UFC 106 Upset Alert - Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
by Nick Meyer
If wrestlers and jiu-jitsu katas (aka players) were wild animals, it’s safe to say they would be natural enemies. And in the case of Jake Rosholt and Kendall Grove their preferred fighting styles should produce the kind of violent, back-and-forth struggle that we see on the nature channels all the time.
Wrestlers, as the old saying goes, hate to be on their back, while jiu-jitsu guys, especially those with long legs like “Da Spyder” aka Grove, actually like it because of all the submissions they can pull off or set up.
That will be the challenge for Rosholt against Grove at UFC 106; he must use his wrestling well but be careful not to overextend himself and put himself in a dangerous position against the long-limbed Grove.
Rosholt knows how to handle himself on the ground, however, and that’s why he’s a -210 favorite against Grove at BetUS, while Grove is a +165 underdog.
Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt -210 >>Join Now to Bet
At 6-1 going into the fight in his MMA career, Rosholt is one of a new generation of up-and-coming wrestling stars who are transitioning quite well to MMA.
Rosholt is one of the best top control and position guys in the middleweight division but his striking is still a ways off.
Grove has the tools to exploit that weakness in this fight, as he has a big, big reach advantage at 6-foot-6 and he knows how to use at as well. Coming in at just 10-6, Grove has his back against the wall. While he’s well-known from his days on The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC doesn’t usually part ways with those guys until it’s an absolute necessity, Grove could be in serious jeopardy of being released if he doesn’t win this fight against Rosholt.
Luckily for Grove, he just got done with a war against Ricardo Almeida, a similar fighter to Rosholt and a guy many people feel is superior. Grove fought hard and pretty well against Almeida, losing a decision in which he did more damage. Having the experience of going up against a top-notch wrestler coming into this one could be huge for Grove, and if he makes the proper adjustments, he has a great chance to finish what he started against Almeida by defeating Grove.
Because of Grove’s experience advantage and ability to survive against wrestlers, which he showed vs. a much stronger Almeida, Grove is a great pick here to pull the mild betting upset at UFC 106.
