UFC 138 Fight Card: Papy Abedi vs. Thiago Alves Head-to-Toe Breakdown

At UFC 138 on Saturday we will see the age old veteran vs. newcomer battle play out in the Octagon.

Thiago Alves has been a perennial top 10 welterweight for the majority of his career. Papy Abedi is not only fighting at 170lbs for the first time, but he's also making his UFC debut.

Abedi has been billed as a blue-chip, can't miss prospect but can he make a name for himself at Thiago Alves' expense?

Experience

This is where the biggest gap between the two lies.

Thiago has 26 professional fights with a record of 18-8, while Abedi's record stands at 8-0. Alves has been in the UFC since 2005 and has fought some of the best welterweights in the world.

Abedi has looked impressive in but he's been fighting guys along the European circuit and fights roughly once or twice a year.

Advantage: Alves.

Physical Traits

Both men are huge for welterweight. Alves has always struggled to make weight and we've seen the weight cut affect his performance at times.

Abedi, as you can see from the picture, is a freakish athlete. I'm not sure how he is going to make 170 but it may require the loss of some limbs.

It will be interesting to see if Abedi cutting down to 170 affects his performance. Hopefully both men can do it the right way and provide fans with some exciting offense.

Advantage: Push

Striking

Thiago Alves is clearly the better striker. Abedi has made improvements in his striking but that has never been a major part of his game plans.

Alves has devastating kicks and knees to go along with some crisp punches. Abedi won't have much to offer back outside of a simple one-two punch combo.

Advantage: Alves clearly.

Wrestling

Thiago Alves has found himself on the losing end of three out of his last four fights. The main issue for Alves in those fights was his opponents ability to take him to the ground.

Alves has good striking but he hasn't been able to open up at all because his opponents have been busy putting him against the cage and on the mat.

Abedi's bread and butter is judo. He won't be shooting for a double leg but he will undoubtedly have an advantage in the wrestling department.

Advantage: Abedi

Clinchwork

Alves has been called things like a "buzz saw" or a "muay thai wrecking machine." He's dangerous when it comes to attacking in the clinch. His muay thai background means opponents can expect some thunderous knees and sharp elbows on the inside.

For all of Alves' offensive prowess, Abedi's clinch game may be too much for the Brazilian. Abedi is a black belt in judo and has tossed his opponents around like they were small childs.

It will be up to Alves to keep Abedi at bay and stay out of the clinch.

Advantage: Abedi

Submissions

Neither man will be looking for any submissions on Saturday.

Abedi would rather smash someone's skull in and the same goes for Alves. Whether it comes on the ground or standing, both men will be looking for the knockout.

If I had to make a choice I'd pick Alves based on his camp and brown belt in BJJ but I would never say he's a submission machine.

Advantage: Alves

Ground and Pound

Thiago has never been known to take opponents down and pound them out, but he's very strong and capable of inflicting some vicious blows on top.

Abedi has looked like the Hulk with the way he's smashed through his opponents. If his high impact slams don't knock you out, the punches that follow surely will.

Of course the constant theme in this match is can Abedi do this to someone of Alves' talent? I believe he can take him down and work his ground offense long enough to at least steal a round if not the fight.

Advantage: Abedi

Prediction

Thiago has long been one of my favorite fighters to watch. Recently though, he hasn't looked the same. He looks as if he is holding back for fear of being taken down which means he's too busy playing his opponents game instead of his.

Abedi hasn't faced anyone near as good as Alves but he comes into the bout with quite a bit of promise. If Abedi can get past the bright lights of the UFC look for him to work inside and put Alves on the ground.

Alves has struggled with wrestlers (or being out wrestled) in his last three losses and I imagine he will have similar problems with Abedi.

Winner: Abedi by decision.