKO in this middleweight showdown.