Point of interest: Potential grappling entanglements:
Considering the action that the smaller cage encourages, I would not be surprised to see these two tangle inside of the clinch early and often.
Burns, who is the much more accoladed submission grappler, will carry the on-paper edge in grappling exchanges irrespective of size or strength differences.
I say this all the time, but not all black belts are created equal, and Burns is a prime example of that. An IBJJF world champion both in and out of the gi, Burns was able to translate his brand of grappling quickly into the MMA space.
More importantly, Burns was not afraid to work with wrestling influences from standouts like Greg Jones to catch wrestling coaches like Neil Melanson. Integrating these crucial styles into his repertoire, there are now little-to-no positions that Burns is not comfortable or capable of working from.
Whether he is defending takedowns along the fence and striking off the breaks or hitting sweet trips and chaining takedowns of his own, Burns’ wrestling game remains to be one the things that quietly impresses me most. That said, as underrated as that part of his game may be, taking down Woodley is an entirely different story.
Sporting a successful takedown defense rate of 92 percent, Woodley’s ability to stymie action is something that’s built into both the statistics and his spirit.
Embracing his thick welterweight frame, Woodley seamlessly drops his hips and weight into his lower half anytime he is engaged with wrestling offense. And though you can criticize the champ for his lack of work inside of the clinch (or even off of the breaks), his prioritization of defense and position seems to pay off more times than not.
Should Woodley end up on grappling on the ground, he isn’t exactly a slouch when it comes to transitioning on the mat (something he reminded us of against Darren Till).
A solid positional player, Woodley knows how to secure a spot while doing damage in the process. And if you go back to his Strikeforce career, you will see savvy submissions and transitional grappling on display – something that Burns may force out of the champion come Saturday.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction
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