ONE FC 4 Main Card Breakdown: Renato Sobral vs Tatsuya Mizuno

ONE FC 4 Main Card Breakdown: Renato Sobral vs Tatsuya Mizuno

Published on June 18, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

ONE FC 4 Main Card Breakdown: Renato Sobral vs Tatsuya Mizuno

ONE FC has put together a super-stacked card, and their main event features none other than two veterans of the sport: Renato Sobral and Tatsuya Mizuno. Let’s take a quick look at what these two are bringing to their epic clash.

Renato Sobral, the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and ex-UFC fighter will make his debut with the promotion, and promises to bring a memorable fight. He has a record of 36 – 9, making him one of the more seasoned fighters signed to ONE FC.

With a decorated background in wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he has faced and defeated fan-favorites such as Robbie Lawler, Bobby Southworth, Jeremy Horn, and current No. 1 middleweight contender in the UFC, Chael Sonnen.

He is known for his grinding-style of fighting, excellent ground skills, slick Muay Thai striking, and persistence. Even at 36, Sobral doesn’t seem to be slowing down much, and will prove to be a lot for many fighters to handle.

Standing in his way is none other than Tatsuya Mizuno, the Japanese light heavyweight terror who is a Dream Light Heavyweight Grand Prix finalist, will also be making his debut at ONE FC. He holds a record of 11 – 7, and only one of his fights have gone the distance.

A 3rd degree black belt in Judo and training out of Japan, he has beaten respected fighters such as Trevor Prangley, Melvin Manhoef, and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, finishing all three opponents in the first round.

Best known for his fierce style of striking and solid Judo skills, he poses a threat to anyone in almost any background simply due to the versatility which Mizuno possesses.

Both fighters need to make a serious impact here – Sobral lost his last fight to Dan Henderson (and in effect, lost his Strikeforce title), and Mizuno’s last opponent wasn’t anyone spectacular, and submitted him easily.

Mizuno is the bulkier of the two fighters, but Sobral is in better shape and has shown to have a decent gas tank in him. Their heights are identical, and their reach isn’t too far apart. This fight boils down to pure skill and solid game-planning.

In the standup game, I believe Mizuno has a slight advantage, and he certainly has the heavier hands and has the ability to knock out opponents with either his punches or knees. That said, Sobral has seen it all, having fought 45 professional mixed martial arts fights, and he does stand a good chance at landing some fair shots.

The ground game, however, I see a significant advantage in favor of Sobral. With 18 submission victories, no one should ever write him off. He is good both in the top position and off his back, demonstrating the latter against Chael Sonnen back at UFC 55.

For Renato Sobral to win, his best chance is to stay on the outside, and land quick, heavy strikes to score points and put on some damage. At some point he could take it to the ground, and work his superior ground game there.

Tatsuya Mizuno has an uphill battle against Sobral. The best way for him to win, I believe, is through boxing, and getting into the clinch game, landing strikes in there. At any point in time in the clinch, he could do a hip-toss and land some ground and pound.

The Coffee Boy’s prediction: Renato Sobral has a lot to prove and a lot more to lose, considering his resume and decorated background. This could be advantageous to some, and disastrous for others. In this case, I think Renato Sobral will be able to effectively land solid strikes, and pull off a TKO victory sometime in the 2nd round.