Tag Archive for: MMA

Naoya Inoue vs Jason Moloney Main Card Pick & Predictions

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Main Event: Naoya Inoue vs Jason Moloney for WBA WORLD, IBF WORLD Bantamweight Titles

Pick: Naoya Inoue

By: KO/TKO

Single Round: 3rd round 

Winning Group of Rounds: 1-4

Fight Goes the Distance: No                                                                                                                                                                           

Breakdown: The Monster Naoya Inoue is coming in fresh off an 8 streak of KO’s. He’s shown to have an immense amount of power and with his ability to diversify his strikes and go to both the body and the head, his opponent has to stay on their toes trying to guess which block is the right one. For Maloney, this is one of the toughest challenges of his career. It’s hard to see Maloney being able to withstand the onslaught of the monster, so more than likely, Inoue takes this one by KO and imposes his will early in the fight. 

 

Co-Main Event: Ewa Brodnicka vs. Mikaela Mayer for WBO WORLD FEMALE SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE

 

Pick: Mikaela Mayer

By: Decision

Fight Goes the Distance: Yes                                                                                                                                                                      

Breakdown: Mayer is the rising star coming out of the United States, and it seems like its time for her to rise up to becoming a champion. After holding the belt for a few years, Ewa has shown she has the skills to beat about anyone. Her skills have slowed down in the latter part of the career and Mayer is still hitting her prime. Mayer will work her down over the course of the fight and win by decision.

 

Fight #3: Robson Conceicao vs. Luis Coria

 

Pick: Robson Conceicao

By: Decision

Fight Goes the Distance: Yes                                                                                                                                                                      

Breakdown: Robson Conceicao is still building up his resume and Luis Coria is nothing more than someone standing in his way Look for Robson to take advantage of the less skilled Coria and outwork him. Robson will dictate the pace and could honestly win all 12 rounds if that’s something he wants to do. Either way, squash match for Robson and he’s going home with a win.

 

Fight #4: Jared Anderson vs. Luis Eduardo Pena

 

Pick:Jared Anderson

By: KO 

Round: 1-3

Fight Goes the Distance: No                                                                                                                                                                      

Breakdown: Jared Anderson is coming in with an undefeated record of 6-0 with 6 knockouts. For Anderson, he’s still young at only 20 years old and he can work his way up into being a contender at heavyweight if he continues to hone his skills. Luis Pena is a lower ranked prospect with not the power that Anderson has. ANderson wins this one in the first few rounds by KO

 

Fight #5: Andy Hiraoka vs. Rickey Edwards

 

Pick: Andy Hiraoka

By: Decision

Fight Goes the Distance: Yes                                                                                                                                                                    

Breakdown: At 15-0 Hiraoka is another star on the rise. While many of his wins have been against no names, he still continues to deliver. This is another fight as he builds up his record to challenge for a title. Rickey Edwards all around is less skilled and the footwork in this matchup will really be the key. Hiraoka will be able to dictate the pace and over the course of the fight, he will win a decision. 

 

Fight #6: George Acosta vs. Andres Cortes

 

Pick: Andres Cortes

By: Decision

Fight Goes the Distance: Yes                                                                                                                                                                    

Breakdown: Cortes is coming in at 13-0 at only 23 years old. He faces off against a George Acosta who at this point has a blemish on his record at 10-1. He goes up against the superior boxer in Cortez. For Cortz to win this fight, he will need to make sure that he keeps the volume high in order to outpace Acosta. Acosta wont go down easily so we see Andres Cortes winning by decision. 

 

UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Hall Pick & Predictions

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Main Event: Anderson Silva vs #10 Uriah Hall

 

Pick: Uriah Hall

By: KO 

Round: 3rd Round

Breakdown: Anderson Silva is making his last stand in the UFC with his fight against Uriah Hall. In his farewell match, he’s facing a knockout artist and if he isn’t careful, might get met with the same fate. Hall is coming having won 10 of his 15 by knockout. Silva is coming in having lost 5 of his last 6 dating to 2013. At 45 he isn’t the same as the champion we knew, but the fight IQ is still there. For him to win this match he would need to avoid the power of Uriah for 5 rounds and that is a tough ask for someone his age. Uriah has more of the power and I see Anderson looking as human as ever, while Hall secures a win to boost his legacy as a fighter. 

 

Co-Main Event: Bryce Mitchell vs Andre Fili 

Pick: Bryce Mitchell 

By: Submission

Round: 3rd Round

Breakdown: This fight has “Fight of the Night” written all over it. Both fighters have the ability to take it to the ground and on top of that the striking of Fili should bring out the best in Mitchell. Mitchell has a clear advantage on the ground whether it’s off his back or off the top. He does have the ability to initiate the takedown and bring the fight down himself, a weakness for many submission specialists. I see the stand-up game slightly favor Fili, but Mitchell can more than well hold his own. Although Fili outstrikes Mitchell on a 4 to 2 advantage on a per-minute basis, Mitchell is more accurate at 60% compared to 35% and absorbs less at a 1.3 to 4 shot ratio. Fili takes more than he gives and as long as Mitchell stays the course, the stand-up game could allow him to accumulate more strikes and win over the judges if this goes to a decision. Mitchell is sure to try and take this fight down and if he’s able to get respect for his stand-up game, that will make this all the more beneficial when taking a shot for a takedown. Fili has the ability to win this fight and by no means is this a cakewalk, but Mitchell is 13-0 with 9 submissions for a reason. Mitchell wears out Fili and submits him in the third. 

 

Fight #3: Kevin Holland vs Charlie Ontiveros

Pick: Kevin Holland

By: KO

Round: 2nd Round

Breakdown: Charlie Ontiveros is coming in on short notice and going up in weight. For Kevin Holland, I don’t see any way he can really lose this fight. He’s a much better striker although Ontiveros offers some fun striking ability. If he tries to make a name off Holland, we will see Kevin really in his element. He’s going to beat up on Ontiveros and then talk to him while he does it until he knocks you out. Holland is the much better wrestler as well and in this fight, he’s going to be the one who imposes his will and takes the win. 

 

Fight #4: Greg Hardy vs Maurice Greene

Pick: Greg Hardy

By: KO

Round: 1st Round

Breakdown: In this heavyweight bout, you’d have to give the power advantage to Hardy, but Greene does seem to have an advantage in technical ability. Hardy comes in fighting his 6th UFC fight, and he seems to grow in between every fight. If he comes in and catches Greene once, that’s going to be it. On the other hand, Greene has to play a very safe fight to win. If he’s been working on his wrestling, attempting to get Hardy on his back would neutralize the power and wear him out. We haven’t seen that from Greene yet and by looking at what you know in this fight, Hardy is a level above Greene in the striking department and this can be a quick night for him if he’s coming looking to make a splash in the Heavyweight division. 

Fight #5: Bobby Green vs Thiago Moises

Pick: Bobby Green

By: Decision

Breakdown: Bobby Green is having a career resurrection. He’s going for his 4th win this year and is working his way up the rankings. He’s seemed to put it all together with his wrestling and his striking. Moises is still young at 25 and he still has a lot of room to grow. Bobby Green has the technical advantage on the feet and also has the ability to dictate the takedowns. If this fight gets into the clinch, we could see Green get those knees to the body working and he also does a good job of digging underhooks into a body lock takedown. If he decides to keep it standing, he will have an edge on the feet and has a 75% takedown defense if he decides to keep it standing. Moises best shot is to try to submit Green but it is unlikely that we see Green end up on his back, thus we are taking Green by decision.

 

You can follow Johnathan @ThreePieceCombo on Twitter. 

Top 5 Takeaways from Khabib Gaethje Press Conference

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“I know he knows how to wrestle but what about wrestling for 25 minutes … if I try take him down once and his defense is good, I’m going to go all night. This is the biggest difference between us” – Khabib Nurmagomedov when asked difference between his wrestling vs traditional D1 American wrestling

 

Khabib’s wrestling isn’t like any other person we’ve seen before. His ability to control his weight and continue to pressure without giving up is something that has been unstoppable. It will be up to Justin to be able to scramble and keep this fight standing to give him a shot at winning. 

 

 

“This fight is tracking to be the biggest fight we’ve ever done” – Dana White when asked how the fight is tracking

 

It is clear that this fight offers something different as far as the level of threat that Justin will be to Khabib. Khabib is a massive star and is growing bigger and bigger globally and Justin with his win over Ferguson has put himself over the top as one of the top names in MMA. 

“He hasn’t wrestled with someone that’s grappled as long as he has and that’s me, I have” – Justin Gaethje on what makes him different from the fighters Khabib have faced 

 

It’s going to be interesting to see if that wrestling background will serve him. If he is able to keep this fight standing then Khabib will be the one in trouble with the amount of power the Justin has. His knockout power and his wrestling background makes him a completely different threat when compared to everyone else. 

 

“I think him and Conor (McGregor) are the two most dangerous guys in the first round, if you talk about second round, third round, they become regular fighters” – Khabib on Justin and what he does for his legacy”

 

The striking game of Justin will be on full display this weekend and it will be exciting to see if his punchers chance will pull through early for him

 

“I’d say zero but they say one” – Justin Gaethje on how many rounds he thinks Khabib has lost 

 

It’s clear that the respect is there on both sides of the fight. Even later in the press conference, Gaethje didn’t want the belt on him during the photo sessions because he said he’s still waiting for the real one. 

 

You can follow Johnathan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo for all your MMA takes

 

MMA: Fight of the Month Power Rankings

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What makes for a great fight? It’s much more complex than having two strikers go at it. There has to be a certain amount of tension that the fight emanates. The battle scars and aesthetic of a fighter going through war makes it all the better. If a fighter is unique in his own way, it just adds to the recipe for making a great fight. With another week of fight in the books for the UFC, how does these fights stack up against last weeks?

  1. Joaquin Buckley vs Impa Kasanganay (N/R)

What else can be said about this fight. With Buckley delivering the potential best KO of all time, he cemented himself into every knockout highlight reel. This fight was much more than the knockout. Impa was showing good durability early in the fight and Joaquim was delivering good heavy shots early and often. With such amazing exclamation point of the fight, this one is the new king of the month in our Power Rankings

 

  1. Cory Sandhagen vs Marlon Moraes (NR)

On any other night, this might’ve been KO of the night. A spin kick KO with such a masterful performance for the first round places Cory Sandhagen on 2nd in our Power Rankings. Cory showed his skills off in this fight showing his striking ability early in this fight. His movement and striking at range displayed Sandagens ability to be a well rounded fighter. 

 

  1. Luigi Vendramini vs Jessin Ayari (Last Week: -2)

With strong contenders coming from last week’s fights. This fight gets bumped down. Still, the first fight of the month was a very exciting one and finishing with a bang always propels you upward in the Power rankings. This fight still holds ground in this weeks Power Rankings

 

  1. Nassourdine Imavov vs Jordan Willaims (Last Week: -2)

Two weeks in, we still have yet to see a fight where as much damage was delivered as in this one. This fight still is the war of the month with both guys throwing heavy for a good portion of two rounds. Even with low blows and headbutts, these two warriors kept fighting, and that performance holds their place in this months Power Rankings at 4.

 

  1. Dusko Todorovic vs Dequan Townsend (-2)

Holding the last spot of the power rankings is the fight between two heavy hitters. Townsend showed more durability than almost anyone to date this month and Dusko was willing to deliver the damage. Dusko showed himself as a threat in the division in the upcoming future. The undefeated Todorovic holds on to the last spot on the power rankings this week.

 

Just Missed: Germaine De Randamie vs Julianna Pena, Chris Daukaus vs Rodrigo Nascimento

 

You can follow Johnathan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

Weekly Roundkick: MMA news on Five Reasons Sports

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Welcome to the Weekly Roundkick, where you can get all your MMA news in one spot. In the age of Covid, the UFC has done a great job of being the leaders of industry in making sure the show goes on. Here’s everything that you might’ve missed this week in the MMA world.

 

Upcoming Events

  • October 10th, 11:30 AM EST: Bellator 248: MVP vs. Houston
  • October 10th, 2 PM EST: KSW 55: Askham vs. Khalidov 2
  • October 10th, 5 PM EST: Bellator Europe 10: Kongo vs. Johnson II
  • October 10th, 5 PM EST: UFC Fight Island 5: Moraes vs Sandhagen
  • October 14th, 8 PM EST: CES MMA 61
  • October 15th, 7:30 PM EST: Bellator 249: Cyborg vs. Blencowe
  • October 16th Time TBA: ONE Championship 117: Reign of Dynasties II
  • October 16th, 9 PM EST: LFA 93: Petroski vs. Jeffery
  • October 17th, 4 PM EST: UFC on ESPN+ 38: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie
  • October 24th, 2 PM EST: UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje

 

  • Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns is off for UFC 256 (MMAJunkie)

 

MMA Fight Rumors and Announcements

 

  • Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns is off for UFC 256 (MMAJunkie)
  • Alex Perez Steps in to fight Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 255
  • Rafael Dos Anjos out of UFC 254 with Covid-19 
  • Youssef Zalal steps in to fight Ilia Topuria on UFC Fight Island 5, 10/10 
  • Brandon Royval to fight Brandon Moreno at UFC 255
  • Alexander Hernandez to fight Chris Gruetzemacher (MMAJunkie) on UFC Oct. 31 l
  • DWCS Contract winner Jimmy Flick to debut vs Cody Durden on Dec. 5
  • Jeremy Stephens vs Arnold Allen booked for Nov 7
  • Mounir Lazzez tests positive for COVID-19 and is out of fight vs David Zawada on Oct 17
  • Belal Mohammed vs Sean Brady scheduled for Dec 19
  • Corey Anderson vs Melvin Manhoef to headline Bellator 251 on Nov 5
  • Casey Kenney makes a quick turnaround to face Nathaniel Wood on UFC 254

 

MMA Signings 

  • Bellator signs CFFC heavyweight champ Shawn Teed (MMAJunkie)
  • Bellator signs Usman Nurmagomedov, cousin of UFC champ Khabib (MMAJunkie)
  • Bellator signs Former UFC bantamweight Brett Johns (MMAJunkie)
  • Bellator signs LFA lightweight champion Bryce Logan (MMAJunkie) 

MMA Fights of the Month: October 2020

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Fight of the Month Power Rankings: October

 

What makes for a great fight? It’s much more complex than having two strikers go at it. There has to be a certain amount of tension that the fight emanates. The battle scars and aesthetic of a fighter going through war makes it all the better. If a fighter is unique in his own way, it just adds to the recipe for making a great fight. This month, we are going to take into consideration all of those things and more, and bring you a power ranking of the best fights of October. 

  1. Luigi Vendramini vs Jessin Ayari

This was the first fight of the card AND the month and if it was any indication of how this month is going to go, we’re in for a lot of exciting fights. Luigi Vendramini and Jessin Ayari started off the night by going right at each other. After a good right hand by Luigi rocks Jessin, he finishes him with a head kick. This exciting fight starts off the month of October at #1 on the list

 

  1. Nassourdine Imavov vs Jordan Willaims

Of all the fights on the card, this definitely was the one with the most damage inflicted. It was almost a throwback fight looking like UFC 2, due to the fact that the blind referee missed 2 (!!!) headbutts, one of which caused a broken orbital bone of Williams. This fight was a war. Jordan showed the heart of a champion, unwilling to go down no matter how many heavy shots he took. As for Nassourdine he was willing to dish it all out. This all-out war puts it at #2 on our power rankings.

 

  1. Dusko Todorovic vs Dequan Townsend

Coming up third in our fight of the month is the rise of undefeated Dusko Todorovic vs Dequan Townsend. Dusko came in this fight looking sharp as ever. His striking was crisp, defense kept him clean, and his wrestling was dominant. When he put all of those together in this fight he put away someone who got TKO’d once before tonight in 33 career fights. Dusko’s dominance puts his fight with Townsend at #3

 

  1. Germaine de Randamie vs Juilianna Pena

This fight should’ve been the main event of the card. #1 Ranked Germaine De Randamie took on #4 Ranked Julianna Pena. It was a clash of styles and given the domination that GDR took from Nunes on the ground, it seemed if Pena took her down it was over. GDR was able to keep the fight on the feet in the first, while Pena was able to implement her game plan early in the second. That was when GDR turned things around. She reversed position and locked in a von flue choke that almost won her the fight, but the round ended. And again late in the third, she goes for a submission. This time she pulls a guillotine and is able to put Pena to sleep in a fight that could’ve gone either way. This was the first submission win for “The Iron Lady” and earns her a spot at #4

 

  1. Casey Kenney vs Heili Alateng

 

Casey Kenney earns himself the last spot on our power rankings with the clinic he put on against Heili Alateng. His kicks to the body left Heili with a big red patch on the side of his body and he was throwing bombs at him, busting up his face in the process. With such a masterful performance by Kenney, not only did he earn a fight in a few weeks on UFC 254, he earns himself the last spot on our power rankings. 

 

Just missed: Holm vs Aldana

 

You can follow Johnathan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

The Weekly Roundkick: McGregor Soon?

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Welcome to the Weekly Roundkick, where you can get all your MMA news in one spot. In the age of Covid, the UFC has done a great job of being the leaders of industry in making sure the show goes on. Here’s everything that you might’ve missed this week in the MMA world.

 

Fight Rumors and Announcements

 

  • Conor McGregor: UFC says they’re in the works for “something fun” for Conor McGregor. The sports biggest star has been out since his win over Cowboy Cerrone and hopefully, soon we get an announcement for what he’s doing (UFC)

 

  • #5 Stephen Thompson, Former UFC title challenger and the NMF, Nicest Mother Effer, performed his first official twitter callout calling out #3 Leon Edwards. Leon has been all over twitter asking for a fight so we now sit and wait to see what his response is

 

  • Khamzat Chimaev, the summers hottest star, is scheduled to face a ranked opponent in the main event spot for a date to be announced (MMA Junkie)

 

  • Robbie Lawler is looking to bounce back against Mike Perry at UFC 255 on Saturday, November 21, 2020

 

  • #9 Nikita Krylov vs. #7 Volkan Oezdemir is now the Co-Maiin of UFC’s Oct. 17 card

 

  • #2 Thiago Santos vs. #4 Glover Teixeira lined up for Nov. 7 headliner (MMA Junkie)

 

  • Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Drew Dober lined up for November 7

 

  • Ludovit Klein steps up a short notice to fight Shane Young (MMA Junkie)
  • Jessin Ayari vs. Luigi Vendramini lined up for (Combate)
  • Nassourdine Imavov vs. Jordan Williams – Two UFC Fighters making their debut (MMA Fighting)
  • Dusko Todorovic vs. Dequan Townsend – Dusko making us UFC Debut while Townsend looking for his first win in the UFC 
  • Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cody Stamann set up for UFC’s Dec. 5 Card (MMAJunkie)

 

Other MMA News

 

    • Cage Warriors FC Kicks off 3 days straight of Fights on UFC Fight pass starting September 25th
  • Anthony Smith responds to Johnny Walker’s callout saying “I’ll beat the ___ out of you” Would be an interesting matchup if it comes to fruition. 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

 

UFC Vegas 11 Fight Ratings & Review

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With the UFC heading to Abu Dhabi for Fight Island, UFC Vegas 11 wrapped up the fights in the U.S. 6 Knockouts, 4 Submissions, 2 Split Decisions, 1 Draw, and only 1 Unanimous Decision made for a card that gave us fights that went down to the final minute, as well as fighters showing the highest level of skill delivering a finish. Hype trains kept rolling and bad blood settled, a new phase of the pandemic era starts soon with Fight Island. Here’s one last look at Vegas 11 living up to all the hype

 

Main Card

 

Colby Covington def. Tyron Woodley via TKO (Broken Rib) 

Fight Rating: 6.5 / 10 

Review: This was the fight that went most like the way it was expected to go. Tyron was hesitant to go forward and Colby just wore him down more and more as the fight went on. Covington showed that he still is a top welterweight and probably only needs one more win to get a shot at the Welterweight championship. He showed improved striking game and continued his dominance on the ground while Woodley showed more waiting and waiting which has now cost him 15 straight rounds lost. For Woodley, leaving this fight with a broken rib is unfortunate, but hopefully, this extra time off allows for him to have some time to reflect and determine what he wants to do moving forward in his career. 

 

Donald Cerrone vs. Niko Price -majority draw

Fight Rating: 7.5 / 10

Review: This fight was one of those that had a high likelihood to end by knockout. Niko Price came a few strikes away from knocking Cowboy out. Cowboy was able to recover from the head shots after a few eye pokes coming from Niko, costing a point, giving him the allotted time. Cowboy came back in the second round and fought well, and then Niko closed out strong. Fun fight to watch, just wished it ended with a finish

 

Khamzat Chimaev def. Gerald Meerschaert via knockout 

Fight Rating: 10 / 10 

Review: All it took was 1 punch in 17 seconds to end it. Khamzat Chimaev showed his continued dominance in his 3rd fight. He has a potential fight coming up with Damien Maia. I don’t think that fight will end well for the veteran. Continuing on the Khamzat Express!

 

Johnny Walker def. Ryan Spann via TKO 

Rating: 8.2 / 10 

Review: This was an exciting fight from the start, with Spann catching Walker with a punch and getting him rocked. But for some reason, Spann decided to try and crotch sniff and try to get the double leg instead of going for the almost secured knockout. From here Walker Delivered nasty elbows and ended the night for Ryan Spann

 

Mackenzie Dern def. Randa Markos via armbar 

Rating: 8.8 / 10 

Review: Mackenzie Dern showed her extreme dominance on the ground while Markos really was outmatched. For some reason, Markos welcomed the ground game with the submission specialist and it did not bode well for her. Within the first 3 minutes, Dern had submitted Markos via armbar. 

 

Kevin Holland def. Darren Stewart via split decision 

Rating: 7.9 / 10

Review: Both of these guys kept going back and forth in this one. Holland started out strong and Stewart made a strong comeback in the end. The jaws were flapping heavily in the fight as both guys were talking back and forth during the fight. Even in the end, both showed great respect for each other and it ended being a good one.

 

Prelims Top 3 

  1. Randy Costa def. Journey Newson via knockout (head kick)

Rating: 10 / 10 

Review: The stock is rising fast for the Zohan, Randy Costa after he delivered a perfectly placed head kick. The fight was over in under a minute and the setup was perfect along with the mindset to not hesitate and deliver it. Exciting finishes will get you far in the UFC

 

  1. Jessica-Rose Clark def. Sarah Alpar via TKO (knee) 

Rating: 8.9 / 10

Review: This was definitely the most brutal fight of the night. JRC showed her dominance tonight in almost every manner vs Alpar. She was able to scramble and not get held on the ground and was able to deliver heavy shots. The only issue with this fight is JRC delivered a knee that put Alpar out. The knee was checked for legality and was deemed legal so the fight should’ve been over. Unfortunately, the referee allowed the beating to continue into the next round. JRC ended up winning with a TKO Finish. Good fight, horrible stoppage. 

 

  1. Damon Jackson def. Mirsad Bektic via submission (guillotine choke) 

Rating: 8.4 / 10

Review: The reason this fight is scored so high is because of the incredible comeback by Damon Johnson. After giving up the first two rounds, and getting dominated on the ground, he knew a finish was needed to get the win. And he did just that. Grabbing a guillotine in the 3rd round and not letting go until his opponent was out, he showed an incredible will to win the fight. 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

UFC Vegas 11: Johnathan’s Picks and Preview

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With UFC Vegas 11 right around the corner, lets first take a moment to be thankful for this PPV magnitude card to be taking place. With a main event that is filled with as much bad blood and animosity as this one, as well as exiting fights up and down the card, this one is a lock to have some performance of the night contenders. Let’s take a look at these fights on this card and take a look at who we’re picking. 

 

Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley

 

Pick: Covington by Unanimous Decision

 

Backstory: “Where you at Tyron Woodley? I’m coming for you. You can’t run you can’t hide no more!” Moments after winning the UFC Interim Welterweight championship on Jun 9, 2018, Covington immediately called out then current Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. After saying that Woodley couldn’t hang with him while training, Colby assured he would steamroll him. Fast forward two years later, both men are still in title contention, but one is in jeopardy of falling down the ranks. Both men are coming off a loss, so this fight is going to be monumental for both of them. For Tyron, his key to victory would be using that advantage in boxing and throwing that power right hand. If he’s able to stop Covington from taking him down and keeping this a stand-up fight, Woodley might have the advantage. For Covington, he’s proven that stopping him from taking you down is almost impossible. Even if he doesn’t get it on the first try, he’ll lock on you and drag until you fall. If he’s able to take Woodley down, Covington dominates the fight.

 

Donald Cerrone vs Niko Price

Pick: Price by Knockout

 

Backstory: Donald Cerrone is one of the most well-known fighters in the UFC. But now losing 8 of his last 12, he’s been on a slippery slope down the rankings. He’s lacked aggressiveness and this lack of soul from the Cowboy has been the reason for his downfall. On the other hand, Niko Price has been alternating wins and losses over his last 6. All of them have ended in knockout whether win or loss. Niko is always willing to put himself into the firefight no matter if he comes out getting a knockout or getting knocked out. With an aging less aggressive Cerrone coming in this fight vs an explosive Niko Price, this one is built for a highlight knockout. 

 

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gerald Meerschaert

 

Pick: Chimaev by decision

 

Backstory: The hottest prospect coming out of the pandemic era Khazmat Chimaev is back in action vs the man with the most submissions in the Middleweight division, Gerald Meerchaert. This fight comes with lots of animosity between the two. The disrespect comes from Dana double booking Chimaev, insinuating that he’s going to win this fight and move on to ranked Damein Maia. Gerald took this personally and stated he’s going to leave Chimaev bloody and unable to leave the ring. Chimaev responded in the presser asking how can Gerald possibly be a blackbelt when he got choked out by a white belt. We’re going with Chimaev because his ability on the feet and we’re resting assured that the submission games will neutralize each other. 

 

Johnny Walker vs Ryan Spann

 

Pick: Ryan Spann by Submission

 

Backstory: After starting his UFC Career 4-0, Johnny Walker has lost his last 2. His near straight shot to the top of the division has now been derailed and he has to work his way back up the hard way. Ryan Spann is coming in undefeated in the UFC and is looking to make his own run to the top of the wide-open Light Heavyweight division. This is going to be a good fight for two fighters on the crossroads of making it back into the doorstep of the rankings. If Spann is able to get this fight on the ground, he’ll have a huge advantage and get the win. 

 

Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos

 

Pick: Mackenzie Dern by Decision

 

Backstory: #15 Ranked Mackenzie Dern is coming in bouncing back after her first loss in the career. Losing against a higher-ranked opponent is nothing to hang your head on, so she comes back and gets a nice win with a kneebar. Bring in Randa Markos, a fighter who in 14 ufc fights has only won 6. Neither fighter comes in with any wins by knockout so we are looking to see a ground war. Mackenzie Dern is the more proficient athlete on the ground so we should see her take this win. 

 

Kevin Holland vs. Darren Stewart

 

Pick: Holland by Decision

 

Backstory. Enter Kevin Holland, the most exciting fighter to watch this year. He talks trash in the ring and with no crowd you can hear everything he says. On top of that, his striking is crisp and he plays great mind games. Darren Stewart is coming in with a good amount of UFC experience and has diverse striking skills as well. Both these fighters are young, and the winner of this fight should set up a big run towards the ranking for either man. Being able to mix it up, Holland should be able to keep Stewart at bay and dictate the pace of the fight. 

 

The Weekly Roundkick on MMA: Chandler, Baeza, More

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Welcome to the Weekly Roundkick, where you can get all your MMA news in one spot. In the age of Covid, the UFC has done a great job of being the leaders of industry in making sure the show goes on. Here’s everything that you might’ve missed this week in the MMA world.

 

Biggest Free Agent Landed

 

  • Michael Chandler, Former Bellator Lightweight Champion has signed with the UFC and will be in as a replacement in the Khabib vs Gaethje fight (via Bjpenn). For Chandler, this is huge for his career. He’s been wanting to prove that he’s one of the best 155 pounder on the planet and now being in the UFC, he has the chance to prove just that. 

 

Fight Announcements

 

    • Miguel Baeza vs Jerimiah Wells is off. Wells was replacing Mickey Gall for this fight. Mickey Gall had pulled out of the fight due to an undisclosed training injury. Jerimiah Wells had put his name in and was selected as a replacement for the fight. Now, for an undisclosed reason, Wells has also pulled out (MMAJunkie). For the undefeated Baeza, this delays his potential run to a title. For now the best option is to stay ready and hope someone in his division has a fight open up.
  • Dustin Poirier vs Tony Ferguson is off… for now. Dana has claimed that Dustin has priced himself out of the fight and that that he didn’t really want the fight. Dustin replied with a tweet “I WANT THE FIGHT”. Ferguson has gone to bat for Dustin telling Dana to pay him so they can fight. It seems like there is pressure from both fighters to have this fight but it seems it’s too expensive for Dana. Dana currently has said that Ferguson is also out of UFC 254.
    • #15 Drew Dober vs #8 Diego Ferreira is on for November 7th. #15 Ranked Lightweight Dober, is set to take on another rising star in #8 Ranked Diego Ferreira (MMAJunkie). Unsure if this is the main event or not, but no matter what other fight is on this card, I’m taking this fight for Fight of The Night. 
    • Malcolm Gordon vs Su Mudaerji has been agreed upon for November 28. Two Fresh UFC prospects in Malcolm Gordon and Su Mudaerji have agreed for a fight in late November (via MMAJunkie). For these two, this is going to be important for the near future of these prospects making a run for the rankings.
    • Khadis Ibragimov vs. Danilo Marques added to UFC 253 (via MMAFighting). For Ibragimov, he’s coming in off of 3 losses in a row after starting 8-0. If he wants to continue his UFC career, this is a must-win for him.
  • Weili Zhang Vs Rose Namajunas is in the works according to Dana White. When asked about the future of this division, Dana says they’re working on making this fight happen. After a potential fight of the year candidate effort by Weili, a fight with a game Thug Rose will undoubtedly make for another great fight.
    • Thiago Santos vs Glover Texiera has been cancelled. Thiago Santos has now tested positive for Covid-19. This fight was supposed to happen this last weekend but Texiera tested positive. Now the future of this fight is in Jeopardy.
  • Ketlen Vieira vs Sijara Eubanks has been scheduled for UFC 253 (via BJpenn). Sijara Eubanks is stepping in on short notice to replace Marion Reneau after her decision win last weekend. 

 

Other MMA News

    • Bellator has signed a deal with CBS Sports. Look for more MMA to be on the national scene starting October 1st!
  • Fight Island Confirmed! UFC will start running events on Fight Island Starting on UFC 253 on Saturday, September 26th and run weekly shows up until UFC 254 on October 24th (MMAFighting)
  • Dana White Contender Series. On Season 4 Week 7 of the the Contender Series, Dana awarded 3 contracts were awarded. Jordan Williams won a contract in his third attempt. Others awarded were 3x National Boxing Champion Danyelle Wolf and Collin Anglin.
  • Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson re-enters the USADA testing pool (via MMAFighting). With this being reported, this puts Rumble about 6 months away from being able to return to the octagon. 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo