UFC Fight Night 30's Phil Harris thinks wrestling could lead to Lineker's demise

Ask a mixed martial artist about their opponent’s deficiencies in the days ahead of a bout, and you’re likely to get a lot of generic talk as they hope to avoid revealing their gameplan. Not so for Phil Harris.

The British flyweight on Saturday faces the toughest test of his career to date in Brazilian slugger John Lineker. With a three-fight UFC win streak in his back pocket, Lineker appears to be on the verge of a championship bid. But Harris sees a path to victory, and he’s not afraid to reveal his evaluation.

“He tries to bully his opponents,” Harris told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “He comes forward. He’ll take a shot to give three or four shots back. Most of his finishes are knockouts. He’s got a very aggressive style, good boxing. He throws a lot of punches. He doesn’t mind getting hit. He likes to have a scrappy fight and put pressure on his opponents. But I think he’s got a weakness: His wrestling’s a bit weak.

“He has got a good sprawl, but if there’s a hole in his game, it’s probably his wrestling.”

Harris (22-10 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Lineker (22-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) meet on the FOX Sports 2-televised main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 30 event in Manchester, England. It’s Harris’ third fight in the octagon, following an October 2012 loss to Darren Uyenoyama and a February win over Ulysses Gomez.

But the bout with Lineker, who currently sits at No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA flyweight rankings, is unquestionably the biggest opportunity of his career.

“John Lineker is definitely … one of the top five or six,” Harris said. “He’s one of the best fighters in the division, for sure.”

But with the UFC’s flyweight division still less than two years old, it’s easy to make rapid shifts in your standing. If Harris’ hunch is correct, Saturday could be a big day in his career.

“Three or four wins, you could be knocking on the door of that shot,” Harris said. “All it takes is maybe one person to get injured in a title contender or title shot, and you never know. You might be get a phone call even earlier than that. Me, I don’t look past my next opponent. I’ve got to get by John Lineker before I get any further.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 30, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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