UFC 119 Preview: The Prelims
Dollaway vs. Doerksen
Sep 24, 2010
C.B. Dollaway (top) file photo: Dave Mandel |
Sherdog.com
C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen
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Doerksen never had Dollaway’s expectations, and his 2-5 UFC record points to why. However, an unexpected submission win over Tom Lawlor has given him a second life in the Octagon. The continued resurrection doesn’t look particularly promising against Dollaway, though.
From day one Doerksen’s best assets have been his toughness and submission skill. On the surface, that seems like a great combination to beat Dollaway, who’s prone to gassing out and making mistakes on the floor. Specifically, Dollaway routinely leaves his arms posted on the mat and, for someone with such a slick front headlock series, he seems oblivious to the possibility that someone else could grab a hold of his neck.
The possibility of Doerksen catching Dollaway can’t be discounted, but the Canadian does struggle against wrestlers who can force him on his back. Like so many grappling-oriented fighters, Doerksen never got the memo about wrestling and his guard isn’t so special that he can be counted on to hit submissions from there against UFC-caliber competition. The other factor here is that despite Dollaway’s marginal submission defense, he is ballsy about chasing submissions of his own.
Getting caught in a submission given his own physical degradation is well within the realm of possibility for Doerksen. Offensive grappling ability is not the same as defensive skills, and he is prone to blowing positions -- the first step to getting caught. Dollaway may not catch him, but at bare minimum he can ride out a decision win.
Follow Tomas Rios on Twitter or it gets the hose again at www.twitter.com/Tomas_Rios.
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