UFC Fight Night 94 Newcomer Breakdown: Rick Glenn

Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at American Rick Glenn as he takes on long time UFC veteran Evan Dunham at Fight Night 94 in Hidalgo, Texas. Rick Glenn Hometown: Marshalltown, Iowa Age: 27 Height: 6’0” Reach: 76” Weight Class: Lightweight Camp: Rofousport Career Record: 18-3-1 Key Wins: Johnny Case, Georgi Karakhanyan Key Losses: Lance Palmer   Background The World Series of Fighting veteran (and former champion) has been on an excellent run of late, winning 11 of his last 12 bouts. Glenn is a finisher with 15 of his 18 wins coming inside the distance. Strengths

  • Long for the division
  • Strikes well in combination with punches and kicks

Weaknesses

  • Takedown defense is poor at best
  • Lacks the strength to deal with physical grapplers
  • Susceptible to being caught in submissions

 

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  Match-up against Evan Dunham Rick Glenn certainly enters the UFC with a lot of experience as he matches up with Evan Dunham at Fight Night 94. Glenn had success in World Series of Fighting winning the featherweight championship in that promotion. This however will be the most difficult fight of his career moving up to lightweight against a savvy UFC veteran. On the feet, both fighters are volume heavy strikers. Glenn does have a three inch reach advantage, but Dunham is the more technical, effective combination striker. Furthermore, very few fighters land with more volume than Dunham does. The longtime UFC lightweight lands 5.37 significant strikes a minute inside the Octagon. He absorbs just 3.34 strikes per minute for a whopping differential of 2.03 strikes per minute. In short, Dunham lands a lot more than he is hit and I expect him to do so against Glenn. Even if the striking is competitive, Dunham can absolutely take this fight to the ground. Dunham secures roughly two takedowns per 15 minute bout. With Glenn moving up in weight and having more takedown defense, this is perhaps the biggest gap in skill level in the fight. Dunham, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under the acclaimed Robert Drysdale, will have a major advantage in the grappling exchanges and will have opportunities to submit Glenn. The former WSOF fighter’s best chance to win is to land strikes from range, but Dunham’s conditioning, volume striking, and strong grappling ability give him a significant advantage in this bout. Dunham enters this bout on a three fight winning streak beating the likes of Joe Lauzon and Ross Pearson. He is getting older, but there’s no reason to think there’s a talent regression here. Dunham is a -320 favorite in this bout and that line seems justified. There’s not much a scenario for Glenn to beat the steady Dunham in this fight. Look for Dunham to win this fight by submission or by wide decision. UFC Ceiling Rick Glenn is a solid featherweight who would be a decent addition to the UFC’s featherweight division. He’s long for the weightclass and has a nice combination striking game. At lightweight, he simply isn’t strong enough physically to deal with the majority of opponents. He’ll be taken down with regularity and won’t be able to get back to his feet where he can be competitive. If he sticks at lightweight, it will be a short stint in the UFC.   Fight Film Check out Rick Glenn in some of his most recent fights:   Rick Glenn vs. Georgi Karakanyan   Rick Glenn vs. Lance Palmer   Rick Glenn vs. Alexander Pimentel

Written by Jay Primetown

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