Garreth McLellan vs Danie van Heerden EFC 14 middleweight fight preview

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EFC 14 will play host to a huge middleweight clash between former EFC Africa middleweight champion Garreth McLellan and rising middleweight contender Danie van Heerden. Though not officially announced, there is a strong possibility that this will fight will prove to be a number one middleweight contender bout. I discussed this in my article: Who will challenge Jeremy Smith?

Garreth McLellan (6-2)

Garreth “Soldierboy” McLellan (#2 Middleweight Rankings) is one of the most popular MMA fighters in South Africa and has reached the highest levels in the sport. At EFC 12, McLellan lost his EFC middleweight title to Jeremy Smith in a fight of the night clash. After taking stock of his loss, Soldierboy is hell bent on reclaiming his title and will take the first step towards doing so when he steps into the EFC Hexagon against Danie van Heerden.

Garreth McLellan

Garreth McLellan road to EFC Africa 14

Opponent	Result	Method	Event
Barry Britz	Win	TKO (Punches)	EFC Africa 1
Juan Lubbe	Win	KO (Punch)	EFC Africa 2
Warren Allison	Win	Submission (Armbar)	EFC Africa 3
Wade Henderson	Win	Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)	EFC Africa 5
Jacques Joubert	Win	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	EFC Africa 8
Jeremy Smith	Loss	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	EFC Africa 12

Danie van Heerden (9-4)

Danie “Pitbull” van Heerden (#5 Middleweight Rankings) made a huge statement at EFC Africa 12 by defeating ranked fighter Donavin Hawkey in the first round. This victory catapulted van Heerden into the top 5 rankings and caused speculation about a possible title shot in the near future. Danie van Heerden will now face a tough test in Garreth McLellan in his highest profile MMA fight to date.

Danie Van Heerden

Danie van Heerden road to EFC Africa 14

Opponent	Result	Method	Event
Muhannad Barazi	Win	KO (Punch)	EFC Africa 1
Norman Wessels	Loss	TKO (Punches)	EFC Africa 2
JP Joubert	Loss	Submission (Armbar)	EFC Africa 3
Jake Els	Win	TKO (Punches)	EFC Africa 5
Donavin Hawkey	Win	Submission (Rear-naked choke)	EFC Africa 12

Garreth McLellan and Danie van Heerden - Fighter Comparison

Stand-up advantage

Danie van Heerden comes from a boxing family and is an aggressive fighter with good hands, he also has good take downs which can affect how fighters approach him. Garreth McLellan is a very well rounded, technical and calculated striker and I think he will be comfortable standing with Van Heerden. While both fighters have different approaches to the stand-up game, I think it will be fairly even on the night.

Ground advantage

In my opinion Garreth McLellan has an advantage on the ground. Soldierboy has spent a fair amount of his recent cage time on the mat and has looked effective in this realm. McLellan also has the tools to neutralise Van Heerden’s wrestling skills, and should be able to dictate the fight should it go down.

Physical advantage

Garreth McLellan is one of the most diligent athletes in the EFC and always enters the EFC Hexagon in fantastic shape. Even though Danie van Heerden is the bigger man and should come into the Hexagon with a few extra kilos, this should not be enough to give him any real advantage. The question will be how Van Heerden will fair should the fight be drawn out. All in all, I don’t think there will be any significant physical advantage for either fighter.

Mental advantage

McLellan has seen and done it all in the Hexagon and should carry a mental edge into this fight. Van Heerden, though experienced in MMA, has not has the same big fight exposure.

Garreth McLellan  – Keys to victory

Garreth McLellan is an intelligent, well conditioned fighter. The longer this fight goes on, the more it will favour him

• Expect an aggressive start from Van Heerden
• Fight from the outside and avoid exchanges with Van Heerden
• Use leg kicks to wear Van Heerden down
• Take the fight to the ground if an opportunity presents itself

Danie van Heerden – Keys to victory

Danie van Heerden should not let McLellan settle and work towards an early stoppage

• Be aggressive standing, look to close the distance and outbox McLellan
• Keep the pressure on McLellan using strikes and effective clinch work
• Be careful and methodical on the ground. Look to land effective ground and pound where possible.

Garreth McLellan vs Danie van Heerden – EFC 14 fight prediction

Danie van Heerden will come out aggressive, looking to press the action. McLellan will have to weather some heavy storms early on, but should be able to avoid taking too much damage while using effective counter striking to earn some points of his own. The fight will likely continue its frenetic pace for the majority of the first round with Van Heerden pushing forward and McLellan trying to keep his distance.

Round two will see a drop in pace as the two fighters begin to tire. Garreth McLellan will begin to take control of the stand-up, using effective strikes to pressure Van Heerden. As the round unfolds the momentum will swing more and more into McLellan’s favour, who will be able to get the fight to the ground and work his superior grappling to finish Danie Van Heerden via second round Rear-naked choke.

Danie van Heerden vs Garreth McLellan EFC Africa 14 promo vídeo

Click here to watch the: Garreth McLellan vs Danie van Heerden EFC 14 promo video

Posted in: Danie van Heerden, EFC, EFC 14, Fight Prediction, Garreth McLellan, Middleweight