• UFC 127

Ross Pearson plans to emulate Frankie Edgar at UFC 127

Dennis Siver lost a bloodied battle with Ross Pearson © UFC

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Ross Pearson is planning to propel himself up the UFC lightweight rankings by emulating the style of the man currently standing at the summit: Frankie Edgar.

Pearson returns from knee surgery to fight Spencer Fisher at UFC 127 at the end of February, knowing defeat would leave his career in a precarious position. After winning his opening three UFC fights, including a victory over Dennis Siver, Pearson is now coming off an injury-affected loss to Cole Miller.

Fisher is the type of opponent who can end a fight in the blink of an eye, but Pearson has the superior all-round credentials on paper to get the job done.

"Spencer's a credible opponent, this'll be his 15th fight in the UFC, he's very tough, very experienced, he's a game fighter," Pearson told ESPN. "I think it's a very similar fight to the Aaron Riley fight (which Pearson won) in terms of the combination he throws, his style of fighting being a southpaw, but he does apply a bit more pressure and he's more aggressive.

"He's a dangerous opponent because he has one-punch knockout power and he can submit guys, so he's well-rounded."

The Riley fight alluded to by Pearson was arguably the Briton's best performance to date. Siver may be a bigger scalp, but Riley was reduced to something of a punching bag as Pearson utilised his boxing and Muay Thai skills. Now he wants to show he can transition between all aspects of MMA, as Edgar did so impressively in his two victories over BJ Penn.

"This is a fight where I've got options. I'm as good at jiu-jitsu as he is and I'm a better wrestler, so if gameplan A doesn't work, I can go to gameplan B or gameplan C," said Pearson. "If a submission comes along and the fight goes in that area, I'm ready to show fans I'm not just a Thai boxer, I'm an MMA fighter.

"I want to show people that I'm evolving, I want to exploit the different gameplans I have. I like to throw punches, kicks and elbows, but now I want to make sure that when I throw, I mix it with my wrestling and with my jiu-jitsu.

"Although I'm classed as a stand-up fighter, I want to show I can mix all aspects of the sport a bit like Frankie Edgar."

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