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UFC 142 Fight Card Breakdown: Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio

Preview and predictions for UFC 142's Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio. Nate Wilcox breaks down every aspect of the bout.

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.