Knockout Alert – Xavier Foupa Pokam vs. Drew McFedries

The UFC has become an increasingly tough business for fighters in terms of trying to stay healthy, and it seems as if more and more fighters are dropping out of fights due to injury these days.

One injury that could have a big effect on the ultimate entertainment value of Saturday’s UFC 98 main card is the one that sidelined light heavyweight competitor James “The Sandman” Irvin.

His bout against Drew “The Massacre” McFedries on the UFC 98 main card was more than just a matchup of two fighters with cool nicknames, it also had the makings of a potentially devastating knockout.

Now, McFedries will instead take on Xavier Foupa-Pokam, who brings a similarly cool nickname to the Octagon (Professor X) but does bring a highly-established kickboxing background to the fight and a fair amount of talent.

Foupa-Pokam is an established kickboxer with a flair for the dramatic who could also succeed in making the match with McFedries a good one for the not-so-discerning eye of the casual fan.

How exciting is Foupa-Pokam capable of being? Well, for one thing, he won his fight prior to his UFC debut loss against Denis Kang by a flying knee to the body of his opponent.

Foupa-Pokam is also an entertaining grappler who goes for the kill on the ground. His jiu-jitsu isn’t great but it’s far superior to McFedries, who might be one of the worst jiu-jitsu fighters the UFC has to offer.

It’s hard to tell who is the underdog and who is the favorite in this fight between McFedries and Foupa-Pokam, but considering Foupa-Pokam’s advantage on the ground and his ability to handle himself on his feet, he should be able to pull this fight out despite taking it at short notice.

McFedries is the kind of guy who can knock anyone out or be knocked out by anyone, and his boxing and explosive power are not to be taken lightly. But Foupa-Pokam has many more tools at his disposal in this one and any one of them could be the difference between a win and a loss against the vulnerable McFedries at UFC 98, making “Professor X” the safe bet in this one.

The Pick: Xavier Foupa Pokam (-200)