UFC 155: Todd Duffee vs. Phil De Fries Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 155 ends the year with an absolutely stacked card. It will be headlined by heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and top contender and former champion Cain Velasquez.

That is not the only heavyweight bout on the card, though. Recently re-signed heavyweight Todd Duffee has agreed to fill in on short notice to take on Phil De Fries, who was supposed to fight Matt Mitrione. 

This fight presents a similar style of matchup to the previously planned De Fries-Mitrione bout. Here is the head-to-toe breakdown of Duffee vs. De Fries.

Striking

In terms of pure striking, there is a huge difference in skill between Todd Duffee and Phil De Fries.

Duffee has proven to have very good boxing skills and sickening power in his hands. He is quick on his feet and puts everything into every punch he throws.

Duffee would have easily knocked out Mike Russow in their bout, had it not been for Russow’s granite chin. In his UFC debut, Duffee took just seven seconds to brutally knock out Tim Hague.

Phil De Fries, however, has shown that striking is not really his thing. He didn't last long against Stipe Miocic, as Miocic used his superior striking to break through De Fries' jaw.

Duffee has the easy advantage here.

Edge: Duffee

Wrestling

The wrestling games of Todd Duffee and Phil De Fries are very different.

Duffee uses wrestling as a means of staying on the feet. His strength and takedown defense are key in him working his boxing. He will likely not look for takedowns on De Fries.

De Fries uses wrestling offensively. His whole game is based on ground fighting, as seen in his debut when he grinded out a decision against Rob Broughton.

Their contrasting styles force a push.

Edge: Push

Grappling and Submissions

Todd Duffee has not shown much in terms of grappling and submissions. He is a striker by trade and uses that very successfully in his MMA bouts.

Phil De Fries, on the other hand, bases his whole game plan around getting the fight down and working his submission game. He was a very dangerous submission fighter on the regional scene in the UK, and has carried that over to the UFC, submitting Oli Thompson in one of his three outings.

Edge: De Fries

Prediction

I have a hunch that this fight will not last long, and will end brutally.

Duffee is extremely strong and powerful, which will make De Fries tentative when getting in on him. When De Fries finally musters up the courage, Duffee will drop the hammer.

Expect a jaw-rattling combination to end the fight. Duffee is quick with his striking and only needs one punch to put opponents on dream street.

Prediction: Duffee defeats De Fries via knockout