Ultimate Fighter Winner Ross Pearson Faces Aaron Riley At UFC 105

Sports News - November 13th, 2009 - Written by Scott

Ross Pearson will enter his first fight after winning The Ultimate Fighter 9 not getting an easy opponent. He will take on the more experienced fighter in Aaron Riley at UFC 105 on Saturday. Riley comes into the bout with a 28-11-1 overall record and has a UFC record of 2-3. He is coming off a huge victory over Shane Nelson in UFC 101. Pearson, the British fighter who has a career record of 9-3, turned heads after his performance at TUF 9. He is the smaller of the two fighters, but could propose problems for Riley. Riley realizes he will not only have a tough fight on his hands, but will have to withstand a hostile home crowd that will be behind Pearson.

"It's kind of tough, but to me it's not that big a deal," Riley told Cagewriter. "A fight's a fight. He's definitely going to have crowd support. At the same time. I'm going to try to use the negative crowd energy and use it as a boost to drive me to excel. I'll take it, flip it and use it in another way."

Pearson has taken on an unusual training regimen and has trained for fifteen weeks at Team Rough House in England, which is known as one of MMA's finest gyms. This should improve his overall skill level and will undoubtedly show an improved striking ability. Pearson showed during his time at TUF 9 that his stamina is much improved and likes to press his opponents into the cage. Both fighters have similar styles and will matchup well against each other if the fight stays off the mat. They also both like to use takedowns to finish their opponents, but Riley might have the edge due to his experience against better fighters.

Riley prefers a fast pace fight, but also has been very successful in controlling the fight when it goes to the ground. However, Pearson has a strong background in Taekwondo and Judo which could prove to be an advantage against Riley. The outcome of the fight could depend on how much Pearson has improved during his lengthy training for this bout. The only question is will it be enough to outlast the more experienced fighter in Riley. However, Riley has had a tough time in the lightweight division, even against lesser quality opponents.

Riley will enter the fight as the favorite according to BetUS sportsbook with his betting line set at -200, as listed in our UFC Betting Odds. Pearson has his line set at +160.

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