Author: Craig Amos

UFC Fight Night 107: Main Card Staff Predictions

The UFC takes its Octagon across the Atlantic for Fight Night 107 this Saturday, March 18, when it will set up at the O2 Arena in London, U.K.
The host nation will be well represented throughout the event, including the main card, which features three …

The UFC takes its Octagon across the Atlantic for Fight Night 107 this Saturday, March 18, when it will set up at the O2 Arena in London, U.K.

The host nation will be well represented throughout the event, including the main card, which features three British fighters competing over the course of four fights. The headliner, a light heavyweight clash, pits London’s own Jimi Manuwa against America’s Corey Anderson.

Since starting out in the UFC with a trio of wins, Manuwa has alternated victories and defeats over his last four bouts, most recently besting Ovince Saint Preux. Anderson, meanwhile, has found success in four of his last five outings, and he is coming off a TKO win over Sean O’Connell.

In the co-main event, Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson takes on the American Alan Jouban. Nelson has won two of his last four, while Jouban enters the scrap riding a three-fight win streak. 

The full Fight Night 107 main card is as follows:

  • Jimi Manuwa vs. Corey Anderson
  • Gunnar Nelson  vs. Alan Jouban
  • Brad Pickett vs. Marlon Vera
  • Arnold Allen vs. Makwan Amirkhani

The Bleacher Report team has assembled to provide you with our predictions for each of these contests. Read on for what I like to think of as our collective and considerable wisdom. 

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UFC Fight Night 103: Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

UFC Fight Night 103 is underway.
The card features a bout between Yair Rodriquez and BJ Penn. Rodriguez enters the contest 5-0 as a UFC competitor and is looking to add a prestigious name to his hit list in Penn. For his part, Penn has had difficulty f…

UFC Fight Night 103 is underway.

The card features a bout between Yair Rodriquez and BJ Penn. Rodriguez enters the contest 5-0 as a UFC competitor and is looking to add a prestigious name to his hit list in Penn. For his part, Penn has had difficulty finding the win column of late, earning just a single W over his last seven outings.

Fan-favorite Joe Lauzon will battle up-and-comer Marcin Held in the evening’s co-main event. Both fighters are looking to rebound from decision losses suffered in 2016.

The full Fight Night 103 card is as follows:

 

Main Card on Fox Sports 1 (10 p.m. ET)

  • Yair Rodriguez vs. BJ Penn
  • Joe Lauzon vs. Marcin Held
  • Court McGee vs. Ben Saunders
  • John Moraga vs. Sergio Pettis

 

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

  • Frankie Saenz vs. Augusto Mendes
  • Oleksiy Oliynyk vs. Viktor Pesta
  • Tony Martin vs. Alex White
  • Devin Powell vs. Drakkar Klose

 

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass (6:15 p.m. ET)

  • Nina Ansaroff def. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, submission (Round 3, 3:39)
  • Walt Harris def. Chase Sherman, knockout (Round 2, 2:41)
  • Joachim Christensen def. Bojan Mihajlović, TKO (Round 3, 2:05)
  • Cyril Asker def. Dmitri Smoliakov, TKO (Round 1, 2:41)

Follow along below for Bleacher Report’s live, play-by-play coverage of UFC Fight Night 103.

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UFC Fight Night 103 Predictions: Main Card Staff Picks

It’s time to break out the Octagon for 2017, and if flipping the calendar is in anyway emblematic of change, then Fight Night 103 is the perfect way to kick off the new year.
The card, oddly scheduled for a Sunday, is headlined by a contest between a f…

It’s time to break out the Octagon for 2017, and if flipping the calendar is in anyway emblematic of change, then Fight Night 103 is the perfect way to kick off the new year.

The card, oddly scheduled for a Sunday, is headlined by a contest between a fading UFC legend and one of the sport’s most promising young talents. BJ Penn, a former champion in two weight classes, has won just one of his previous seven fights, while rising star Yair Rodriguez has run his UFC record to 5-0 in style.

The classic old lion vs. young lion matchup will be preceded by 11 additional contests, including a trio of main card fights. Included in the list of main card scraps are battles between Marcin Held and Joe Lauzon, Court McGee and Ben Saunders and John Moraga and Sergio Pettis.

While UFC 103 is likely to play out as a changing of the guard narrative, we here at Bleacher Report are more about consistency. The same names you’ve grown to know and scoff at in the comments are back to provide you with our main card predictions.

It’s Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina and Craig Amos, back for another season. Read on for our collective insight.

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UFC 207 Primer: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Back in June of 2015, Fabricio Werdum squared off against Cain Velasquez in Mexico City for the undisputed heavyweight title. Now the pair are set to square off again, this time as part of the UFC 207 main card.
Things are a little different this time …

Back in June of 2015, Fabricio Werdum squared off against Cain Velasquez in Mexico City for the undisputed heavyweight title. Now the pair are set to square off again, this time as part of the UFC 207 main card.

Things are a little different this time around. Whereas both men entered the first battle with a claim on a championship title, both now stand as aspiring contenders, fighting to recapture their lost status. 

After defeating Velasquez last year, Werdum quickly surrendered his title to Stipe Miocic. He then managed to bounce back by outclassing Travis Browne, setting himself up for a rematch with Velasquez.

Since suffering that surprising loss to Werdum, Velasquez took his turn to beat up Browne and now finds himself staring at a chance for redemption. Werdum is the only man holding an unavenged loss over Velasquez, so the contest offers him the chance to even the score.

But the import of the bout stretches beyond Velasquez’s redemption narrative. Both he and Werdum stand among the best fighters in a shallow heavyweight division, making the bout an important moment for determining the division’s next title contender.

In anticipation of the December 30 contest, Bleacher Report looks at how Werdum and Velasquez match up, examining where each fighter finds an advantage and who is more likely to pull out the victory.

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UFC 207 Primer: T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Lineker Head-to-Toe Breakdown

The UFC’s end-of-the-year, big-card tradition continues in 2016, with UFC 207. The event features the return of Ronda Rousey, a pair of title fights and an impressive roster of matchups, from main card to Fight Pass prelims. Among the many intriguing c…

The UFC’s end-of-the-year, big-card tradition continues in 2016, with UFC 207. The event features the return of Ronda Rousey, a pair of title fights and an impressive roster of matchups, from main card to Fight Pass prelims. Among the many intriguing contests is a bantamweight showdown between surging contender John Lineker and former champion T.J. Dillashaw.

Dillashaw won the division’s title in 2014, defeating Renan Barao, who had risen to prominence in the injury-induced absence of Dominick Cruz. When Cruz returned in 2016, he reclaimed his throne from Dillashaw, tumbling The Ultimate Fighter veteran back to contendership. Dillashaw has since rebounded with a victory, and looks to make it two in a row at UFC 207.

Lineker, a former flyweight who had too many issues making the 125-pound cut off, has never looked better since moving to bantamweight last year. He’s rallied for four straight wins (six straight overall), including a pair of finishes in his new weight class. 

Dillashaw vs. Lineker has the distinct smell of a title eliminator. The question is, which fighter will emerge with the W?

In preparation of the bantamweight scrap, Bleacher Report examines the matchup, finding the places each fighter holds an edge and ultimately determining which man is the probable victor.

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Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis: A Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis are set to square off for the interim featherweight title this Saturday at UFC 206. The matchup was slated as the show’s main event after an injury forced Daniel Cormier to withdraw from his 205-pound title match with An…

Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis are set to square off for the interim featherweight title this Saturday at UFC 206. The matchup was slated as the show’s main event after an injury forced Daniel Cormier to withdraw from his 205-pound title match with Anthony Johnson.

The featherweights, fighting for the right to reign in absentee kingpin Conor McGregor’s division, arrive at the bout having taken divergent paths. Pettis just recently joined the division, winning in his debut after being chased from the lightweight class after three straight losses. Holloway, meanwhile, is looking to extend his current win streak to 10.

Presumably, the winner of the contest will earn a date with Jose Aldo, who was awarded the featherweight title in McGregor’s absence. Will it be Holloway or Pettis that earns that opportunity to fight in that unification bout?

In advance of the UFC 206 main event, Bleacher Report breaks down the matchup, examining where each fighter holds an edge, and which one is likely to emerge the challenger to take on Aldo.

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