UFC on Fox 20: Holm vs Shevchenko

The UFC returns this Saturday in the Windy City of Chicago, headlined by women’s bantamweight top contender Holly Holm vs Valentina Shevchenko.

The main event is a feature women’s bantamweight bout with serious title implications in a division that lacks some star power in the absence of Ronda Rousey. Holm knocked out Rousey to claim the title and arguably the greatest upset in all of mma, before being submitted by Miesha Tate in the last stanza of their fight back in

March, a bout that Holm was ahead on all the scorecards heading into the fifth round. A long time boxing world champion, and kickboxing world champion, Holm’s mma career has lived up to her hype. Going nine straight victories before blasting out Rousey, Holm looked like she was going to take over as the face of women’s mma. A victory here over Shevchenko would propel Holm back to title contention with a brand new champion in Amanda Nunes in waiting.

Valentina Shevchenko is a decorated kickboxer with an extensive muay thai pedigree of numerous world titles and victories over huge names in the kickboxing world such as Caley Reece and Joanna Jedrzejczyk (now UFC 115lb champion). While being an mma practitioner since 2003, Shevchenko was 7-0 by 2006 before a four year lay off. On return she was defeated by the game veteran Liz Carmouche before going on a four fight win streak to earn her UFC call. On promotional debut she beat Sarah Kaufmann before dropping a decision to now champion Nunes in her last outing, on the same night Holm was defeated.

Holm’s use of range is her best weapon. She remains on the outside with a long jab and excellent lateral movement, allowing her to enter her opponent’s space without being hit with counters in return. Holm often ends her striking combinations with long front kicks and side kicks to again keep her opponents at distance. Holm doesn’t throw a whole lot of round kicks, but when they come they do a serious damage such as the head kick that floored Rousey. Shevchenko is also a distance fighter out of the southpaw stance. This is where their comparisons stop. Shevchenko cuts off the cage and moves just enough to stay at her range. She often allows the opponent to step in before throwing her counters to score. Holm has a very kinetic style, while Shevchenko is all about efficiency. She always fires back when hit, especially with the right hook followed by her left round kick or left straight punch, very much the muay thai bread and butter of landing the final shot to win over the judges. Having a strong clinch is where Shevchenko can dominate. Her throws and sweeps are serious to behold. On the floor she is very limited, but in this fight I don’t see either women rushing for the takedown, and in the case of a sweep I see it going back to the feet rather quick.

Where I see see this fight being won is a boring five round decision. It’s a fight for the purists, not the casuals. The muay thai style of waiting to counter is just not as appreciated in the mma world as it is inside a ring. In the cage the aggression and speed must be shown and not just the technique. For me I see Holm gaining her rhythm and timing from the second round on and coming away with the decision. Shevchenko struggles to fight at the higher tempo and without the serious KO power like someone like Nunes I see her being competitive but losing a rather cagey fight.

The gem of this card is undoubtedly the co-main event. Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez vs Brazilian striker Edson Barboza has the potential for fight of the year.

This is an opportunity for Barboza to cement himself as one the elite at 155. A pure striker with devastating power in his arsenal, Barboza is arguably the best striker in the entire division and has the potential to beat anyone on his day. Barboza is a pure striker blessed with exceptional speed and athleticism. He came into the UFC with a vicious kicking arsenal, but over the years he has complemented those punishing shots with an increasingly slick boxing game courtesy of Mark Henry, who is best known for coaching Frankie Edgar and Eddie Alvarez. In that vein, the jab has become the foundation of Barboza's game. He fires it constantly to both the head and the body, using it to gauge distance, score points and set a rhythm. The Brazilian excels at using it as he steps back to ward off a pressuring opponent. The right low kick and left round kick to the body are devastating when thrown by Barboza and real eye catchers also. Correct footwork and great spatial awareness make Barboza difficult to pressure. While he struggled with getting backed up to the fence early in his career, he now excels at planting his feet, throwing a combination and then immediately pivoting to get out into open space. That is almost the full summary of Barboza. He's nearly impossible to take down and even harder to hold on the mat. It's not easy to hold him in the clinch either. The Brazilian's ability to stay off the fence is a massive aid to him here, as his footwork and command of distance make it hard to get in on his hips in the first place.

Melendez can do it all. His jab is also very good which he uses to stay in distance and as a range finder. His right hand has enough pop to hurt you and he often follows it with an elbow for good measure. The striking isn’t fancy like Barboza, but Melendez can fight you going forward or going back, he can stay in the pocket and slug with you or pop in and out. These are signs of a good veteran. A solid takedown game is where Melendez prospers.Against the fence he chains both his double and single legs to get you down before unleashing vicious ground and pound. He is an excellent guard passer which allows him to strike from the top.

A year out from his failed drug test and a career of tough fights and gradual wear and tear will be too much for Melendez to overcome. Melendez is known for his epic fight with Diego Sanchez where they just slugged it out for three rounds. To win he will have to pressure and take down Barboza. The Brazilian should be to fast for Melendez and be able to plant his feet to land his big shots. I fancy Barboza to stop the former Strikeforce Champion for the first time and put himself only a fight away from a title shot.

Fight Picks :

Holly Holm vs Valentina Shevchenko - Holm

Edson Barboza vs Gilbert Melendez - Barboza

Francis Ngannou vs Bojan Mihajlovic - Ngannou

Felice Herrig vs Kailin Curran - Herrig

Frankie Saenz vs Eddie Wineland - Saenz

Darren Elkins vs Godofredo Pepey - Pepey

Kamaru Usman vs Alexander Yakovlev - Usman

Michel Prazeres vs J.C. Cottrell - Prazeres

Alex Oliveira vs James Moontasri -Oliveira

Hector Urbina vs George Sullivan - Urbina

Jim Alers vs Jason Knight - Alers

Luis Henrique vs Dmitry Smolyakov - Smolyakov

UFC Fight Night 91 : Sioux Falls - McDonald vs Lineker

The UFC returns on Wednesday night in a quick turnaround after the helter and skelter of International Fight Week and the back-to-back-to-back events. The promotion heads to Sioux Falls in South Dakota for the first time in UFC history. The event was originally set to be headlined by a bout at lightweight which would have some serious title implications between Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson and Michael Chiesa. Chiesa unfortunately had to pull out with a back injury and Ferguson was moved down the card. Now at top of the bill is Michael McDonald vs John Lineker at bantamweight.

Number 5 ranked McDonald, a pro since sixteen years old with his debut in 2007, McDonald went 10-1 on the local circuit with some wins over WEC veterans such as Manny Tapia and Cole Escovedo before gaining a WEC bout with Clint Godfrey. Another win came and the sale of the WEC to the UFC saw McDonald jump to the largest promotion in the game. Four quick wins saw McDonald rushed up the rankings and saw him lose to Renan Barao for the Interim Bantamweight Championship. He bounced back with a win over Brad Pickett before dropping another defeat to Urijah Faber. Victory over Masanori Kanehara saw him bounce back from that defeat last time out.

McDonald loves to let his hands swing. His counter overhand right is arguably his best shot which he then follows with uppers and hooks. Power is the American’s main asset and nine career KO victories solidifies that. McDonald can also use technique to stick and move when in trouble before firing his huge right hand.

Lineker is Brazilian but hailing out of ATT in south Florida. The 26 year old Lineker is one of the most exciting fighters in the world today. After a sluggish start to his pro career where he went 6-5, Lineker then proceeded to win thirteen straight to gain entry to the UFC. Although he scored 4 wins in his first two years inside the Octagon, Lineker’s time was marred by multiple missed weights and a couple of losses. That lead to UFC president Dana White forcing him up to, bantamweight which has, so far, worked out well with two wins out of two.

What a fight this is! Continued great match making, combined with the exciting bantamweight division means that we are in for a treat with this main event. Lineker is a crazed striker that we compare to old mexican boxers. He will bite down on his gumshield and swing for the hills. Lineker throws punches in bunches as if they are going out of style. He also is very accurate for someone of his style and more importantly he possesses ungodly power for someone so small. Combine this with McDonald’s willingness to engage and power and it is a real barn burner.

Both men have similar attributes and strengths, the same could be said of their weaknesses. On the feet, their first form of defence is with their face. The wrestling of both men is neither their forte either but they do possess some decent defensive skills on the ground, but McDonald is probably a little better in these areas. Lineker has had some suspect cardio before, so should it get past the second I see McDonald being able to impose himself over the tiring Lineker and grind out the decision. Should the fight end early then McDonald probably has the little more power being the naturally bigger man, however with both men’s styles this could turn into a fight of windmilling overhands and a slug fest for the fans. In that type of fight then nobody beats John Lineker so he is my pick to win a close split-decision.

Ferguson remains on the card in what appears to be a stay busy fight against Landon Vannata in his promotional debut. This should be a cake walk for El Cucuy as he vyes to become the number one contender at 155lbs.

Elsewhere the ever impressive Louis Smolka returns to action. The Hawaiian who is best known to us for his wins over both Neil Seery and Paddy Hoolihan, returns against Ben Nguyen. I fancy an exciting scrap on the feet before Smolka shows his submission skills on the deck once it hits the floor. This should be a good test for the youngster as he climbs the 125lb ladder in the quest for a shot at the long reigning Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson.

Picks :

Michael McDonald vs. John Lineker – Lineker

Tony Ferguson vs. Landon Vannata – Ferguson

Tim Boetsch vs. Josh Samman – Samman

Daniel Omielańczuk vs. Oleksiy Oliynyk – Oliynyk

Kyle Noke vs. Keita Nakamura – Nakamura

Louis Smolka vs. Ben Nguyen – Smolka

Lauren Murphy vs. Katlyn Chookagian – Murphy

Eric Spicely vs. Sam Alvey – Alvey

Cortney Casey vs. Cristina Stanciu – Casey

Scott Holtzman vs. Cody Pfister – Holtzman

Rani Yahya vs. Matthew Lopez – Lopez

Devin Clark vs. Alex Nicholson – Clark

Closing thoughts and recap of UFC 200, Ultimate Fighter Finale, Fight Night 89...

After a monumental three days of mma, finally the dust is settling and many talking points are beginning to prevail. So I decided that I need to write this piece to summarise what was an epic few days of fighting, and where it leads to from here.

UFC 200 :

The biggest worldwide talking point is obviously the return of Brock Lesnar. In the build up to this fight after a five year layoff, there was literally no hope of a Lesnar victory over the heavy handed Hunt. All I could see was Hunt landing as Brock rushed forward and ultimately ending face first on the canvas. Lesnar is a once in a lifetime athlete however, while his striking and submission game is not near the game’s elite, his sheer physical attributes allow him to overcome these areas and simply be able to impose his will upon you. The ability to power double Hunt to the floor before laying a beatdown of strikes to him was very impressive. While Brock dominated in the two rounds he clearly won, it was not the greatest spectacle of a fight and felt like we had time travelled backwards almost five or six years. I won’t deny a man his victory and big credit must be given to Lesnar for taking on the hardest hitter in the world on such a big stage after all the adversity that has been thrown at him in his career. To be honest, I’d gladly watch Brock throwdown again and with his popularity and ability I wouldn’t be shocked if he was given the winner of Miocic and Overeem.

Personally I felt the best performance on the card came from Jose Aldo en route to winning the Interim Featherweight Championship. After a devastating thirteen second loss to McGregor back in December, Aldo faced big questions of his chin and mentality coming into the fight with the in-form Frankie Edgar. Just like in their previous fight a few years ago, Aldo stuck to his orthodox stance and his jab, which is arguably the best jab in the game. With both the opening rounds being as close to even as you can get it was from here that Aldo began to land the more powerful shots with his precise overhand right and straight. This was all set up however by the jab. I can’t emphasise how important a weapon this is to Aldo, and I feel that it is the key to him employing his gameplan on you. With McGregor watching eagerly from cageside all I want next is a rematch between the two. It is the fight to make. While McGregor showed the one shot devastating power in their last contest, Aldo is not a spent force. The Brazilian is one of the all time great mma fighters to ever lace the gloves, and last night was a performance to prove it.

Amanda Nunes showed why she is the most skillful and feared fighter at 135lbs. Nunes has all the skills and tools to beat any women on her day and this was proven as she dismantled Miesha Tate in round one. The key for Tate was to survive the early Nunes aggression and onslaught and to take the fight to deep waters and the championship rounds. This proved too large a test as Nunes landed punish punches before taking the back and submitting the former champion. Looking down the line for Nunes, a fight with Rousey would be a huge possibility but I’d love to see the clash of striking styles between Nunes and Holly Holm.

Daniel Cormier proved that he was simply too big and powerful as he outwrestled Anderson Silva whom took the contest on two days notice. Not a lot can be taken from this in that Cormier was in a lose-lose situation taking the fight. What I take from this is that the UFC should give Anderson whoever he wants at 205. Plenty of fan friendly matches could be made as a title run for the spider is probably unrealistic at this stage. Gegard Mousassi, Alexander Gustafsson, Uriah Hall, etc. I’d watch all of those with a smile on my face.

Ultimate Fighter Finale :

Joanna Jedrzejczyk proved she is a beast by retaining her 115lbs title against the game and dangerous Claudia Gadelha. In this bitter feud the pair have been at wits end in the verbal warfare and it showed as both girls came out fast from the opening bell. Gadelha was able to get the takedowns numerous times throughout a taxing opening two rounds, but Joanna showed her ablity to get back up time and time again and by the close of the second, Gadelha looked spent and out on her feet. The closing three rounds was where Joanna shone. Her muay thai background took over as she rained on three and four punch combos, along with vicious body shots and teeps to the gut of Gadelha. The unanimous decision victory (I scored it 48-47) was well deserved by Joanna and was probably the best fight to watch of the week. Gadelha probably goes back to the rest of the pack at 115 where she will be only a win or two away from a third outing with Joanna. For Joanna, superstardom beckons I feel. Her style and crisp shots allow her to bring the crowd to their feet every time she competes. Her grasp of the English language also makes her very marketable for the UFC, and with women’s fighting looking for a new star since the defeat of Ronda Rousey, joanna could be the one to take on that mantle.

UFC Fight Night 89 :

The crowning night for Eddie Alvarez came on Thursday as he defeated Rafael Dos Anjos to become the best in the world at lightweight. Since turning pro in 2003, Alvarez has faced a who’s who of lightweights in promotions all over the world and has been a champion in six of these now. Since coming to the UFC, Alvarez has now beaten the former Strikeforce and two UFC champions to cement his place at top of the list. Expecting a typical Eddie Alvarez dogfight to victory over the much fancied RDA, I didn’t expect Alvarez to flatten the champion with a huge counter right before finishing it on the ground. The improvements in Alvarez’s boxing is a credit to him and his coach Mark Henry. With 155 being the most stacked division in the UFC, murderers row awaits him with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Nate Diaz, and even Conor McGregor all lurking in the wings for a shot at that belt. Alvarez deserves a big payday and a showdown with featherweight champion McGregor could be the biggest night to top off the Philadelphia man’s career.

The most important thing that can be seen after a blockbuster few days , nothing can shock you when watching mma. That is ultimately why we tune in. We love the thrill.

The Ultimate Fighter 23 Season Finale : Jedrzejczyk vs Gadelha

The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Jedrzejczyk vs. Gadelha

The fights come thick and fast in the busiest week on the calendar of mixed martial arts, with this card being the middle installment of the UFC’s three night bonanza. The headline being for the UFC Strawweight Women’s Championship between  the champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and the Brazilian challenger Claudia Gadhelha.

Joanna has risen to the top of the women’s mma circuit in a little under four years, having made her debut in 2012. Prior to that, Joanna was a dominant striker with multiple world titles in both kickboxing and Muay Thai, which was evident as within two years she had fired her way to six consecutive wins, the last of which came over veteran Rosi Sexton at Cage Warriors 69 and earned her a place in the UFC. Joanna beat both Juliana Lima, and her next opponent in her first two promotional bouts to earn a quick shot at the title. A fight against the tough wrestling style of Carla Esparza was expected to be too much for Joanna, but she completely outclassed Esparza and butchered her on the feet to claim to be the division's best. Two more impressive performances later in two title defenses and Joanna’s improvements are clear to see, and she looks ever more impressive with each fight.

Gadelha came to mma with a decorated jiu-jitsu career behind her. A victory over Valerie Letourneau in her Invicta FC debut, and another win over Amaya Hamasaki gave the UFC call to Gadelha. Gadelha defeated Tina Lähdemäki in the first ever strawweight bout inside the UFC’s Octagon. The aforementioned loss to Jedrzejczyk followed that before a win over Jessica Aguilar, who was long considered the best strawweight in the world, earned her a rematch against the Polish lady.

While their first fight was a hotly disputed decision with many seeing it either way, I called it for Joanna, 2 rounds to 1. The opening round was very much against the cage with Gadelha showing some success, however Joanna landed a huge uppercut which floored her counterpart and was just short of finishing Gadelha who managed to hold on til the bell. This gave Joanna the round. Round 2 was Joanna dominating with strikes, especially punishing the body, from the outside for more than four and a half minutes to give her the second round also. Gadelha was able to get Joanna down again and maintain strong position in the last but it was not enough as she lost the decision 2-1.

This fight will most likely be similar to the first. With it going to be five rounds I see it giving Joanna more time to use her punishing strikes, combined with much much improved takedown and clinch defense, she will be able to put a beating on for most of the rounds, culminating in a late stoppage. Don’t be surprised to see Gadelha have some pockets of success similar to the third round of their first bout but I don’t see it being enough to lay claim to victory.

The next biggest fight on this card is the UFC debut of the recent Bellator Lightweight Champion, Will Brooks. Brooks used his free agency to finally enter the top tier promotion, even if it meant vacating his belt and a huge decrease in salary. This shows a desire to be the best and not just a well paid pro. Brooks has some good boxing combined with some old fashioned American wrestling and huge ground and pound which has been extremely effective throughout his career of a strong 19-1 record with two wins over Michael Chandler.

He faces TUF season 9 winner Ross Pearson. While unranked, Pearson is no mug and will provide a decent threat to Brooks. Most would have expected a top 15 or top 10 fighter for Brooks on debut but it seems he will be given the slow burner. Pearson has good striking and good takedown defense and can cause a tough battle for anyone. Pearson has been up and down in the UFC with a collection of good wins and some tough losses, but has built a career on being in fun and fan friendly fights. I see this as a way for Brooks to get a win over Pearson while being in an entertaining fight. Pearson is tough and I expect him to be competitive with his jab and body kicks, but will lose the decision to the stringer Brooks.

Another fight to watch is the prospect Doo Ho Choi who is on a seven fight KO streak and expect another top performance from the South Korean as he takes on Thiago Tavares. I expect another KO for the Korean as he climbs the featherweight ranks.

Fight Picks :

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Cláudia Gadelha – Jedrzejcyk

Ross Pearson vs. Will Brooks – Brooks

Doo Ho Choi vs. Thiago Tavares – Choi steals the show again with a KO

Joaquim Silva vs. Andrew Holbrook – Silva

Gray Maynard vs. Fernando Bruno – Maynard

John Moraga vs. Matheus Nicolau – Moraga

Cezar Ferreira vs. Anthony Smith – Ferreira

Jake Matthews vs. Kevin Lee – Matthews

Li Jingliang vs. Anton Zafir – Jingliang

Also hosts the two finals of the TUF season 23.

UFC Fight Night 90 : RDA vs Alvarez

UFC Fight Night 90 : Rafael Dos Anjos vs Eddie Alvarez

The UFC returns this week with a bumper International Fight Week with three huge events in the fight capital of Las Vegas. The first of the trio is UFC Fight Night 90 : RDA vs Alvarez.

The bumper three days of fights is headlined on the Thursday night by current lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos vs American veteran Eddie Alvarez. Dos Anjos will be best known to us Irish as for being matched in a huge superfight vs Conor McGregor back in March before having to pull out with a broken foot. The Brazilian now hailing from Kings MMA in America, coupled with extensive training in Evolve MMA in Singapore, RDA has developed into one of the most complete fighters in the game. Having entered the UFC, Dos Anjos went 4-4 in his first 8 promotional fights, but since has gone 10-1 in his last 11 with his only defeat coming to unbeaten and since injury prone Khabib Nurmagomedov. Along the journey RDA has taken out some top contenders with victories over the likes of Donald Cerrone, Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis, and Nate Diaz. RDA’s last performance was a first round TKO win to defend his strap against Cowboy last December. After the best two performances of his career in winning the title against Pettis and then defending against Cerrone, the pull out from the McGregor fight has left RDA in a testing situation against veteran Alvarez whom has nothing to lose and it all to gain on the Fight Pass card and no PPV views.

Alvarez, a Philadelphia native, has been a pro since 2003. Having fought the best everywhere and being Bellator Champion before entering the UFC at UFC 178. Alvarez dropped a split decision loss to Cerrone on promotional debut before outpointing Gilbert Melendez and Pettis on route to the top of the rankings. While not the most fan friendly style, the hard working effort and grind by Alvarez gives him a chance in every contest he enters.

This fight has five-round dogfight written all over it. RDA deploys a huge output with aggressive strikes and never go backwards style, while Alvarez grinds you down with opportunistic strikes and pushing you up against the fence before taking you down. Neither man knows how to stop even when physically drained and I feel this one is a stone wall certainty to go to the decision.

RDA has the better striking from the distance and in the pockets of 30 seconds before it becomes a clinch battle and attritional warfare, this is where RDA will be able to sway the judges and nick the rounds on route to retaining his title. An Alvarez victory is by no way out of the question and would not surprise me in the least but I’m struggling to pick against the champion for this one. But pick against is what I will do and with the more I analyse the fight the more I become an Eddie Alvarez fan. Alvarez to face adversity and come through to get his hand raised.

Irish eyes will be upon Joe Duffy as he looks to bounce back from defeat against Dustin Poirier. Based in the renowned Tristar Gym, Duffy is a slick boxer with a vicious left jab and hook. His slick striking and ability to put all the shots together will allow Duffy to go a long way in the lightweight division.

Up against him is Mitch Clark is also coming off a defeat in his last bout to Michael Chiesa. Clark is a good all-round fighter who does everything good, but not great. Duffy should have the advantage on the feet but Clark will look to take a leaf out of Poirier’s book and take Duffy down before bullying him on the deck.

I’m picking Duffy to win a decent fight, however the opening round will be poor with both fighter’s being cagey and nervous with their career’s on the line.

Fight Picks :

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez – Alvarez wins the close decision

Roy Nelson vs. Derrick Lewis – Nelson KO

Alan Jouban vs. Belal Muhammad – Jouban

Joseph Duffy vs. Mitch Clarke – Duffy

Mike Pyle vs. Alberto Mina – Pyle

John Makdessi vs. Mehdi Baghdad – Baghdad

Anthony Birchak vs. Dileno Lopes – Birchak

Russell Doane vs. Pedro Munhoz – Munhoz

Felipe Arantes vs. Jerrod Sanders – Arantes

Gilbert Burns vs. Łukasz Sajewski – Burns

Marco Beltrán vs. Reginaldo Vieira – Vieira

Vicente Luque vs. Alvaro Herrera – Luque

UFC Fight Night 89 : Ottawa

After the fanatic highs of UFC 199 and the crowning of Michael Bisping as the new middleweight champion, the mma promotion returns to action this weekend on the return of the company to Canada. The card itself lays claim to arguably one of the best headline fights in all of mma between Canadian Rory MacDonald and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Aside from that the card doesn’t offer a whole lot to be honest but the main event is enough to grasp attention alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=8TQYgFjPmO4

Having made his debut way back in 2005 as a sixteen year old prodigy from the famous Tristar Gym in Montreal, MacDonald epitomises the modern mixed martial artist by being excellent in all facets of the game. Taking just nine fights to make it to the top brass promotion MacDonald has had his ups and downs against a who’s who of welterweights. His last outing was against Robbie Lawler last July in an all out war which culminated in MacDonald losing the fight of the year in the fifth round. This will be a caring factor for my pick in this fight.

Wonderboy’s rise has been a lot faster and simpler. Turning pro in 2010 after an illustrious career as an unbeaten kickboxer (57-0), Thompson took only five fights in a little under two years before signing with the top mma banner of the UFC. Upon UFC debut he impressed with a picture perfect head kick KO of Dan Stittgen. In his second promotional fight Wonderboy fell short on a three round decision to the wily veteran Matt Brown, who clinched up with the kickboxer and ground out the decision over three rounds. Since then Thompson’s wrestling and ability to evade the clinch and ground has come on leaps and bounds with the help of training with Chris Weidman. In his six consecutive wins, Thompson has taken out solid wrestlers in the shape of Patrick Côté, Jake Ellenberger and, last time out, former champion Johny Hendricks to prove himself a genuine threat to anyone at 170 lbs.

MacDonald has the skills to fight anyone in any type of fight and generally this is the case. However to strike with Wonderboy I feel would be suicidal for the Red King. Thompson’s karate style and ability to invade your space and strike before returning to the outside is almost unstoppable. His ability to hit you with kicks from the outside before landing his heavy right hand is his key to victory. MacDonald will have to grind out the tough battle and get the game against the fence and make it a clinch battle or to the ground. As long as there is long periods where the fight remains on it’s feet I see Wonderboy being able to strike MacDonald and take over. MacDonald will have to cut off the cage and pressure on the feet in order to engage the clinch and that is where he will also have to be perfect defensively, and even that might not be enough against the striking of Wonderboy. MacDonald has been hit numerous times in his career (Lawler Fight!!) and to allow Wonderboy to hit  you clean will result in an early night. This fight is one for the purists and traditionalist of the arts. I see MacDonald getting the takedown, but over five rounds Thompson will have too much time and his improved takedown defense will give him the opportunity to land his vicious kicks and punches.  I predict wonderboy to come away with a 3rd round TKO victory.

The co-main features Patrick Cote vs Donald Cerrone, also at 170lbs. Both guys like to keep it standing with Cerrone employing a more varied and active attack from his muay thai base. Cerrone is a notoriously slow starter and this will almost guarantee he losses the opening round. That being said if he opens up on Cote it is inevitable that Cote shoots and gets the takedown. From his back Cerrone has a vicious submission game and that is where I see the fight being won, should Cerrone not take a two round to one decision.

Picks :

Rory MacDonald vs. Stephen Thompson – Wonderboy via TKO

Donald Cerrone vs. Patrick Cote – Cerrone

Steve Bossé vs. Sean O’Connell – O’Connell

Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Thibault Gouti – OAM decision

Valérie Létourneau vs. Joanne Calderwood –

Jason Saggo vs. Leandro Silva – Saggo

Misha Cirkunov vs. Ion Cutelaba – Cirkunov

Tamdan McCrory vs. Krzysztof Jotko – McCrory

Chris Beal vs. Joe Soto – Beal

Elias Theodorou vs. Sam Alvey – Elias

Randa Markos vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger – Markos

Colby Covington vs. Jonathan Meunier – C.C. victory

Ali Bagautinov vs. Geane Herrera – Bagautinov

UFC Fight Night 88 - Preview and Picks

UFC Fight Night 88 - Preview and Picks

UFC action returns on Sunday night live from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. After the huge 45,000 seater stadium show in Brazil and a strong line of pay-per view events on the horizon, you could be mistaken for thinking this event could be somewhat of a dud. However this is anything from such.

The main event is arguably one the best bouts in all of mma between two of the hottest prospects in the game, Brazilian Thomas Almeida and American Cody Garbrandt. Often two prospects will be matched accordingly to allow the division to fill out and create a star from both, so to make a clash as mouth watering as this the UFC must be commended as a win here bolsters the victor to top 5 or top 10 of the rankings and probably only one fight away from title implications. The best part of this fight is I simply cannot separate either men in the contest. Almeida hails from the famous Chute Boxe gym in Brazil and is an aggressive combination striker. The 24 year-old is undefeated in all of his 21 fights with an impressive 20 stoppages in that time. While he was given the slow burner and took 17 fights to get the UFC call, Almeida has been non stop action since getting to the top tier. Almeia will walk you down from a muay thai stance, behind his strong jab and snapping leg kicks before he picks up his pace and unloads the combos with a variety of techniques. His defence and chin have been tested since his UFC debut, most notably against English veteran Brad Pickett, where Almeida survived the knockdown and onslaught in round one to stop Pickett with a huge jumping knee in the second, and all this took place on the undercard of McGregor vs Mendes so he will be used to the big show. His defence has lead to his weaknesses but they have improved rapidly since that fight and he showed it in his last outing before taking out Anthony Birchak at the close of the opening round.

Garbrandt is also 24 and hails from Team Alpha Male is California surrounded by teammates Uriah Faber and Chad Mendes. Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt is 8-0 with 7 KO’s and just the one decision. Making his UFC debut in only the fifth fight of his career, ‘No Love’ took out Marcus Brimage with a brutal tko before adding impressive wins over Henry Briones and jiu-jitsu ace Augusto Mendes. Garbrandt is a ferocious striker with long and short hooks. Unlike Almeida, ‘No Love’ will look to use foot movement before land his right hand counter and left hook to take you out. A KO win over Almeida would solidify him with power comparing to anyone in the bantamweight division.

I Just hope that both men are willing to stick to their own game plan and stand and trade, as little has been seen of their ground games which in a tight fight could be the swinging factor to sneak the rounds. Honestly, both guys have made huge improvements with each fight and have the potential to beat each other, and I simply am clutching at straws to pick a winner. I really feel it will be a case of whoever lands first. With a gun being held to my head… I see Almeida not being as slow to start as usual and taking Garbrandt out via KO.

The undercard has some more tasty bantamweight action with no. 4 ranked Alijamain Sterling taking on no. 8 ranked Bryan Carraway. This winner of this is more than likely in line to see themselves in a title fight in the final quarter of the year. Carraway is husband to UFC bantamweight womens champ Miesha Tate, and has shown massive improvements in his game since his stint on the Ultimate Fighter tv series. Carraway has very much a throwback fight style of grit and determination, grind you down and take the decision win. He is good in all areas of the sport but does not stand out as a killer in any area. This is against the strong aggressive wrestling of Sterling who packs a huge right hand for those who step in too quick. Sterling for me is a genuine title challenger and possibly champion. I see him having too much for Carraway on Sunday night.

The co-main event sees former bantamweight champ Renan Barao jump to featherweight after a dismal 2015 seeing him lose his rematch to T.J. Dillashaw in brutal fashion. Jeremy Stephens stands in his way. Stephens is the biggest 145er out there, having made most of his career at 155. This is going to be a huge jump for Barao going straight in with the biggest man in the division. Both have finished roughly 70% of their wins and possess KO power. While neither have title implications in the immediate future, with both having lost 3 of their last 4 fights, it is the perfect opportunity for both to regalvanize their careers and head back in the right direction. Picking Barao to claim a win here over Stephens, however it is not a done deal because if Stephens lands e could take the battle worn former champ out very easily.

Picks :

Thomas Almeida vs Cody Garbrandt - Almeida

Renan Barao vs Jeremy Stephens - Barao

Tarec Saffidiene vs Rick Story - Story

Chris Camozzi vs Vitor Miranda - Miranda

Jorge Masvidal vs Lorenz Larkin - Masvidal

Josh Burkman vs Paul Felder - Felder

Sara McMann vs Jessica Eye - Eye

Abel Trujillo vs Jordan Rinaldi - Trujillo

Jake Collier vs Alberto Uda - Collier

Eric Koch vs Shane Campbell - Campbell

Alijarmain Sterling vs Bryan Carraway - Sterling

Chris De La Rocha vs Adam Milstead - Milstead