UFC 141 breakdown: Phan vs. Hettes

By foxsports
Published

Nam Phan (17-9) vs. Jim Hettes (9-0)

Rounding out the main card is an odd selection of mid-tier featherweights as Phan and Hettes are set to square off.

Phan, 28, is coming off the biggest win of his career as he set the record straight in a decision win over Leonard Garcia after being robbed by the judges in their first meeting last year.

“The Ultimate Fighter” veteran is an experienced featherweight with black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and karate, but he has yet to prove that he belongs in the mix of top 145-pounders.

Hettes, 24, is undefeated in his mixed martial arts campaign. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo specialist submitted Alex Caceres in his UFC debut this past August.

Hettes has submitted all nine of his opponents, but the wins were primarily against relatively unknown or overmatched opponents. Phan happens to be a capable submission fighter, which could force Hettes to dig deeper into his bag of tricks.

Nonetheless, Hettes will work diligently to find an opening for his slick submisisons. If he can’t put Phan away, his attempts to finish the fight could prove valuable after three close rounds. Hettes should improve his record to 10-0 as the judges side with him after 15 minutes in a bout that is unlikely to raise the stocks of either fighter.

Verdict: Hettes via decision