The Prelim Breakout Star is a once per event article that helps fans get to know those who will be entertaining them from the undercard. The intention of the article is not to bring attention to the most talented guy on the preliminary card, but rather one that the common fan may have overlooked or underestimated.
Once again the UFC has graced us with two cards in one week. 24 fights in one week, 19 of which are free to view. While enjoying these fights, be sure to keep an eye on our Prelim Breakout Stars this week. In our first double edition, we take a look at two fighters who come to the UFC from the land down under. Let’s see how these two will fare this weekend.
Dylan Andrews
What makes THEM impressive
Although neither of them have been in the UFC all that long, with Andrews just getting his first fight in April and Palelei returning from a nearly six year exile, both are extremely battle-tested. Andrews, who is technically a New Zealander, has racked up fights outside of the UFC against UFC veterans Shonie Carter, Jesse Taylor and Brian Ebersole. In addition to proving his toughness in these battles, he showed on The Ultimate Fighter that he could clearly take a punch. Likewise, Palelei has fought plenty of past and present UFC heavyweights, from Sean McCorkle to Daniel Cormier with plenty in between. He also has proven he can take a punch, having only been knocked out once in his career, a TKO in his only UFC fight (against Eddie Sanchez).
In addition to seeing two battle-tested Oceaniacs, viewers this week are going to see some heavy hands. Both fighters have demonstrated both a willingness and an affinity for throwing bombs from the feet. When combined, 25 of their career 36 wins have come by (T)KO.
Why THEY’VE been overlooked
Fans generally don’t give credit where credit is due to fighters from Australia and New Zealand. It’s not the most well-documented bias, but it exists nevertheless. Don’t believe me? Take George Sotiropoulos for example; in a three year stretch he rattled off seven straight wins. Some of those wins included Joe Stevenson, George Roop, Kurt Pellegrino and Joe Lauzon. But, did you ever hear any chatter for his title shot? Me neither.
What makes THESE good matchups
Both of their opponents have well-documented grappling backgrounds. Papy Abedi, Andrews’s opponent, is a Judo black belt with some very solid throws. Nikita Krylov, Palelei’s opponent, is well versed in combat Sambo and has finished opponents by submission 10 times. While the clashing styles seem like they may be a detriment to our subjects’ desire to stand, they’ve both showed an ability to fight off takedowns in the past as well as an ability to do their own ground work. Andrews, for instance, recently kept his feet in a battle with Pan-AM jiu jitsu champion and college wrestler, Jimmy Quinlain. Palelei on the other hand, might welcome takedown attempts, as he has a black belt in jiu jitsu himself. Regardless of these choice, these guys know how to get the fight where they want.
Daniel Vreeland is a writer (PrelimPicker) and teacher with an avid love for martial arts. He has practiced jiu jitsu and submission grappling under and next to many top names including Royce Gracie, Rousimar Palhares, Murilo Bustamante and Marco Alvan. He has placed in multiple NAGA grappling tournaments and currently trains under black belt Dave Roy in Amherst, MA.
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