UFC 201 fight card: Matt Brown vs Jake Ellenberger full fight preview

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight knockout artists Matt Brown and Jake Ellenberger will scrap this Saturday (July 30, 2016) at UFC 201 inside Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since his dramatic rise into the Top 10, Brown has hit a bit of a rough patch, though his losses have come to the division’s absolute best. To maintain his ranking, Brown needs a strong showing here. Having lost five of his last six bouts, Ellenberger is on a full blown slide toward the bottom of the division. Despite those losses, "Juggernaut" continues to match up with top fighters, but he needs a victory here to maintain his spot on the roster.

Let’s take a look at the keys to victory for both men:

Matt Brown
Record: 20-14
Key Wins: Jordan Mein (UFC on FOX 7), Erick Silva (UFC Fight Night 40), Mike Pyle (UFC Fight Night 26)
Key Losses: Robbie Lawler (UFC on FOX 12), Johny Hendricks (UFC 185), Demian Maia (UFC 198)
Keys to Victory: A savage Muay Thai striker who pressures his opponents endlessly, Brown is one of the most violent men in the 170-pound division. When he's able to play his game, Brown ruthlessly breaks down his opponent and usually secures a fast finish.

Opposite Ellenberger, Brown's durability and pace are his greatest assets. Ellenberger is a tremendously explosive athlete with dangerous power and wrestling, but he has never been able to maintain that strategy for three full rounds.

While both men have the power to shut each other's lights off, Brown is an exceptionally difficult man to finish via strikes and keeps throwing hard even while hurt. On the other hand, Ellenberger went 32 fights without being finished by strikes, but he's since been stopped three times in his last nine bouts.

With that in mind, trading blows definitely favors Brown.

As for Ellenberger's wrestling, Brown simply needs to outlast him. Ellenberger has never really used to wrestling to control opponents for a long time, as it tires him, and there are few fighters better at brutalizing a tired foe than "The Immortal."

VS.

Jake Ellenberger
Record: 30-11
Key Wins: Nate Marquardt (UFC 158), Jake Shields (UFC Fight Night 25), Mike Pyle (UFC 108)
Key Losses: Robbie Lawler (UFC 173), Rory MacDonald (UFC on FOX 8), Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 180)
Keys to Victory: An explosive knockout artist who uses his wrestling background to remain standing, Ellenberger terrorized the Welterweight division for some time and nearly secured a title shot. Since then, however, Ellenberger seems to have lost a step, though he remains dangerous.

In this match up, Ellenberger has two real paths to victory. On one hand, Ellenberger can try to go and blast Brown out of the water quickly, using his athleticism and power punching to end Brown before his foe can get running.

Alternatively, Ellenberger can switch up his approach and attempt to grind Brown into the mat. That's never been his forte, but Ellenberger does have the background and strength to potentially replicate the Johny Hendricks gameplan.

It's hard to say for sure which approach grants him the best chance at victory, but I'd lean toward the latter gameplan. Ellenberger has had difficulty really going on the offensive lately, and that could be disastrous if his plan is to stand and bang with Brown.

Therefore, Ellenberger's camp should be focused on wrestling and cardio. If he can feed Brown a heavy diet of takedowns and ground strikes for three rounds, Ellenberger could shock some fans with a strong victory.

Bottom Line: This should be an entertaining war with big implications for both men.

Brown’s rise to the top of the division surprised a ton of people, but he’s on the verge of losing that position. He may always be a "name" fighter to watch thanks to his fight style and personality, but this is a must-win if he’s to remain relevant in the upper echelon of the division.

With a win, Brown can keep getting fights opposite top contenders. Should he lose, Brown will likely be relegated to mere fun fights on "Prelims" undercards.

Ellenberger’s situation is far more desperate. Should he come up short in this bout, there’s a real chance that Ellenberger ends up on a trip to Bellator. That said, a win could really shake things up. It likely wouldn’t place Ellenberger in the rankings, but it would give him the boost needed to stay on the roster for another few fights at the very least.

At UFC 201, Matt Brown and Jake Ellenberger will throw down. Which fighter will have his hand raised?