UFC 220 on Saturday night is for the big boys. Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will look to make his third straight title defense against up-and-comer Francis Ngannou in the main event.
No champion in the history of the organization has defended the belt three times consecutively, and Miocic will find it difficult to do so against Ngannou.
The heavyweight slugfest isn’t the only title fight, though. Daniel Cormier will look to keep the light heavyweight strap in a contest against Volkan Oezdemir. DC will be making his first appearance in the cage since July when he lost a bout to Jon Jones that turned into a no contest when Bones tested positive for Turinabol.
Here’s a look at the complete fight card along with ticket information and the latest hype surrounding the event.
Ticket Info: StubHub
Main Card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET)
- Stipe Miocic (c) (+150) vs. Francis Ngannou (-185) – heavyweight championship
- Daniel Cormier (c) (-335) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (+255) – light heavyweight championship
- Shane Burgos (-140) vs. Calvin Kattar (+110) – featherweight
- Gian Villante (-185) vs. Francimar Barroso (+150) – light heavyweight
- Thomas Almeida (-130) vs. Rob Font (+100) – bantamweight
Prelims (Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)
- Kyle Bochniak (-105) vs. Brandon Davis (-125) – featherweight
- Abdul Razak Alhassan (-225) vs. Sabah Homasi (+175) – welterweight
- Dustin Ortiz (+135) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (-165) – flyweight
- Julio Arce (-150) vs. Dan Ige (+120) – featherweight
Prelims (UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET)
- Enrique Barzola (-225) vs. Matt Bessette (+175) – featherweight
- Islam Makhachev (-225) vs. Gelison Tibau (+175) – lightweight
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.
Fight Previews
Miocic vs. Ngannou
The main event is the best fight on this card. There’s plenty of intrigue in the championship bout as Miocic looks to become the most successful titleholder in his division as the underdog against the skyrocketing Ngannou.
The challenger is the slight favorite in the bout thanks to the division’s longest finishing streak in the history of the division. He’s steamrolled all six of his last opponents to either a submission or TKO victory in the Octagon.
It’s a streak that has him believing the hype that he’s the next big thing in the division:
“He’s the interim champion because I wasn’t there,” the Cameroon native said, per the UFC. “I’m the one that’s going to change the heavyweight division.”
Miocic was initiated into the upper echelon of the division in a decision loss to Junior dos Santos in December 2014. Since proving he belongs with that close fight all he’s done is knockout the top talents of the division with four straight wins in the first round.
Still, the champion is being doubted in this spot, which is just fine by him. He’s only concerned about winning.
“I don’t worry about being the face of something. I just worry about winning,” the champion said, per Troy L. Smith of Cleveland.com. “I’m just not much of a talker, and I understand people like talkers. I got other stuff to worry about than hurting other people’s feelings.”
In this fight we will get to see if Miocic is one of the best champions in his weight class or if the Ngannou hype is real.
It’s a great matchup, but this feels like a perfect letdown spot for Ngannou before he ultimately becomes a champion down the line. For now, Miocic’s experience and superior technique could be enough to give Ngannou more trouble than people expect.
Prediction: Miocic via third-round TKO
Cormier vs. Oezdemir
A similar matchup will take place in the light heavyweight division when entrenched light heavyweight contender and current champion Daniel Cormier will take on fast-rising Volkan Oezdemir in another championship bout.
Cormier has spent the last four years proving that he’s the best 205-pound fighter in the world not named Jon Jones. His only two losses in that time span—or his career for that matter—have come at the hands of Bones.
However, Oezdemir is looking to end Cormier’s dominance. The Swiss fighter was one of the best newcomers in the organization in 2017, racking up a 3-0 record with his last two wins coming in less than a minute against Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa.
The contender has taken to Instagram to taunt the champion. DC responded in kind on Twitter:
Savage post @volkan_oezdemir but since no one knows or follows you I’ll send it out to the public. 3000 likes for such a good post seems like a waste. quick point tho you’re no Jon Jones and I’m no jimmy Manuwa. And I’m a lot better than Kelly Amunson #tapmachine #bum #ufc220 pic.twitter.com/pvGpoHLE2F
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) January 12, 2018
It’s a matchup built on Oezdemir’s power, and the fact that the light heavyweight division is desperate for a new contender.
The only problem is we’ve seen this movie before. Cormier’s two matchups with Anthony Johnson were based on the idea that Rumble’s incredible power could flatten DC. Instead, Cormier took both fights by way of submission.
His wrestling and resolve proved too much for Johnson. Now, Oezdemir—with the same coaches Rumble had—will try to do what his sparring partner couldn’t. It’s a relationship the champion ridiculed in the build up to the fight.
“There’s varsity and there’s JV. Have you ever heard of that…” Cormier said, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting. “They had a wrestle-off, Anthony (Johnson) whipped Volkan, so Volkan became a training partner. He went to get beat up. They sent the A-Guy in there, he got whipped. They built him back up, he came back in there again and he got whipped. Now he’s gone. So now they’re going to bring the JV guy. What are you going to do, Volkan? What are you going to do different when you weren’t even the first choice?”
Oezdemir is an intriguing contender with an opportunity to one day have the belt. However, it’s hard to envision him being able to best Cormier at this stage in his career.
Cormier’s grinding clinch game and wrestling should carry the day as he neutralizes the Switzerland-native’s power.
Prediction: Cormier via fourth-round TKO
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