THE CLINCH REPORT

By: Jonathan M. King The Clinch Report

Photos By: John Walsh

Video By:Bob Fisher Pugilpix.com

On any given day you can walk into Systems Training Center in Hawthorne CA and bear witness to the next generation of UFC superstars. One of them, Christos ‘The Spartan’ Giagos (10-2 MMA UFC Debut) will not be there however, because right now he is in Rio, cutting weight for his UFC debut against Gilbert Burns (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

Giagos punched his ticket with a huge KO victory over Dakota Cochrane (17-7 MMA) at RFA 17. ‘The Spartan’ dropped Cochrane with a hellacious flying knee that removed his opponent from his senses.  Already a blip on the UFC’s radar, Giagos secured his spot with the highlight reel KO. Once Giagos signed it was announced he would be making his promotional debut in Brazil, against an undefeated Brazilian! Certainly not an easy debut…

Burns, is without a doubt the toughest test yet for Giagos. The submission expert has also reeled off a few finishes via strikes, so a complete game plan will be needed. That is where coach Ian Harris comes into the mix. Harris, is a scientist when it comes to planning a fight. Quickly becoming one of the best kept secrets in MMA, Harris will need to develop a plan to keep Giagos in his comfort zone, without offering any opportunities. Together the two will construct a floating game plan that will adapt(if necessary) to the style of Burns.

The key for Giagos is too not only keep the fight standing, but to pester Burns relentlessly on the feet. Burns maybe physically stronger than Giagos, but no where near as fast. If Christos is able to move in and out of Burns range, and effectively score on the entrance and exits, it could be a long frustrating night for Burns.

According to pedigree Burns will look for the take down at some point, especially if Giagos is scoring on his feet. However very often a grapplers egos get the best of them, and they decide they want to become strikers. Should this be the case, Giagos will win the fight! Especially if Burns thinks he can rely on the ground late in the fight. Giagos has excellent wrestling defense.

Of course every prediction has a short shelf life. Saturdays predictions will vanish as results are carved, Hopefully when that happens, the UFC finally spells the name right! ITS GIAGOS, not GLAGOS!

Prediction: Giagos via TKO Rd3