Morecraft over struve at +150...

[Vaughany]

Anybody putting money on Morecraft??? Dude is a beast...at least 6ft 5 and 265 lbs but moves like a middleweight, he is going to have a significant size and power advantage over Struve and I think as long as he keeps it standing Morecraft should be able to KO Struve. I wasn't impressed with Struve against Buentello - who isn't a big heavyweight, and where Struve actually nearly got knocked out when he attempted the most telegraphed flying knee that I have ever seen in professional MMA. He also got cut open badly by Stojnic before submitting the Bosnian in spectacular fashion with a 3 inch cut on his head! Dos Santos and Nelson dispatched him with ease, and yes, although Morecraft's stand-up isnt going to be near their level, he is still going to have the ability and power to connect with at least one punch, especially as he is not going to be at as much of a height disadvantage (compared to Nelson for instance). Morecraft has been training with Dellagrotte for this fight which will surely help improve his striking and has also trained with Eric Pringle who is 6ft 5, 290lbs and former training partner of Brock Lesnar as the following article explains: http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sp...-the-big-time/
He's +165 on some sites, but +150 on PaddyPower which I use but still think it's decent value. Let me know what you think guys...feel free to rip my view apart...all helps in making a final decision of whether to put a couple of units on him!

[lasker]

I had placed a small bet on Morecraft just because he has power and Struve has a knack for getting hit (even in his victories), so it seemed like there was some value. However, it was a very small bet because I'm always wary of fighters making their UFC debut. This is great analysis, and I may increase my bet on him.

[Eccocide]

Gunna have to be against you on this one =/. My initial lean just from what I had heard and read about was Morecraft. But after watching footage and most of his fights I just can't put any money on him and I actually I'm going to be going the other way. The competition that he has fought on the regional level is very sub-par and this is a big step up for him. He's only been training for a couple years and doesn't really excel in any area. If you watch his most recent fight vs Lee Beane, his grappling is pretty atrocious and he has little technique in the standup. As for training with Delagrotte, he's only been going there around once a week for a session. That timeframe isn't going to be enough to get him to any sort of average level in the standup. Even the way Dellagrotte talks about him saying "I wish we had more time to build him up but you gotta go when you get the chance" makes it sound like he isn't going to be ready for this jump in competition. Couple this with the fact that he's never been out of the first round, is going to be dealing with Octagon jitters and will most likely have an adrenaline dump, I can't back him. I will say this - the guy has power and is massive - and Struve's striking defense isn't very good so anything can happen and I wouldn't be all that surprised if he is able to get the KO. However I hate backing guys that only seem to have a punchers chance and thats what looks to be the case in this one. He will be in trouble if this fight goes to the ground and he's going to eat a lot of kicks in the standup IMO.

[brooks85]

^i agree

When i saw the matchup, I thought I could get struve at a good line but I dont like it enough to bet him but I do like struve to win.

[Vaughany]

Gunna have to be against you on this one =/. My initial lean just from what I had heard and read about was Morecraft. But after watching footage and most of his fights I just can't put any money on him and I actually I'm going to be going the other way. The competition that he has fought on the regional level is very sub-par and this is a big step up for him. He's only been training for a couple years and doesn't really excel in any area. If you watch his most recent fight vs Lee Beane, his grappling is pretty atrocious and he has little technique in the standup. As for training with Delagrotte, he's only been going there around once a week for a session. That timeframe isn't going to be enough to get him to any sort of average level in the standup. Even the way Dellagrotte talks about him saying "I wish we had more time to build him up but you gotta go when you get the chance" makes it sound like he isn't going to be ready for this jump in competition. Couple this with the fact that he's never been out of the first round, is going to be dealing with Octagon jitters and will most likely have an adrenaline dump, I can't back him. I will say this - the guy has power and is massive - and Struve's striking defense isn't very good so anything can happen and I wouldn't be all that surprised if he is able to get the KO. However I hate backing guys that only seem to have a punchers chance and thats what looks to be the case in this one. He will be in trouble if this fight goes to the ground and he's going to eat a lot of kicks in the standup IMO.

U make gd points Ecco. I also thought Dellagrotte's statements were a bit reserved and almost as if he's not totally sure! Think im gonna wait till weigh-ins and see what the size difference is actually like then make a decision. May just put a small play on him and add more to my Fitch by decision play.

[lasker]

excellent points Eccocide

[Shane]

I could honestly see this going either way. Struve has his well-documented flaws, but after actually watching Morecraft's fights I didn't feel too sure of him. Very interested in seeing this fight play out, though.

[snake11eyes]

I'm backing Struve on this one. His game is more evolved than Morecraft and he has ufc experience. I don't like the line on Struve, however if by some chance the line gets in the -150 range I'll pull the trigger.