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What's the story?
The TUF 28 finale co-main event featured two giants coming to represent the heavyweight division. Although the fight ended up being a one-sided affair for Juan Francisco Espino against Justin Frazier, he brought in a facet that the UFC has missed in the division of the big boys - sound technique. With a debut win and a UFC contract in the making for Juan Francisco, the future UFC heavyweight division seems to be in safe hands.
In case you didn't know..
Juan Francisco Espino is a Spanish mixed martial artist currently competing in the heavyweight division. He is a trained professional in fighting styles such as Korean Ssirum, Jiu-Jitsu, and Grappling. He has had eight victories in the sport so far, with just the one technical knockout loss against Vitaly Minakov, back in 2011.
Justin "The Grizzly Bear" Frazier weighed in for his fight against Juan Francisco at 264 pounds. He is an American mixed martial artist who holds an 80 percent win by way of KO/TKO and a 20 percent win by submission. He has managed three victories on the trot before heading into his fight against Juan Francisco, by winning over the likes of Carlton Little Sr., Parnell Davis, and Reggie Cato.
The heart of the matter
Juan Francisco Espino came into the start of the fight with a clear intention to dominate. Just under ten seconds into the first round, Juan managed to land a single leg takedown and secured a half guard position just inches from the cage. Then, by utilizing Frazier's big build to apply the pressure on him against the cage, Juan struck him with consistent fierce strikes to the face.
Towards the later part of the round, Frazier managed to get back to his feet. Success, however, was short-lived, as Juan displayed no visible hesitation to clinch and took him down to the ground once again. Juan immediately secured a half guard position and utilized his knee to keep Frazier's right hand on the ground, at bay. By trapping his unguarded left arm, Juan went for the crucifix submission, and that is all she wrote.
What's next?
The Spaniard martial artist in Juan Francisco Espino seems to be a special talent who could be the future of the heavyweight division. At 38 years old, his technique is clean and his fight I.Q. is worth appraisal.
With a contract to now compete in the heavyweight division of the UFC, who do you think will face Juan Francisco Espino, next? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!
