The Lowdown 07.26.09: Kurt Pellegrino and Josh Neer
Posted by Frank Fedele on 07.26.2009
Last week we looked at the Middleweight matchup of Kendall Grove and Ricardo Almeida in UFC 101. This week we look at the Lightweight division with an early card matchup of Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino. Join us for that and much more on this weeks Lowdown.
Last Week Roundup
Last week we looked at the matchup of Kendall Grove and Ricardo Almeida in the Middleweight division. This fight looks like a classic matchup of striker versus grappler with Grove having the advantage on his feet due to his training and his height and Almeida the advantage on the ground due to his jiu jitsu skills.
These bouts normally come down to how well the fighter can neutralize their opponent's strength. In this case it will be Grove's takedown defense versus Almeida's striking. Now in Almeida's case he won't be using his striking to score or cause damage (though if that does happen, all the better) but to set up his takedowns. If he can keep Grove on his toes enough where he has to respect Almeida's striking, the opening he needs to take the fight to the ground may appear.
Grove will try to keep the fight on their feet using his takedown defense to stay upright and his strikes to make Almeida think twice about going in for the takedown. Grove's knees are wicked and I do suspect that training with B.J. Penn has made his jiu jitsu pretty solid. He can hopefully tie up Almeida on the ground if it gets there to have the fight go back up to their feet.
I tend to have a soft spot for the striker, but I have always liked Almeida and his ground work and will go with him in this matchup. Grove can end it quickly with a knee, but Almeida should be able to get the fight to the ground where he can work his submission game to pick up a win.
Josh Neer
Just as Kendall Grove was the striker in the previous match, Josh Neer is in this one. Neer is a Lightweight fighter that started his MMA training in the Miletich camp with many other great fighters. He has a wrestling background which helps him have a well rounded game. His striking is his calling card though with solid hands and feet. He can work the submission game when on the ground though, pulling off submissions versus jiu jitsu black belts like Mac Danzig in the UFC. He is a formidable opponent in the Lightweight division with his superior striking and a decent submission game on the ground.
Josh Neer
Neer's Fight Record
Josh Neer's MMA Record Lightweight
2003
Gladiators 2 - Win versus Josh Kennedy by TKO in the 1st round
Absolute Ada Fights 4 - Win versus Royce Frederick Lueck by TKO in the 1st round
2004
American Fighting Association – Draw versus Joe Jordan
Xtreme Kage Kombat – Win versus Joe Chalow by Decision
Victory Fighting Championships 7 – Loss to Spencer Fischer by Decision
Extreme Challenge 57 – Win versus Kyle Jensen by Submission (Arm Bar)
Xtreme Kage Kombat – Win versus Fred Leavy by TKO
Freestyle Fighting Championship 11 – Win versus Antony Macias by TKO in the 1st round
Xtreme Kage Kombat – Win versus David Gardner by TKO in the 1st round
Victory Fighting Championships 8 – Win versus Mark Bear by TKO in the 3rd round
2005
Downtown Destruction 2 – Win versus Terrance Reasby by TKO in the 2nd round
XKK: Des Moines – Win versus Derrick Noble by Submission (Triangle Choke) in the 1st round
Extreme Challenge 61 – Win versus Jay Jack by Decision
Xtreme Kage Kombat – Win versus Mark Andrew Long by KO in the 1st round
Extreme Challenge 62 – Win versus Todd Kiser by Submission (Strikes) in the 1st round
Ultimate Fight Night – Loss to Drew Fickett by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 1st round
Freestyle Fighting Championships 15 – Win versus Forrest Petz by Submission (Triangle Choke) in the 1st round
Extreme Challenge 64 – Loss to Nick Thompson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 2nd round
Xtreme Kage Kombat – Win versus Alex Carter by TKO in the 1st round
2006
Ultimate Fight Night 3 – Win versus Melvin Guillard by Submission (Triangle Choke) in the 1st round
Ultimate Fight Night 4 - Win versus Joe Stevenson by Decision
UFC 61: Bitter Rivals – Loss to Josh Burkman by Decision
UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral - Loss to Nick Diaz by Submission (Kimura) in the 3rd round
MCC 5: Thanksgiving Throwdown – Win versus Butch Hajicek by Submission (Strikes) in the 1st round
2007
IFC: Road to Global Domination – Win versus Anthony Waldburger by TKO in the 1st round
Greensparks: Full Contact Fighting 5 – Win versus Paul Rodriguez by TKO in the 1st round
C3: Smokey Mountain Showdown – Win versus Nick Sorg by Submission (Armbar) in the 1st round
2008
UFC Fight Night 13 – Win versus Din Thomas by Decision
UFC Fight Night 15 – Loss to Nate Diaz by Decision
2009
UFC Fight Night 17 – Win versus Mac Danzig by Submission (Triangle Choke) in the 2nd round
Josh Neer
Neer has a good number of knockouts on his resume and his submission of choice is the Triangle Choke. He has had trouble with the Rear Naked Choke however, losing a couple of times to that move. He worked more submissions into his game as he gained more experience. He has a .500 record in the UFC, 4-4. He has managed to beat some good fighters in Mac Danzig and Din Thomas, but seems to have trouble with fighters named Diaz losing to both brothers, Nick and Nate. This is an important fight for Neer as he can't afford to drop below the .500 mark in the UFC.
Kurt Pellegrino
Kurt Pellegrino is the grappler in this matchup. He began as a high school wrestler, even winning the New Jersey state record twice. He is a three time Greco and 3 time Freestyle champion even winning a Gold Medal at the Pan American Games. His interest then moved to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and he was as accomplished there, winning many times in International grappling tournaments. His overall grappling record is an astounding 100-3.
Pellegrino has trained with some of the better Jiu Jitsu fighters in the United States to include Kenny Florian and Ricardo Almeida. He has a very solid Jiu Jitsu game, winning the majority of his fights by submission with only one knockout.
Kurt Pellegrino
Pellegrino's Fight Record
Kurt Pellegrino's MMA Record Lightweight
2002
WEC 4: Rumble Under The Sun – Win versus Mac Danzig by Decision
2003
RF 5: Reality Fighting 5 – Win versus Jay Isip by Submission (Armbar) in the 1st round
2004
Pancrase: 2004 Neo-Blood Tournament, Semifinals – Loss to Satoru Kitaoka by Submission (Guillotine Choke) in the 2nd round
ROC 7: Ring of Combat 7 – Win versus Jay Palmer by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 1st round
2005
Euphoria: USA vs. Russia – Win versus Sergey Golyaev by Submission in the 1st round
FCC 20: Freestyle Combat Challenge 20 – Win versus Steve Kinnison by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Euphoria: USA vs. Japan – Win versus Kazuki Okubo by TKO in the 1st round
2006
RF 11: Reality Fighting 11 – Win versus Vadim Kulchitiskiy by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 1st round
UFC 61: Bitter Rivals – Loss to Drew Fickett by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 3rd round
AFC 18: Absolute Fighting Championship 18 – Win versus Jesse Chilton by Submission (Guillotine Choke) in the 1st round
UFC 64: Unstoppable – Win versus Junior Assuncao by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 1st round
2007
UFC Fight Night 9 – Win versus Nate Mohr by Submission (Ankle Lock) in the 1st round
UFC 74: Respect – Loss to Joe Stevenson by Decision
2008
UFC Fight Night 12 – Win versus Alberto Crane by TKO in the 2nd round
UFC Fight Night 13 – Loss to Nate Diaz by Submission (Triangle Choke) in the 2nd round
UFC 88: Breakthrough – Win versus Thiago Tavares by Decision
2009
UFC Fight Night: Lauzon versus Stephens – Win versus Rob Emerson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 2nd round
Kurt Pellegrino
Pellegrino wins the majority of his fights with submission, but has managed to work in some different submissions like an Ankle Lock. He has common opponents to Neer in Nate Diaz (both lost), Mac Danzig (both won), Drew Fickett (both lost) and Joe Stevenson (Neer won and Pellegrino lost). The Stevenson fight with Neer was early in his career and he did improve greatly since then.
Final Thoughts
This fight pits the Batman (Kurt Pellegrino) and the Dentist (Josh Neer). In a fair fight, always pick the super hero. Though more people may be afraid of a dentist, I would still pick Batman too. I like the way both of these fighters fight, but his time I am going to go with the grappler again to take the fight to the ground and submit Neer.
I will not be writing next week as I am heading down to Florida with my family for a much needed vacation. I will come back right before UFC 101 and we will look at another matchup and give you my general feel for the card itself.
That is all for this week everybody please come back next week where we will get the lowdown on some MMA fighters that will be fighting soon. Please take the time to bookmark 411mania.com. One quick step and all the news you need is but a click away.
