Dan Ige makes his return to the Octagon this weekend, the Hawaiin is looking to secure his third win in a row, but where does he stand?
’50k’ has been a stalwart in the UFC featherweight division for years now. He’s back on Saturday night in the co-main event, taking on fan favourite and #10-ranked Bryce Mitchell. This fight feels like a crossroads fight for Dan. Is he going to be a contender in the division or is he forever destined to gate-keep the top 15?
There is an emotional backdrop to this fight given the recent fires in his native Hawaii. Dan has expressed his desire to help and has shared details of how to do so on his Instagram. Will this emotion play a part in the fight on Saturday or will 50k follow in the footsteps of Max Holloway and put it together for the people of Hawaii?
Dan Ige: Beginnings
While Dan Ige seems to have been in the top echelons of the UFC for a long while, he actually only made his debut in 2018. Before that, he had an extensive record on local organisations as well as more established names like Titan and Legacy.
In 2017 Dans chance came with an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series. After a 3 and a half-round battle in which both fighters were physically exhausted Ige was able to secure the victory by rear naked choke.
Since that fight Dan has gone 9-5 in the UFC, notable wins over: Edson Barboza, Mirsad Bektic and Nate Landwehr last time out. His losses, however, debut aside, have only ever come to the top of the top of the division: Josh Emmet, The Korean Zombie, Movsar Evloev and Calvin Kattar. Also worth noting is that all of these losses have come by unanimous decision.
A Collision With the Bryce Mitchell Train
When it comes to this contest it is very much as advertised: classic striker vs grappler. Yes, Dan can grapple, has finishes on his record by submission and has shown capabilities in wrestling. However, Bryce is a high-level wrestler and has the ability to chain wrestle and bring opponents into deep water.
Although Bryce showed some weaknesses last time out against Illia Topuria, it still remains to be seen how Dan will deal with it. So how does Dan Ige go and win this fight? He has to be strong in the clinch and get away from Bryces takedowns, those are the simple keys to victory. From there he needs to look to establish his kicks and punish Bryce as he looks to close the distance.
Is a finish a possibility? Maybe. What can we expect from this fight if Ige is to win? Probably a 3 round decision from Dan, he has to keep Mitchell at bay, and with his durability it’ll be tough to secure a finish on the feet, however, Dan does have the skills to outpoint Bryce in a striking battle.
Dan Ige Needs This
Putting it very simply, if Dan Ige has ambitions of a title shot in the future, he HAS to win this fight. Otherwise, he’ll have to fight down again and look to catch the eyes of the matchmakers again for those bigger fights.
A win here for Ige and he can start looking again for another crack against those top 10 guys where he’s fallen short in the past. There’s a lot riding on this for Dan, there’s no other way about it.
What do you think of Dans chances against Bryce Mitchell? Will this push Dan back up the rankings if he wins?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
