UFC Fight Night 72 Preview: Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites

The UFC continues its crazy week of fights, as UFC Fight Night 72 is set to go down tomorrow from Glasgow, Scotland. The event will actually air on FOX Sports 1 in the morning here in America, featuring an intriguing 185-pound main event between veteran Brit Michael “The Count” Bisping and surging Brazilian Thales Leites.

Bisping has been relevant in the division for years now, and recently got back to his winning ways, while Leites returned to the UFC not to long ago and has shown a new and improved version of himself. It should be a rather close and interesting affair, and without further ado, check out the LowKickMMA Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites preview below:

Striking

This is where Bisping holds his biggest advantage in my opinion. “The Count” has shown excellent boxing throughout his career, possessing crisp and fluent combos, paired with slick footwork that has allowed him to piece his opponents up. Bisping is also always in terrific shape, which allows him to strike, and to strike often, as he throws a ton of volume.

“The Count” lands 4.39 significant strikes per minute as opposed to Leites’ 2.00, and is the owner of 15 career knockout victories as opposed to Leites’ four. The Brazilian has shown improvements, and he has some power, but the Brit is the far superior striker. 60-40 Bisping

Takedowns

Although Leites is undoubtedly the better grappler, neither man is necessarily known for their wrestling. Bisping has been susceptible to the takedown throughout his career, but he also shown vast improvements to his takedown defense as of late, and his movement helps with that. Offensively, I don’t see Bisping taking down Leites.

The Brazilian also averages 2.59 takedowns per contest opposed to “The Count’s” 1.41, and despite Bisping’s improved wrestling, I still see him at a slight disadvantage. 55-45 Leites

Submissions

This is where Leites really shines, and holds his biggest advantage. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and 14 of his 25 wins have come by submission, showing his skills on the canvas. Bisping is actually a brown belt, despite not being known for his submissions. “The Count” has four submission wins to his name.

Bisping is not an easy fighter to hold down when the fight goes to the ground, and he has only been submitted once throughout his lengthy career, but he will need to be careful against Leites. I’m not sure I see Bisping getting submitted, but the Brazilian is clearly the better grappler here. 60-45 Leites

Well it seems as if we have a cose fight on our hands, between two men looking to break into the upper echelon of the 185-pound division. Both men have their clear strengths, and the bout could play out in many different ways. Who are you picking?