UFC 256 Deep Dive – Jared Vanderaa vs. Sergey Spivak
Despite his young age, Jared Vanderaa (11-4) has a wealth of experience stemming back to 2012. After a dramatic slobber knocker in his Dana White Contender Series debut, the heavy-handed heavyweight takes on Sergey Spivak (11-2) at UFC 256. The Ukrainian born, Spivak has a diverse finishing game, with lightning fast combinations inside the pocket. Additionally, Spivak ends combinations with stiff head kicks, which he showed off when he sparked Artiom Cerkov, in the first round at Eagle Fighting Championship 1. With a palpable air of suspense surrounding this bout, the clash of styles all but guarantee a violent finish.
Training out of Dan Henderson’s camp, Team Quest compliments Vanderaa’s style of fighting. Specifically, his ability to control the clinch. Further, Henderson’s style of holding the neck in Thai clinch positions has accelerated Vanderaa’s evolution. As distance management is often the story of the fight, this will be no different since each athlete does their best work at different ranges. After reaching out to Vanderaa, he reiterated his commitment to Team Quest, stating, “they (his team) have been showing me small adjustments to make for my fight against Spivak.” Also speaking on the differing styles, he mentioned, “I think stylistically it might play better into my strengths but I think he is well rounded enough to make the right adjustments for a fight everyone wants to see.”
How do their records compare?
Coming off a decision win against then undefeated, Carlos Felipe, Spivak bounced back from his second loss. Spivak is a versatile finisher. Entering the bout with neck cranks, chokes, and head kick knockouts, the Ukranian native poses a unique challenge for all comers. However, Vanderaa has shown a plethora of finishes too. Coupled with nasty dirty boxing, the Team Quest product has undoubtedly shown toughness. Most notably, at LFA 15, for the vacant heavyweight title against Richard Odoms. While Vanderaa came up short, the bout screamed of high potential. Just over a month since his TKO win over Harry Hunsuckle, he enters UFC 256 with momentum.
UFC 256 Featured Preliminary Bout – Paths to Victory
While maintaining range, Spivak utilizes shot selection, and flurries to back his opponent up. On the other hand, Vanderaa’s dirty boxing will be key to victory. Given the versatility of Spivak’s game, if the fight hits the mat, both men have a solid route to victory by various submissions. Either athlete is capable of a club and sub performance, but whoever dominates the range is likely to run away with this fight.
Don’t miss all the actions and live results Saturday December 12th 10PM ET, here at MyMMANews
