Friday 23 June 2017

Bellator NYC Preview



DISCLAIMER: This article is covering one fight from the Bellator 180 card and four fights from the Bellator NYC Pay-Per-View card.

(C) indicates current champion.


On 24th June, at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City, Bellator will host it's second ever Pay-Per-View event and it's an absolutely stacked card for a promotion that has gained some ground on their global rival, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, via frustration over the new owners' [WME-IMG] treatment of fighters, thus leading to many jumping ship to Bellator.

Phil Davis (C) vs Ryan Bader (Non-PPV Fight) (For The Light Heavyweight Championship)

Starting off on the non-PPV Bellator 180 card and a main event for the Light Heavyweight Championship.

Ryan Bader (22-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) signed with Bellator on 21st March after the UFC didn't match the contract that president Scott Coker had offered to Bader.

He was originally scheduled to face Muhammad Lawal (21-6 (1 No Contest) MMA, 10-4 BMMA) but was matched up in a rematch with Light Heavyweight champion Phil Davis (17-3 (1 No Contest) MMA, 4-0 BMMA) after Lawal withdrew due to injury. Davis and Bader fought at UFC on FOX: Gustafsson vs Johnson back on 24th January 2015, which Bader won by split decision.

Since then, the two have been down different paths in MMA, with Davis going on a four-fight winning streak inside the Bellator cage that saw him capture the Light Heavyweight title in his last fight against Liam McGeary (12-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA).

Bader ran out his UFC contract and jumped ship when he knew he wasn't wanted by the brass at WME-IMG.

Now, the two meet in an interesting encounter that will be a mix of high-level wrestling and an old school heavyweight slugfest.


PREDICTION: Davis wins via unanimous decision.



Douglas Lima (C) vs Lorenz Larkin (For The Welterweight Championship)

Another ex UFC fighter debuts in the Bellator cage at Madison Square Garden and it's former Middleweight, and later Welterweight, fighter Lorenz Larkin (18-5 (1 No Contest) MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Larkin comes into Bellator off the back of a solid first-round win over Neil Magny at the biggest selling UFC event of all-time [UFC 202 which did 1.65 million buys] but seemingly wants to move on from talking about his former employer.
The Brazilian has won the majority of his fights via knockout so logic dictates that Larkin will look for takedowns to stop Lima's rythm and possibly get a stoppage from ground and pound.


PREDICTION: Lima wins via second-round knockout.






Michael Chandler vs Brent Primus (For the Lightweight Championship)

The fight for the Lightweight title is between Michael Chandler (16-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA), a veteran inside the Bellator cage [with his first fight coming in October 2010 at Bellator 31], and Brent Primus (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), a fighter that has very little tape on him due to five first-round stoppages from his seven fights.

Whilst it could be seen as a mismatch in terms of experience, Primus' stunning professional record, which includes four straight wins via rear-naked choke, shows that he deserves to be in this fight against Chandler. No doubt Coker and co will be hoping for a strong display by the Oregon native.


Fedor Emelianenko vs Matt Mitrione (Heavyweight Bout)

Fedor Emelianeko (36-4 (1 No Contest) MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

The greatest Heavyweight fighter in MMA history and arguably the biggest signing in Bellator history.

The last Emperor has been the most powerful and dominate heavyweight in all the promotions that he's fought in and whilst many will look back on the Russian's career and wonder what could have been if he'd joined the UFC, there's no doubt that Fedor has laid waste to countless opponents.

His debut Bellator fight will come against ex-UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione (11-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA).

This fight was supposed to happen in February at Bellator 172 but was cancelled after Mitirone was reported to have passed a kidney stone.

Now, Mitrione looks to defeat a legend and be launched into not just Bellator, but MMA stardom.

For Fedor, it's the same as it's been his whole career.

Turn up, destroy opponent, leave.


PREDICTION: Fedor wins via second-round knockout.




Chael Sonnen vs Wanderlei Silva (Light Heavyweight Bout)

If you didn't know already, Chael Sonnen (29-15-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1 (1 No Contest) MMA, 0-0 BMMA) don't like each other.

It's not exactly clear what it is that set both men on a path of hatred towards one and other but it all results in money for Bellator.


The pair are polar opposites, with Sonnen the original cocky trash talker and Silva as the explosive brawler once the cage closes, but are now on course for a blockbuster main event fight that will end a rivalry that has spanned not just the world but seven years.


PREDICTION: Sonnen wins via first-round submission.





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Friday 16 June 2017

Mayweather vs McGregor Preview



Well here it is.

After months of speculation, shots over social media and endless clickbait articles, the biggest fight of all-time, between former five division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Lightweight champion Conor McGregor, is set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on 26th August at 154 pounds (Light Middleweight).






Whatever your thoughts on the fight, there's no doubt that it's set to be the biggest fight in combat sport history, from both commercial and sporting perspectives.

Without further ado, here's my preview of Mayweather vs McGregor.


Tale of The Tape

 Name: Floyd Mayweather Jr

 Age: 40 (DOB 24th February 1977)

 Height: 5 foot 8 inches (173 cm)

 Reach: 72 inches (183 cm)

 Professional Boxing Record: 49 Wins (26 via Knockout), No Losses, No Draws

Name: Conor McGregor

 Age: 28 (DOB 14th July 1988)

 Height: 5 foot 9 inches

 Reach: 74 inches (188 cm)

 Professional Boxing Record: 0-0-0



Before we get into it, some housekeeping to outline in regards to this 'freak' Boxing match:

Time: 12 three minute rounds.

 Gloves to be used: 10 ounce gloves.

Drugs testing system: USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), used by the UFC.

Tickets and PPV price: No official news yet.


A few months ago, I predicted that Mayweather vs McGregor wouldn't happen due to the ego and various demands from the parties involved and whilst that was plausible, it seems that money has paved the way for all parties (them being Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions, SHOWTIME, McGregor, Ultimate Fighting Championship and Zuffa LLC) to dot the I's and cross the T's.

Like with almost everything in Sport, money is the main theme and attraction of this event.

Mayweather and McGregor look set to earn $200 million and $100 million respectively (not too bad for a potential 36 minutes of fighting) with SHOWTIME taking a chunk of the money left.

In terms of Pay-Per-View, it looks highly likely that this fight will break the all-time PPV record set by Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao on 2nd May 2015, which did 4.6 million buys worldwide.

All in all, this fight is wonderfully mad.

Wonderful because of the attraction of the greatest defensive boxer of all-time, surpasses Rocky Marciano's perfect 49-0 Professional Boxing record, being in the ring with the most popular MMA fighter of all-time (and the best trash talker of this generation).

Mad because of the logic holes in the fight being made from purely sporting angle (these being McGregor never stepping into a Boxing ring for an amateur or Professional fight and McGregor not defending his Lightweight title since he won it back in November).

Anyway, what's the fallout if 'Money' wins?

If Mayweather wins, he obviously goes to 50 pro fights unbeaten and makes his case for being in the same ballpark as Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali as the greatest Boxers of all-time.

What happens if 'The Notorious' wins?

If McGregor wins, he's arguably the greatest combat sports competitor of all-time.

Whether he returns to the UFC is very unclear, regardless of whether he wins or loses, as McGregor's rags to riches story will end in truly inspiring fashion when he walks away with $100 million in his pocket.


Whatever happens, it's a fight that, don't lie, you're going to watch.



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Sunday 4 June 2017

UFC 212 Review



DISCLAIMER: This article is reviewing the co main and main event ONLY.

 UFC 212 had two blockbuster fights that would determine the future of their divisions (the Women's Strawweight and the Men's Featherweight divisions respectively) and in the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the courses of both divisions were dramatically changed.


Claudia Gadelha defeats Karolina Kowalkiewicz via first-round rear-naked choke

 Claudia Gadelha (now 15-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) swiftly defeated Karolina Kowalkiewicz (now 10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) via first-round rear-naked choke to stake her claim for a third fight with UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC).

Going into the fight, I, like many others, said that Gadelha's main form of offensive would come in the form of wrestling and unfortunately for Karolina, the Pole was taken to the ground by the Brazilian and eventually forced to tap.

One woman goes to the first of the line for a title shot and the other goes to the back of the line after suffered back-to-back losses.



Max Holloway defeats Jose Aldo via third-round knockout to become the undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion

 There is a new king of the 145 pound division.

In Jose Aldo's (now 26-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) hometown of Rio de Janerio, Max Holloway (now 18-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) did what he said he'd do in the build-up and knocked out the best featherweight fighter in MMA history in the third round (which I successfully predicted!).

It was a strange performance by Aldo, who didn't go for any takedowns at all throughout the fight, and looked to be slightly gassed when the third round came around.

Holloway took full advantage and ground and pounded the Brazilian until referee John McCarthy stopped the fight, thus ushering in the new featherweight blood to not only regain the undisputed 145 title but to strech his winning streak to 11.

The next big fight in the division looks to be Holloway against Frankie Edgar (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) whilst Aldo will look to take some time off before he thinks of his next fight.








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Friday 2 June 2017

UFC 212 Preview



DISCLAIMER: This article will be reviewing the co-main and main event ONLY.

C indicates Current Champion.

IC indicates Interim Champion.

UFC 212 comes from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. and features two intriguing fights, one between former Women's Strawweight title contender Karolina Kowaliewicz and Clauida Gadelha and the other being the blockbuster Featherweight champion vs champion fight between the king of the Featherweight division, Jose Aldo, and the new blood of the division, Max Holloway.

The card did suffer a big loss when former Ultimate Fighter winner Kevin Gastelum was pulled from his scheduled Middleweight fight with Anderson Silva due to being flagged by the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) for a failed drug test, which turned out to be for Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC), which is a metabolite of marijuana.

Former StrikeForce and UFC Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold accepted the chance to fight Silva in Gastelum's place but Silva rejected the fight, saying it didn't make sense with the former champ coming off a loss (at UFC 199 to current Middleweight champ Michael Bisping).

Silva then wanted Nick Diaz or Uriah Faber but stating that he would retire if he didn't get an interim title fight against Yoel Romero.

After a short period of time, the UFC and Silva agreed that he wouldn't fight at UFC 212.

Anyway, the card is now in shape and looks to end with the crowning of one undisputed king of 145.
Cláudia Gadelha vs Karolina Kowaliewicz (Women's Strawweight Bout)

In Madison Square Garden, New York, at UFC 205, Karolina Kowaliewicz (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) fought Strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0 MMA, 8 UFC) in a slug-fest that identified that whilst Karolina is a good fighter, she's not a top-level fighter like Jedrzejczyk.

So begins the route back to the title and the first roadblock comes in the form of Claudia Gadelha (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

Gadelha has also faced Jedrzejczyk, back in December 2014 at UFC on Fox 13, and again as the decider of The Ultimate Fighter 23 in July 2015.

Both losses came via decision, split and unanimous respectively.

It seems to be a title eliminator and the main battle going in is Gadelha's raw wrestling against Karolina's fast striking.

The key for Gadelha is to land quick takedowns and move swiftly into one of a number of possible submissions, whilst the key for Karolina is to knockout Gadelha before she lands any takedowns.

This is all easy to say however as the fight will be a lot closer than just closing out the opponent's main form of offense.

Regardless, it'll be a fight worth watching, especially if you're Joanna Jedrejczyk.


PREDICTION: Gadelha wins via second round knockout.
Jose Aldo (C) vs Max Holloway (IC) (Fight To Unify The Interim Featherweight and Featherweight Championships)

 Here it is.

In Jose Aldo's (26-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) hometown of Rio de Janeiro, the undisputed king of the Featherweight division will be crowned when the Brazilian faces interim champion Max Holloway (17-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the main event.

It's arguably the biggest Featherweight fight in UFC history, even bigger than Aldo vs McGregor, and I agree with this as it's a battle between the old guard of the division (in the form of Aldo and his eight fight defence of the title) and the new young blood of the division (in the form of Holloway's ten fight unbeaten streak) and will shape the 145 division for the foreseeable future.

As stated above, Holloway is on a roll in the Octagon, developing a unique style that has a kickboxing background that features spinning backhands and flash body kicks. Whether he's able to cope with Aldo's explosive jabs and savage legkicks is one of the very intriguing focus areas going into this fight.

I seems to me that Aldo will be looking to end the fight early with a stunning knockout of his Hawaiian opponent, fighting at home and all, but I see Holloway sticking out the early punishment dished out by Aldo and, to the shock of the Rio audience, knocking out Jose Aldo for only the second time in his career.

It may seem unlikely but as people say anything can happen in MMA and it could very well be Holloway's time, with the man himself saying: "Kings go to other king's villages and take everything they own."
PREDICTION: Holloway wins via third-round knockout.
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