The UFC Corner

UFC 196 takes place this week (5th in USA, 6th in Australia) in Las Vegas. A welterweight fight between Featherwieght champion Conor McGregor and late replacement Nate Diaz is set to be the main event of the evening. The co-main event will be a women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Holly Holm and Miesha Tate.

 In the lead up to the co-main event, the main question is can Holly Holm prove not to be a one-hit wonder? During that fight with Ronda Rousey, Holly displayed elite boxing that can only be obtained with years of training and experience.  Her technical footwork and movement were outstanding and once she got into a rhythm, she could have not been beat. Her jab is the weapon of choice for setting up high kicks and lefts. With a longer reach over her opponent will become an advantage for establishing range against Miesha. While Tate comes from a wrestling background, her improved boxing and durability have earned her this title bout. On a 4 fight winning streak with wins over Sara McMann and recently Jessica Eye, Tate is starting to fulfill her potential and become an all-round fighter. However, based on what I have seen from both fighters recently, Holly needs to win this and should. Tate’s 4 fight winning streak have all been decisions. Always seen as a hittable target, Miesha will get hit and hot a lot during this fight. Considering Miesha has been knockout before, Holly will finish her in the 4th round, if she can defend Tate’s takedowns.

 Conor McGregor’s rise in the UFC has been unquestionably unprecedented. From debuting in 2013 to becoming featherweight champion 2 years later, it has been a journey that has only started. Was scheduled to face Rafael Dos Anjos this week, but due to a broken foot for Dos Anjos, the Lightweight champion, plans to become the first UFC two-way world champion have been put on hold. In comes Nate Diaz on 2 week short notice. Diaz, a veteran of 29 fights compared to Conor’s 21, is a test for the featherweight champion because of Nate’s crisp boxing, durability and high level jiu-jitsu. Whereas Conor sets up attacks with spinning kicks, high and mid kicks while cutting the cage off his opponent. He presents movement like no other fighter, with stellar footwork and the rare ability to fight offensively or counter-offensively, it brings a new challenge for not only Diaz, but for all his future opponents. The movement will free up a Conor, who will look to put the fight away quickly, as Nate’s durability will kick in during the late rounds, while we never have seen Conor fight at championship rounds, we suspect his cardio will be limited than when he was at 145lbs because of an increase in muscle and during the Chad mendes fight, seemed to get tired during the late stage of the second round. However, using his movement and power left hand, Conor will put away Nate for a first round TKO. With power that can put the likes of Jose Aldo out, who is considered to have a great chin, Conor can knockout anyone with that left, which will be the ultimate finishing blow to an 18th TKO/KO victory for the Irishman.

UFC Fight Night 84 took place at the O2 Arena in London, England. A long awaited fight between former long-time UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva against Michael Bisping, long time UFC top 10 middleweight and crowd favourite. Coming into the fight, Silva was ranked 5th in the UFC middleweight division, while Bisping was ranked 7th. This fight was very back and fought, with both men withstanding onslaughts from their opponents every round. At the end of the fight, Bisping was a bloody pulp, with deep cuts and blood running down his face as if he was a devil cosplay. Bisping took a close decision over his rival, with all three judges giving the Brit 3 rounds to 2 over the Brazilian. Starting with the Brazilian, who happens to be one of the greatest of all time. Now age 41, doesn’t have much left in the tank. Does he need to prove anything? No. However, does he like to fight? Yes. So two fight I recommend. In consideration fo these fights, they are fights that don’t have title implications but would be fun and exciting. The first being against GSP, which has been much anticipated for years. Another fun fight would be against Lyoto Machida, with Muay Thai vs Karate. As for Bisping, if he doesn’t want to fight for the title, as he has stated in the post fight press conference, then a fight between the winner of Vitor Belfort and Jacare Souza would provide the number 1 contender to the middleweight title after Rockhold-Weidman 2.

UFC Fight Night 83 takes place this week in Pittsburgh. With a less than average card, depleted with injuries and fighters pulling out for other different reasons. Headlined by Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone fighting Alex ‘Cowboy’ Olivera, both fighters move up a weightclass from lightweight (155lbs) to welterweight (170lbs). Olivera is coming on short notice, however, performs well when he has had regular fights. Yet being the highly skilled fighter Cerrone is, he should get this win. Having been destroyed by Rafael dos Anjos in his last fight, Cowboy would have learnt a lot from that fight. In this fight, he needs to start fast, which has been hard for him in future fights, but get in the face of the Brazilian with constant pressure, using his kicks and later taking him down for the submission win. I’m also picking Cody Garbrant and Derek Brunson to win by TKO.

UFC fans, the UFC’s first Bantamweight Champion has reclaimed his title. Dominick Cruz defeated TJ Dillashaw in a split decision win. Cruz won with a 48-47 and 49-46, while TJ had a score of 49-46 (which I thought was ridiculous). Cruz was able to use his movement during, evading Dillashaw’s punches, to which the now former champ only landed 30% in total strikes and 26% in significant strikes. I gave the fight 48-47 Cruz and him winning rounds 1,2 and 3, while Dillashaw winning 4 and 5. In the end, Cruz claims the belt he never lost and I picked TJ to win purely because you can never refute the champ, but I was wrong, I must admit. Cruz should have a trilogy fight with Faber next, while Dillashaw should receive a follow up matchup before another title shot, maybe a rematch with Raphael Ansuncao. Also, on a side note, I think Ajamain Sterling should face Thomas Almeida next. How good of a fight would that be?

 The co-main event had title implications. In the end, Eddie Alverez wanted the fight more than Anthony Pettis, resulting in a split decision win for the Philadelphia based fighter. Alverez pressured the former champ, who doesn’t like that style of fight. Pettis was very hesitant, reluctant on throwing kicks and allowing Alverez to pressure him. Even though Alverez beat the no. 1 ranked lightweight in the UFC, his last two wins are split decisions. A matchup with Tony Ferguson would provide a stiff test and will definitely determine the winner of dos Anjos vs McGregor. While for Pettis, it is a major setback in his quest to regain the UFC championship. If he wants to continue persuing the title, a fight with Khabib would be ideal. However, a lower ranked fighter like Michael Chiesa will help Pettis get back on track while we see what the former Ultimate Fighter winner is like as a fighter.

UFC fans, it is fight week. On January 17th, TJ Dillashaw will defend his Bantamweight championship against former champ Dominick Cruz in one of the most anticipated fights in 2016. Also on the card is a lightweight fight with title contention between former champ Anthony Pettis and former Bellator champ Eddie Alverez. Lets take a preview into the main and co-main event. Later in the week I will make my prediction for each fight.

 The co-main event between Pettis and Alverez has many implications. The last we saw of Pettis was being demolished by Rafael Dos Anjos. Still young at age 28 years, Pettis still hasn’t reached his potential and still has a chance of being UFC champion again. As for Alverez, this may be his last shot at becoming a UFC champion. His recently beat Gilbert Melendez in a split decision, however, he didn’t look overly impressive, so in order to win this fight, we need to see the best Eddie Alverez, pressuring Pettis and making the kicks of Pettis not effective.

 The main event between UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz is very intruiging. Both are very similar fighters who use footwork and speed to punch and kick their opponents. It is also intruiging because Dominick never lost the UFC bantamweight championship; he was injury prone. Cruz’s last fight was against Mizugati, destroying him in a minute. Which leads to the conclusion that ring rust wont be a big factor for Cruz. However, TJ is one the best fighters in the world right now. His demolition on Renan Barao twice and Joe Soto(he had one day to prepare for that opponent). TJ can use his striking and wrestling in this fight, and may play a big factor on the momentum shift in this fight.

 In conclusion, both fight are very exciting and worth watching this week. Dillashaw and Cruz could provide us with a great tactical fight while Alverez and Pettis may get brutal.

UFC 195 took place on 3rd January 2016, and set off the new fight year with a bang. Main evented by welterweight champ Robbie Lawler and 4th ranked contender and former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit. This event was co-headlined by a heavyweight title eliminator between Stipe Miocic and Andrei Arlovski. This article will be looking at fighters and what opponents they could face next.

 Firstly, the main event. A very close battle between two warriors and in the end, Robbie won a controversial split decision over Condit. Condit has contemplated about retirement after this fiht. However, if he doesn’t retire, the UFC will book a rematch because it is the fight the fans want to see, rather than Lawler vs someone like Tyron Woodley, who I still believe needs one more fight to prove himself worthy of number 1 contendership. If Condit does retire, a match with Tyron Woodley would make the most sense, being in good form with wins over Dong Huyn Kim and Kevin Gastelum. If Carlos doesn’t retire but the UFC chooses Tyron over Carlos for the title shot, Condit can face Damien Maia in a very intriguing striker vs grappler matchup. Maia recently beat Gunner Nelson in dominating fashion.

 Stipe Miocic dominated Andrei Arlovski enroute to a 57 second round 1 Knockout. Stipe should get the next heavyweight title shot, the winner of Werdum-Velasquez II. Arlovski now has his winning run ended. At being 36 years of age, he is not getting any younger and that glass jaw will not take a lot of punches. He should look for a low ranked opponent to get back on track, maybe the winner of Ovince Saint Preux vs Rafael Cavalcante.

 Meanwhile, Dustin Porier defeated Joe Duffy in a one sided unaminous decision win for the new lightweight. Porier has been looking good ever since moving up from featherweight and has won three in a row with two TKO/KO and 1 decision since his loss to Conor McGregor. Porier could crack the top 10 if he wins his next fight, so a fight with Beniel Dariush or Al Laquinta would propel him into top 10 contendership. Duffy needs to go to the drawing board now and work his way back into cracking the top 15. A fight with Jim Miller could help him reestablish his position in the lightweight division.

In the next few weeks, the UFC will be hosting three events in three days, starting from the 10th December to 12th December (American dates). It is the biggest UFC fight weekend I can remember, and some of the most important fights this. Some of these fights will determine future stars, future title contenders, and how great champions are. The three events include UFC Fight Night 80, The Ultimate Fighter Season 22 and the biggest PPV event in recent years with one of the most stacked fight cards in the UFC’s history.

 UFC Fight Night 80 is filled with young talent. With the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Sage Northcutt, Rose Namajunes, one of my favorite fighters Elias Theodorou and first time main eventer Paige VanZant. This is important for their young careers, with a win leading them towards their next step in their careers. The main event between VanZant and Namajunes has title implications, while the Sterling and Johnny Eduardo fight also has title implications. For fighters like Theodorou, it is about trying to crack the top 15 in their division, especially Elias, who is 28 years old and is one of the toughest divisions in the UFC. For someone like Sage, it is about gaining experience and doing it slowly so he doesn’t get rushed into the title picture and not be ready for it.

 UFC’s Ultimate Fighter Season 22 Finale takes place a day after UFC Fight Night 80. Headlined by a long awaited featherweight matchup between Frankie Edger and Chad Mendes, this fight could determine the next challenger for the Featherweight title. If Edger wins, he will most likely be competing for a title shot. If Mendes wins, it could become a difficult situation in the division, depending on the weightclass’s title fight the next night.  The event also has title implications in the lightweight division, with Edzon Barboza coming in as a late replacement to fight Tony Ferguson. The winner of this fight will push the fighter into the top 5 in the most stacked weight class in the UFC, whereas it is a long road for the loser to get back on.

 Now the big one. UFC 194 takes place a day after The Ultimate Fighter 22 Season Finale. This is one of the biggest fight cards to recent memory, headlined by the biggest featherweight between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. In one of the most anticipated fights ever, and for the winner will build their legacy. Chris Weinman and Luke Rockhold also fight for the Middleweight Tile, while ‘Jacare’ Souza and Yoel Romero fight for the No. 1 contender spot for the Middleweight title. Also on the card is Gunner Nelson vs Damien Maia and Max Holloway vs Jeremy Stephens.