James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara Fight Prediction – UFC on Versus 1

ALESSIO SAKARA vs. JAMES IRVIN

Fight Overview:  James Irvin makes his UFC debut against Italian tough guy Alessio Sakara.  Irvin is the vastly superior striker, but Sakara is a tough competitor and the more well-rounded of the two, so this should be interesting.

Sakara's Strengths:  Sakara is a tough fighter with a lot of heart.  He is also the more well-rounded of the two fighters, and most importantly the better wrestler.

Sakara's Weaknesses:  Sakara is totally overmatched in the striking department, and is not an extremely dangerous finisher.

Irvin's Strengths:  Irvin has great striking with a lot of speed and knockout power.

Irvin's Weaknesses:  He has no ground game to speak of.

The Verdict:  Sakara is the more well-rounded fighter, but Irvin's striking is better than any part of Sakara's game.  Add in the fact that Irvin is the bigger and stronger fighter, and Sakara is going to have a hard time getting this fight to the ground, which is the only place he stands a chance. 

Fight Prediction:  James Irvin by first round T/KO.