Coming in second to last in the team picks, Mitrione was an outsider from the onset, garnering the not so prestigious nickname "Meathead" as an affectionate gesture from coach Rashad Evans. The first sign that strange things were afoot was Mitrione's first fight. He faced Scott Junk, a tough and experienced veteran, and ended up bashing his eyeball loose from its socket.
The former NFL player, who didn't have a single professional fight to his name, had been sulking around, not making friends, and allegedly milking a shoulder injury, thoroughly wowed the cast with a mean set of hands from the southpaw stance. Now, after hooking up with Roufusport, one of the fastest rising teams, Matt Mitrione might be the most promising new heavyweight in the game.
As one of the four former NFL players on Season Ten of TUF, Mitrione shines with the qualities we speculated an athlete of that caliber might have: a frightening strength-to-agility ratio, quick adaptation to the basics, untouchable cardio and an unmatchable pace.
Throw in a freakish comfort with boxing, a gruesome straight left, and a natural instinct for fighting, and we've got one talented Meathead.
Check the specs on Christian Morecraft and how he stacks up with Mitrione at "UFC on Versus 4" in the full entry.
Christian Morecraft is a massive heavyweight, tipping the scales at just under the 265-pound limit, and 6'6" tall. He's associated with the Cape Cod Fighting Alliance, but also spends time under Ryan Ciotoli and Gary Marino at New York's Team Bombsquad.
Morecraft has allocated a groundbreaking solution to MMA's judging problem by avoiding decisions and the third round altogether, having violated each of his adversaries in the first round before coming aboard the UFC heavyweight division, and concluding things inside of the second in his two fights since.
Morecraft made his debut against Stefan Struve and inflated his lower lip to Goodyear-proportions with an enthusiastic mauling in the opening round, but was pegged by the lanky Dutchman's combination in the next for his first and only career loss.
Sean McCorkle and his scintillating smack talk was next on the docket, but Morecraft handled both threats with cool confidence, playfully instigating with media propaganda of his own and proving his prowess with a second round guillotine.
Physically, Morecraft is a leviathan, and he has quite a varied background in wrestling, striking, and BJJ that offers no glaring weaknesses.
On the ground, he showed solid technique to match the raw brutality of his ground-and-pound against McCorkle, angling for leglocks and armbars with a fluidity one wouldn't expect from someone of his size.
Matt Mitrione has soared under the watch of Duke Roufus.
His boxing has flowered into a storm of streaking left hands, and his quickness and dexterity bestow him with lightning-fast reflexes to sprawl and counter-punch.
Mitrione vanquished fellow TUF cast member Marcus Jones, Kimbo Slice, and Tim Hague (shown to the right), all by TKO. The rock-headed Joey Beltran refused to fall and persevered to a decision.
Considering the inexperience of his opponent, Mitrione's creativity in bombing knees to the midsection of a grounded Kimbo Slice was still impressive. He looks more comfortable with his hands in each outing, and really seems to be hitting his stride and oozing with confidence.
If Meathead reels off another strong showing against Morecraft, he will skyrocket as a prospect. The massive Morecraft will likely seek a ground battle, so Mitrione's ability to absorb the space in the cage and avoid the takedown will be imperative.
I think Mitrione has the cage presence to pelt Morecraft with his supercharged boxing and is too agile and feisty to hold down. Being stamped with Morecraft's elbows is an unfriendly environment for anyone, but the big fella has a lot more work to do to create that scenario than Mitrione does to work his hands.
Look for Meathead to show a renewed grasp of range by bursting in and out of the pocket, bouncing around with a smile of sheer lunacy, leaving only a trail of leather for Morecraft to work with.
My Prediction: Mitrione by TKO
Gifs via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com
Poll Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft
- Matt Mitrione
- Christian Morecraft