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The UFC returns to Pay-Per-View tonight with a double title match, Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones takes onVitor Belfort after Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson square off to decide who will become the first UFC Flyweight Champion. Before the title matches, the UFC will air free prelim fights on FX starting at 8 p.m. ET, and kicking off those free fights is Florida resident and American Top Team fighter Marcus Brimage taking on dynamic grappler Jimy Hettes.
Brimage is undefeated in the UFC since entering into the promotion through season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). He gained quite a few fans while on the show due to his exciting striking and his unabashed love for martial arts action based anime cartoons. Inspired to begin training by the cartoon Dragon Balls Z and drawn to MMA by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Brimage's background is in striking arts including Muay Thai and Boxing.
While Brimage is 2-0 in his UFC career, he comes into this fight against Jimy Hettes a plus-400 underdog. There is an old combat sports saying that styles make fights and in this case the style matchup is very bad for the Florida-based fighter. Brimage, while a powerful striker, is still very much a work in progress when it comes to grappling. American Top Team boasts some of the very best grappling coaches in the sport, but Hettes will likely enjoy a strong advantage on the ground. Experienced in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Hettes dominated TUF veteran and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Nam Phan with highlight reel throws and fluid top position grappling in his last fight.
Brimage has worked hard on developing his grappling, but it is unlikely he is ready for a grappler of Hettes' caliber. This fight has the appearance of a showcase fight for Hettes, but MMA remains a sport where anything can happen. If Brimage is able to stave off a few takedowns or hit Hettes before he can close the distance, he may be able to score the upset. That said, Hettes mostly likely walks away from this fight a winner by submission.