Strikeforce preview: Andre Galvao - Tyron Woodley
The second biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the U.S (and arguably the world) has faced something of a dearth of high-profile talent in their welterweight (170lb) division. Instead, they’ve tried
to build up some prospects to take up the mantle in the division. On Saturday two of those talents they’ve tried to develop will go against each other to see who can take a big step closer to challenging for the welterweight belt as Tyron Woodley takes on
Andre Galvao.
Woodley
Woodley comes from a very good wrestling background, including being an All American in 2003 and 2005, and earning a number seven ranking in the 160lb college weight class nationally. But he’s made great
strides in his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) very quickly, combining his newfound submission knowledge with his positional control to make himself a good grappler, with developing stand-up as well.
At 28, Woodley is 6-0 in his MMA career, and four of those fights have come in the Strikeforce promotion. He’s one of the relatively few top quality prospects the promotion has managed to snatch up before
their larger rival the Ultimate Fighting Championships did.
His first five fights of his career were a tale of textbook dominance. Five wins, all by submission (though one was submission due to strikes) and only one of them escaping the first round.
In his last fight, on 21 May 2010, it went a little differently. He took on relative unknown Nathan Coy in Oregon in what was supposed to be another easy win on Woodley’s record. Instead though Coy refused
to go easily, getting up every time Woodley took him down and landing some good shots on Woodley. After two close rounds that went slightly in Woodley’s favour, Coy easily took the third. Woodley escaped with a decision win, but lost of the lustre that had
accompanied his rise to the top.
Galvao
Galvao has been one of the best BJJ practitioners in the world since the early 2000s, and it’s shown in the tournaments he’s won. With almost uncountable amounts of golds, his crowning moments were in
2008, when he won a gold medal in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the 88kg category, and the gold medal in the unlimited weight division at the Pan American Championships.
But Galvao hasn’t transitioned his BJJ from the gi-grappling world of pure BJJ tournaments to the no-gi environment of MMA, and he’s made some uncharacteristic mistakes in grappling, most notably against
Luke Stewart.
He’s 5-1 in his MMA career, and Woodley is 28. His last fight was against Jorge Patino was in August. With Patino coming in on a week’s notice, he badly hurt Galvao in the first round, and Galvao had to
rally back to pull out a late rear-naked choke.
Betting odds and advice
Woodley is coming in as roughly a 3/8 favourite, while Galvao is around a 10/4 underdog.
This one seems too tough to pick a good bet. Both fighters have shown flashes of brilliance and flashes of mediocrity, while Woodley has definitely shown an all-round better game. Woodley should be the
favourite here, but it’s tough to tell by how much. If you’re feeling particularly sure about either fighter, place a bet, but there’s no sure bet here.
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