Akiyama vs. Belcher - UFC 100's Most Underrated Fight

Of all the main event fights on the loaded UFC 100, the Alan Belcher vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama fight is by far the least hyped and talked-about of the bunch.

But Akiyama’s presence alone could be enough to make this one of the fight of the night candidates and a reason to keep your eyes glued to the TV early on this Saturday night.

The Japanese-Korean star is making his UFC debut and he’s expected to bring his exciting judo and kickboxing-based style to the Octagon as one of the top middleweights in the world according to some rankings.

His only official loss was to K-1 kickboxing star Jerome LeBanner, and only 2 of his 13 fights have gone past the first round. Of course, many of those fights were in organizations that featured long rounds, but Akiyama has shown the ability to score TKO’s in a flash.

The question going into his UFC 100 fight against Belcher is whether the nerves will get the best of him and cause him to fight more cautiously or not. Newcomers usually tend to fight a little more defensively in the Octagon for the first time because there’s a little less real estate to play around with and also more pressure from fans leading to more nerves.

Akiyama does have a ton of experience fighting on the big stage before as both a favorite and an underdog, however, and the guys at BetUS have installed him as a -300 to +220 favorite in his fight with Belcher.

Both Belcher and Akiyama have a common win over well-regarded fighter Denis Kang, but Belcher didn’t look so good in his win over Kang before he managed to sink in a guillotine choke against him in the second round.

Akiyama is much better-versed in the submission game than Kang and Belcher won’t be able to submit him nearly as easily.

Belcher is a good all-around fighter capable of winning in a variety of ways, but nothing really stands out about him compared to an exciting, creative fighter like “Sexyama,” a man who embodies the crazy, irreverent, anything-goes culture of Japanese-style MMA.

Akiyama is good at feeling his opponents out and picking the right moment to strike, and he should be able to use his clinch game and his striking to get the timing down on Belcher before landing a big strike or two and then pouncing on him for a big finish.

Belcher’s a tough guy to count out because of his versatility and heart, but Akiyama has the ability to be the next big thing in the UFC’s middleweight division and he should prove that on Saturday night at UFC 100 in Las Vegas.

The Pick: Akiyama -300