The MMA Daily

We have an intriguing fight in the Lightweight division, as Joe Solecki takes on Alex “Leko” da Silva. Coming off his first loss in the UFC, Solecki returns to the octagon looking to rebound. Previous to the defeat, Solecki had rattled off six straight wins, three of which came in the UFC. Meanwhile, da Silva comes into this fight on a near two-year layoff. Having lost two of his three fights inside the octagon, da Silva will need to shake off any rust and snag a victory. Otherwise, the Brazilian could find his UFC tenure cut short.

As for a prediction, I have Solecki winning. While da Silva has an impressive record, and nearly defeated Brad Riddell, his takedown defense, grappling and cardio are vulnerabilities that will come to play in this fight. A talented striker, with finishing power, da Silva is at his best on the feet. Having some offensive wrestling to fall back on, the Brazilian has proven that if needed, he can mix in some takedowns. However, da Silva may want to avoid taking this fight to the ground. Solecki is a BJJ wizard, who has won seven of his eleven victories via submission. Having defeated Jim Miller prior to his most recent fight, Solecki has proven that he is not to be taken lightly on the ground. An area where he looks to get the fight to early and often. Given da Silva’s takedown defense and cardio woes, I see Solecki having very little issues doing just that. So with that said, I predict that Solecki wins this fight via submission.