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MMAjunkie Radio co-host and MMAjunkie contributor Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC Fight Night 141.

UFC Fight Night 141 takes place Saturday at Cadillac Arena in Beijing. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Curtis Blaydes (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC)

Staple info:

• Height: 6’5″ Age: 27 Weight: 254 lbs. Reach: 80″
• Last fight: TKO win over Alistair Overeem (June 9, 2018)
• Camp: Elevation Fight Team (Denver, Co.)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling title
+ Amateur MMA accolades
+ 8 KO victories
+ 2 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Improved striking ability
^ Shows fight-to-fight improvements
+ Explosive power-double takedown
^ Changes level well
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Body locks, trips, suplexes
+ Solid top game
^ Floats, wrist-rides, strikes

Francis Ngannou (11-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC)

Staple info:

• Height: 6’4″ Age: 32 Weight: 253 lbs. Reach: 83″
• Last fight: Decision loss to Derrick Lewis (July 7, 2018)
• Camp: MMA Factory (Paris, France)
• Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA accolades
+ 6 KO victories
+ 4 submission wins
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Athletic and agile
+ Solid feints and footwork
^ Manages distance well
+ Accurate left hand
^ Jabs, crosses and check-hooks
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Hard knees/heavy hips
+/-Developing ground game
^ Serviceable transitions/struggles off back

Point of interest: The pitfalls of pressure

The main event in Beijing features a rematch between two fighters who like to utilize pressure, but do so in different ways.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[autotag], who has experience in amateur kickboxing, shows consistent fight-to-fight improvements each time out. From his developing footwork to his commitment to combination striking, the 27-year-old seems to be right at home whenever pressuring forward.

Whether Blaydes is working behind his jab or rolling his head off of his crosses, his time spent training at the Elevation Fight Team and BANG Muay Thai have been coming through in recent performances. That said, Blaydes is not beyond being countered for his aggressive approaches.

However, in Blaydes’ last outing against Alistair Overeem, the former collegiate wrestler demonstrated the discipline of when to engage and when to fight at range, avoiding the big counters along the way. Blaydes lacked these abilities in his UFC debut, so I will be curious to see how he stacks up this time around against [autotag]Francis Ngannou[autotag].

With recency bias running strong, it can be easy to forget just how fast (and impressive) the rise has been for the Cameroonian-born Parisian who practically came from nothing.

In their first meeting, Ngannou was able to counter the approaches of Blaydes, primarily from the southpaw stance. Though listed as an orthodox fighter, the 32-year-old standout will occasionally fight from southpaw, especially when facing wrestling threats.

Not only does the southpaw stance allow a little more play in the distance department, but it also somewhat limits the shot selection on his opposition, as well as opens up opportunities to land his counter left cross. When fighting from orthodox, Ngannous still prefers to conduct traffic from his left side, whether he is throwing straight or variating his patent up-jabs and check-hooks.

Utilizing feints and pivoting well within close quarters, Ngannou also keeps a good sense of space, managing distance well when he chooses to. However, as impressive as Ngannou’s movement is, he, too, is not beyond being hit while coming forward, which is what makes the striking dynamic of this battle a compelling one at all ranges.

Next point of interest: The wrestler’s wrath