Dennis Siver vs Andre Winner likely for UFC 122
The Ultimate Fighting Championships is getting their UFC 122 card in Germany shaped up, and they’re putting their only German mixed martial arts veteran on the card, according to MMAfighting.com.
Dennis Siver, the German striker with his trademark spinning back kick, will be fighting The Ultimate Fighter Season 9 finalist Andre Winner on what will probably be the main card of the event. The event is rumoured to be headlined by a title eliminator bout between middleweights Yushin Okami and Vitor Belfort.
Siver is a fighter who will probably never be a contender in the UFC 155lb division, but is well-liked by the promotion because of his entertaining style. Like many European fighters, his style prioritizes stand-up fighting over wrestling or submission grappling (though Siver has two UFC submission victories on his resume), and Siver is famous even among stand up fighters. He has a mastery of the spinning back kick, which is rarely thrown in the UFC and even more rarely used to finish opponents. He has done that twice, once against Nate Mohr and another time against Paul Kelly, both times earning him the Knockout of the Night bonus.
The UFC likes setting Siver up against fellow strikers who are unlikely to take the fight to the ground, providing a fan-friendly bout. They are once again doing this with Winner for Siver’s home country crowd.
Winner, like Siver, also has a weakness in wrestling and a fondness for stand up. After losing the TUF 9 tournament in the finale, he went on to rack up two straight victories. A huge right hand knocked out Rolando Delgado in Winner’s home turf in England at UFC 105, and he pulled out a unanimous decision over Rafaello Oliveira in March. More recently on 28 August he was soundly out-wrestled by Nik Lentz to lose a decision.
For both Siver and Winner, they’ll be able to stick to their strengths. The fight is scheduled to take place on 13 November.
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