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Middleweights Rousimar Palhares (13-3, 6-2 UFC) and Mike Massenzio (13-5, 2-3 UFC) meet on the pay-per-view portion of tonight's UFC 142 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Palhares has carved out a reputation for himself as one of the most-feared and least predictable fighters in the UFC. He's feared because of his immense physical strength and his skill and ferocity in applying leg locks. He's also notorious for not releasing those leg locks quickly, even as his opponents scream in pain and ligaments and tendons pop.
He's also known for losing focus in the cage. Against Nate Marquardt he decided to stop fighting mid-fight and start complaining about Marquardt being slippery. Unfortunately for Rousimar, Marquardt took advantage of his inattention to score a brutal KO. Against Dan Miller in his last UFC bout, Palhares decided he'd won the fight and jumped onto the cage to celebrate. Unfortunately the ref hadn't stopped the fight.
Against the journeyman Massenzio, Palhares will need to concentrate to get the win. But if Rousimar is focused, Massenzio will be in trouble.
| Aspect | Palhares | Points | Massenzio | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Fighting | ||||
| Boxing | Lumbering | 1 | Solid | Massenzio |
| Kickboxing | Surprising | 1 | UFC Level | Massenzio |
| Wrestling | Excellent | 1 | Very Good | Palhares |
| Clinch Fighting | ||||
| Dirty Boxing | Good | 0 | Good | Tie |
| Thai Clinch | Limited | 1 | Very Good | Massenzio |
| Throws/Trips | Knock Down Artist | 1 | Good | Palhares |
| Ground Fighting | ||||
| Positional Control | Excellent | 1 | Has Gaps | Palhares |
| Scrambling | Excellent | 1 | Good | Palhares |
| Ground and Pound | Hard | 1 | Mean | Palhares |
| Submissions | Better Tap Fast | 1 | Good | Palhares |
| Intangibles | Slightly Daffy | 1 | Far From Home | Palhares |
| Overall | Crazy Dangerous | 7/3 | Fringe Fighter | Palhares |
Check out our complete archive for all the news and notes related to the UFC 142 fight between Rousimar Palhares and Mike Massenzio that takes place later this evening.