UFC Fight Night Jacare vs. Brunson 2 preview: Middleweight rematch takes centre stage in North Carolina

A middleweight rematch takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina, this weekend, as eighth ranked Derek Brunson attempts to avenge his 2012 Strikeforce loss to Jacare Souza.

Brunson is known to be a little wild in his approach and can sometimes leave himself open for the counter punch. In their first meeting five and a half years ago, Jacare was able to capitalise on his overzealous nature and clipped him with a short right hand as he rushed in. After that Brunson moved onto the UFC where he accumulated a record of nine victories and three defeats, his only losses coming to current or former champions, or title contenders.

That wild and aggressive style often catches people by surprise and, as the angles are so unpredictable, his heavy left hand finds its way through. Of his nine wins in the UFC, seven have been first round finishes. He sprints at his opponent with the sole intention of stealing their consciousness and their win bonus. His wrestling background gives him the confidence to crash forward, as he can generally defend the takedown attempt or scramble back to his feet.

Against Jacare though, this is even more important, as his grappling skills are on another level to most other fighters in the sport.

If the fight hits the ground, Souza really comes into his element. His credentials in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and submission wrestling are unrivalled in the UFC and the systematic approach to controlling, trapping and strangling people has proven very difficult to resist.

A black belt in Judo also gives him many options in the clinch, where a wrestler would usually be expecting a more traditional approach. Brunson will also have to consider his attack this time, so he doesn’t make the same mistake and get caught on the way in.

Brunson knows Jacare has power in his hands, but the real danger this time around is more likely if he gets clipped and hurt. Especially if Brunson gets knocked down and he doesn’t have time to clear his head. Souza will be all over him like a rash and he works fast when he senses a finish.

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It’s a really good opportunity for Brunson to reverse their positions in title conversations. At number eight, a win over Jacare would boost him up the division pretty quickly. Souza is currently sitting at third, but his last fight was a stoppage loss to the current interim champion, Robert Whittaker, in April.

Following the defeat Souza took the rest of 2017 off and is now ready to get back to work, beginning with a win over Brunson to solidify his position in the rankings. With Whittaker injured and removed from his title fight with Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero has stepped in and will face Rockhold next. The winner of that fight will be the first opponent for Whittaker upon his return, but the winner of this main event is right behind them.

Jacare has the skills to compete with anyone at the top. His only losses during his Strikeforce and UFC career are to Romero and Rockhold (aside from Whittaker), so there is already a logical rematch there either way. As long as Jacare is successful.

Brunson has an unpredictable and explosive style, with a very heavy left hand. That can be enough to beat anyone, but if he is to win this weekend he may have to lean on other skills, especially if it gets out of the first round. I love a good rematch, and as their first meeting lasted less than a minute, they never really got much time to get a good understanding of each other. It’s a great main event and the co-main should be just as exciting.

Andre Fili has alternated between wins and losses since signing with the UFC. His most recent win over Artem Lobov in October sets him up to break that pattern and get a second win in a row.

His opponent is considerably different in stature, giving up a lot of height and reach, but is a very skilled wrestler. Dennis Bermudez will be looking to force Andre Fili up against the fence, giving him little space to move, and try to get a hold of him. Fili could find himself pinned to the canvas, getting beaten up until he offers up his neck.

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The Alpha Male product has a longer reach and awkward movement patterns, which could discourage Bermudez to rush in and force a clinch. It will certainly have to include some creative game planning on the side of Fili, but with the experience on the mat at Alpha Male, they will have plenty of ideas of how to defeat this ranked opponent.

The fight to watch though will be Drew Dober against Frank Camacho. A welterweight bout to open the main card, between to undersized 170lb fighters, with a high output and a head full of rocks. These two will fight like everything depends on it and the fans will love them for it. Dober has dynamite in his hands and is happy to trade punches with anyone and everyone.

Camacho is much the same and his recent fight with Damien Brown is one of the best live fights I’ve ever seen. Both of these guys can’t help but put on a show and I expect this to be a clear ‘Fight of the Night’ winner.

Watch UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs. Brunson 2 live on BT Sport 3 from 1am GMT early on Sunday, January 28 or catch the Prelims on UFC Fight Pass from 10pm on Saturday