Summary:

In an obvious choice for potential Fight of the Night, Uriah “Primetime” Hall steps in against Robert “The Reaper” Whitaker. With both men coming from traditional martial arts backgrounds, they keep a noticeably low standing guard. As each fighter relies heavily on their head movement & countering ability, this may very well be decided upon early mistakes. Coming out of the gate, Whitaker shows little hesitation in starting quickly looking to get his left hand established. Welding an accurate jab-hook, it’s his off-tempo counter timing that’s most impressive.

Often seen with Karate based strikers, Robert will show/set one speed to draw his opposition into a “general rhythm” only to disrupt the perceived timing with deceptive counters. We saw an example of this in his last fight, as he caught Tavares with a check hook coming forward as apposed to traditionally fading back. It’s this type of speed changes that he’ll need to utilize to beat Hall. Though Hall has shown mental lulls of inactivity, he’s silenced much of his doubters with his gutsy performances against Santos & Mousasi.

Also showing low defensive hand positioning, Uriah will use this to bait counter opportunities. Though opponents & fans alike will focus on Hall’s kicking variety, I believe his right hand will play the biggest factor. Effective from both stances, Uriah will use an accurate straight right to measure & stifle oncoming attacks. This could be especially useful given Whitaker’s low left guard and shown right hand availability(Hit cleanly in 4 of last 6).  Hall will be carrying more interesting intangibles than usual heading into this fight.

From taking another short-notice fight overseas, to his first fight prep with KingsMMA(self admittedly his first time training at that high level), this tends to produce sinking or soaring results. With Whitaker showing improved durability & confidence at Middleweight(not to mention stadium behind him) I expect a more than honest showing from Robert. Truthfully, you’re better off rolling dice then picking a sure winner as even “the under” scares me on this one.

With a fight as close as this, I look to their commonalities & vulnerabilites for the edge in this one. Both men traditionally struggle when pressure fought(even in the striking realm) as we’ve seen each men outdone by lesser on paper talents. Though both men are still effective counter strikers, it’s Robert Whitaker who has shown he’s got an equally effective pressure game. Even when clearly or potentially down on the cards, Hall often shows little adjustments as he’s happy to counter(except for the Santos fight where his toe was fractured, that was an amazing performance).

As we all saw Uriah Hall’s coming out party in Japan, I have a sneaky suspicion that it will be Whitaker’s turn this time around. Though I’m slightly leaning toward to the Australian to get it done, I caution any plays as either man is worth looking at for Fantasy picks. Should Hall find his hand raised, I can almost guarantee it will be his right hand that kicks off the party. That said I see Robert Whitaker’s style and fight-to-fight improvements edging it out. You’re best bet here is to crack open a beer and enjoy what may be the most fun match up on the card.

Official Pick: Whitaker – Decision

Official Outcome: To be determined.