The curtain-raiser for UFC 153 takes place in the lightweight division, as Sweden’s Reza Madadi (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fights TUF 15 competitor Cristiano Marcello (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Neither man is ranked in the SB Nation MMA Consensus Rankings and it would take a string of wins for either of them to even get top 25 consideration. This bout take place on the UFC’s official Facebook stream.
Marcello is likely fighting for his UFC career following a dismal showing at the TUF Finale, while Madadi is looking to make it 2 for 2 in his brief stint with the promotion. They both are submission specialists but Madadi is the better striker almost by default. This fight airs at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT on the UFC’s Facebook page.
How do these two stack up?
Marcello: 34 years old | 5’9″| 72″ reach
Madadi: 32 years old | 5’11″| 73″ reach
What have these two done recently?
Marcello: L – Sam Sicilia (KO) | W – Oriol Gaset (UD) | W – Freddy Thole (SUB)
Madadi: W – Yoislandy Izquierdo (SUB) | W – Rich Clementi (UD) | W – Carlo Prater (UD)
How did these two get here?
Why should you care?
You shouldn’t. Marcello probably doesn’t belong in the UFC and Madadi is the favorite in this one for a reason. Just hope for a good fight.
More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 153:
UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar fight card – Mookie Alexander
UFC 153 betting lines – Tim Burke
UFC 153 Bloody Elbow staff picks and predictions – Tim Burke
Minotauro Nogueira vs. Dave Herman Dissection – Dallas Winston
Glover Teixeira vs. Fabio Maldonado Dissection – Dallas Winston
Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva Dissection – Dallas Winston
Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado Dissection – Dallas Winston
Demian Maia vs. Rick Story Dissection – Dallas Winston
FX prelim card previews – Fraser Coffeen
Video: UFC 153 weigh-in results
Silva vs. Bonnar through the Cobb vs. Holmes lens – Brent Brookhouse
Can Bonnar make his name against Silva? – Fraser Coffeen
Erick Silva discusses Jon Fitch – Tim Burke