Tyson Pedro Says Loss to Ilir Latifi Served as Valuable Lesson

Tyson Pedro views his loss to Ilir Latifi as a learning experience. Pedro took on Latifi back in September. He fell short via unanimous decision. It was the first loss in Pedro’s professional mixed martial arts career. Lesson Learned He will look…

Tyson Pedro views his loss to Ilir Latifi as a learning experience. Pedro took on Latifi back in September. He fell short via unanimous decision. It was the first loss in Pedro’s professional mixed martial arts career. Lesson Learned He will look to get back in the win column tonight (Feb. 10). Pedro will meet Saparbek Safarov […]

Tai Tuivasa Hopes For Quick Finish at UFC 221, Then a Trip to The Bar

Tai Tuivasa has his sights set on victory and some booze. Tonight (Feb. 10), Tuivasa will take on Cyril Asker on the main card of UFC 221. Tuivasa will have his hone country by his side as the UFC is invading Perth, Australia for the event. The card is…

Tai Tuivasa has his sights set on victory and some booze. Tonight (Feb. 10), Tuivasa will take on Cyril Asker on the main card of UFC 221. Tuivasa will have his hone country by his side as the UFC is invading Perth, Australia for the event. The card is headlined by a middleweight clash between […]

UFC 221 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Romero vs. Rockhold

As is the story with most UFC pay-per-view cards, something has to go wrong. And UFC 221 is no exception.
In addition to this main card losing its main event a few weeks back after interim (or undisputed?) middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was for…

As is the story with most UFC pay-per-view cards, something has to go wrong. And UFC 221 is no exception.

In addition to this main card losing its main event a few weeks back after interim (or undisputed?) middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was forced to withdraw, the man who replaced him (Yoel Romero) missed weight Friday, tipping the scales at 187.7 pounds after two attempts to reach the 185-pound limit.

Romero is no longer eligible to win the interim title, but his opponent (Luke Rockhold) is.

It’s not the most star-studded of cards, but UFC 221 has a lot of fun fights throughout, including the co-main event featuring heavyweights Mark Hunt and Curtis Blaydes.

Here’s a rundown of the night’s action from Perth Arena in Perth, Australia:

     

Main Card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Yoel Romero (+120) vs. Luke Rockhold (-150)—interim middleweight title fight

Mark Hunt (+135) vs. Curtis Blaydes (-165)—heavyweight

Tai Tuivasa (-300) vs. Cyril Asker (+230)—heavyweight

Jake Matthews (+155) vs. Li Jingliang (-190)—welterweight

Tyson Pedro (-280) vs. Saparbek Safarov (+220)—light heavyweight

     

Prelims (Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)

Damien Brown (+130) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (-160)—lightweight

Rob Wilkinson (+235) vs. Israel Adesanya (-305)—middleweight

Alexander Volkanovski (-185) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (+150)—featherweight

Jussier Formiga (-125) vs. Ben Nguyen (-105)—flyweight

     

Prelims (Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET)

Ross Pearson (-150) vs. Mizuto Hirota (+120)—lightweight

Teruto Ishihara (+175) vs. Jose Quinonez (-225)—bantamweight

Luke Jumeau (+115) vs. Daichi Abe (-145)—welterweight

Odds via OddsShark.

     

Predictions

Co-Main Event

Mark Hunt told MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn and John Morgan earlier this week that he’s done fighting in the UFC once his contract is up because he hasn’t “had a good run.” In truth, Hunt hasn’t had the greatest UFC career since joining the organization from PRIDE but has still been a big draw for a lot of fight fans.

From walk-off knockouts to hard-fought, gritty bouts, Hunt has done it all in his career. And Saturday night (Sunday in Australia), he faces a younger, more athletic, heavy-handed fighter in Blaydes who is looking to make a name for himself in the heavyweight division.

After losing to Francis Ngannou a couple of years back, Blaydes has been on a tear, winning three straight fights, not including a no-contest against Adam Milstead. A dangerous wrestler, Blaydes can also knock out anyone once he connects with a combination.

Against a guy like Hunt, Blaydes will have his opportunities to strike, as Hunt isn’t afraid to use an iron chin to walk down his opponent and trade shots. After all, one punch from Hunt could be lights-out.

But Hunt won’t have the opportunity he’ll be looking for because Blaydes won’t play into his hand. Look for Blaydes to secure takedowns with regularity and bring this fight to the canvas. Blaydes won’t be able to finish Hunt in the first or second round but should be able to get a stoppage in the third if his cardio keeps up.

Prediction: Blaydes defeats Hunt via TKO (punches) in the third round.

     

Main Event

Yoel Romero vs. Luke Rockhold

For as exciting as this fight may be on paper, don’t expect the all-out war we all want to see.

Romero is an exciting, explosive fighter with unbelievable grappling, but Rockhold has a very high fight IQ and won’t let Romero ragdoll him across the Octagon.

Rockhold is on a mission to get his belt back after losing it to Michael Bisping, sending the middleweight division into chaos. But now that he’s focused and not underestimating his opponents anymore, Rockhold is the most-feared fighter in the division when healthy.

Romero will look to bring this fight to the ground and not have to compete with Rockhold’s stand-up. But Rockhold should be able to avoid Romero’s advances with his kicks and create distance between them.

Once Rockhold gets Romer’s timing down, he’ll shoot for a takedown and use his dominant top game to control Romero and look to submit him from full mount.

Rockhold’s grappling is extremely underrated, and he’ll put on a show Saturday night against Romero, securing a rear-naked choke in the fourth round once Romero becomes too tired to ward off Rockhold’s attacks.

Prediction: Rockhold defeats Romero via submission (rear-naked choke) in the fourth round.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 221 Embedded Episode 4

UFC 221 is a few hours away and the episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel. In the episode, middleweight title contender Luke Rockhold rents a camel to take him to open workouts. Heavyweight opponents Mark Hunt and Curtis Blaydes appreciate the Australian fans at the event, and headliner Yoel Romero welcomes three of […]

The post UFC 221 Embedded Episode 4 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 221 is a few hours away and the episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel.

In the episode, middleweight title contender Luke Rockhold rents a camel to take him to open workouts. Heavyweight opponents Mark Hunt and Curtis Blaydes appreciate the Australian fans at the event, and headliner Yoel Romero welcomes three of them on stage for a dance lesson. Local Perth heavyweight Soa Palelei brings Hunt’s camp to check out a Ferrari collection. Rockhold cuts weight in the sauna before the next day’s official weigh-in. Opponents square off on stage, but things get heated when one headliner misses the 185-pound limit.

You can watch it here:

The post UFC 221 Embedded Episode 4 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Tyron Woodley Calls ‘Bullsh*t’ on Dana White’s Recent Comments

Tyron Woodley has responded to Dana White’s claim that he’s full of sh*t regarding Nate Diaz talks. Much has been made over Woodley’s next fight. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title holder has been calling for …

Tyron Woodley has responded to Dana White’s claim that he’s full of sh*t regarding Nate Diaz talks. Much has been made over Woodley’s next fight. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title holder has been calling for a “super fight” for some time now. “The Chosen One” claimed the UFC offered him a bout with […]

UFC 221 Live Preliminary Results Tonight (Feb. 10) at 6:30 p.m. ET

The UFC is back in Perth, Australia tonight (Sat. February 10, 2018) at the Perth Arena for UFC 221 on pay-per-view (PPV). The main event of the night will see Luke Rockhold try to win the interim UFC middleweight title against Yoel Romero. Romero will…

The UFC is back in Perth, Australia tonight (Sat. February 10, 2018) at the Perth Arena for UFC 221 on pay-per-view (PPV). The main event of the night will see Luke Rockhold try to win the interim UFC middleweight title against Yoel Romero. Romero will not be eligible to win the interim strap because he missed weight. A […]