Riley vs. Pearson
A main card bout of UFC 105 is a lightweight contest between Aaron Riley and Ross Pearson.
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Riley enters the fight as the favorite according to online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com. Riley has a betting line of -220 while Pearson is at +170. Here is a closer look at both fighters heading into this bout, which will take place from the M.E.N. Arena in
Aaron Riley (28-11-1):
Strengths: Riley is an MMA veteran with over 40 career fights. He is the typical tough lightweight that is hard to beat because he has well-rounded skills. 13 of his wins come by submission while five come by TKO. Riley has been stopped seven times in his career.
Weaknesses: Riley is a good scrapper but seems to lack that ability to finish fighters at this level. His last four wins have all been by decision and ultimately he has to show that he can finish opponents in order to move up the contender’s list. Riley has also left himself open to taking a big punch from time-to-time, which could work in Pearson’s favor.
Last Five Fights:
Unanimous decision win over Shane Nelson at UFC 101 on Aug. 8, 2009
First round TKO loss to Shane Nelson at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009
Unanimous decision win over Jorge Gurgel at UFC 91 on Nov. 15, 2008
Unanimous decision win over Steve Claveau at XMMA 5 on Sept. 13, 2008
Unanimous decision win over Thiago Meller at UWC 3 on April 26, 2008
Ross Pearson (9-3):
Strengths: Pearson looks like he would be a slugger, but his strength is his submission skills. In nine wins, Pearson has had five come by submission. Pearson can swing his arms too, but his clear strength is on the ground where he can use his stocky size to ware down opponents and eventually lock in a submission.
Weaknesses: Pearson lacks a lot of experience in comparison to Riley. This will also be Pearson’s first UFC main card fight, which can be a nervous experience for young fighters. Pearson also lacks a lot of top-level competition, as Riley will surely test his abilities more than any fighter he has currently faced.
Last Five Fights:
Unanimous decision win over Andre Winner at Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale on June 20, 2009
First round submission win over Ian Jones at UF-Nemesis on Nov. 1, 2008
Unanimous decision loss to Adbul Mohamed at CG 9 on Oct. 4, 2008
First round submission win over Cedric Celerier at GR 24 on May 31, 2008
Third round submission win over Aidan Marron at UF-Punishment on May 3, 2008
Who will win: Riley looks to have the edge in this fight as his experience should be the deciding factor. This fight will likely spend a lot of time on the ground, which leaves Pearson a chance to win by submission, but Riley should be battle-tested enough to earn a decision win over the younger Pearson.
Additional Line: Over/Under 13 minutes for fight length. Over and Under both -120
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Posted: 11/13/09 1:19PM ET