Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov is the first fight on the UFC 134 pay-per-view. Cane is fairly well known to UFC fans, having compiled a 4-3 record since his December 2007 debut with the promotion. One of those losses was a DQ in a fight he was dominating against James Irvin.
It really wasn't until Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Cyrille Diabate violently demonstrated the extent of Cane's vulnerability to the punches of a fellow southpaw that any cracks appeared in Cane's armor.
Nedkov is a UFC n00b who brings a background as a Bulgarian wrestling champion and a BJJ blackbelt to the Octagon. So far he's perfect 11-0 in his MMA career with three fights on the Japanese circuit in addition to his Eastern European reign of terror.
Look for Nedkov to try to force this fight to the ground and avoid Cane's dangerous striking game. If Nedkov can take Cane down and keep him down he might have a very promising UFC career but that's a very big if. Look for Cane to keep the fight standing and punish Nedkov everytime he tries and fails to keep the fight on the ground.
Aspect
Cane
Points
Nedkov
Advantage
Range Fighting
Boxing
Dangerous Southpaw
2
Raw Power
Cane
Kickboxing
Lethal
2
Improving
Cane
Wrestling
Ok
1
Strong
Nedkov
Clinch Fighting
Dirty Boxing
Brutal
1
Dangerous
Tie
Thai Clinch
Murderous
1
???
Cane
Throws/Trips
Not So Much
1
Very Good
Nedkov
Ground Fighting
Positional Control
Good Not Great
1
Excellent
Nedkov
Scrambling
Slick
1
Quick, Fast Nahurry
Nedkov
Escapes
Slippery
1
Elusive
Tie
Submissions
Good
1
Very Good
Nedkov
Intangibles
Hometown Crowd
1
Octagon Jitters?
Cane
Overall
Comeback Trail
6/5
Unknown
Cane