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UFC 218: Holloway vs. Aldo 2 Odds, Tickets, Predictions and Pre-Weigh-in Hype

Jose Aldo will have the opportunity to win back his UFC featherweight championship this Saturday, when he and the incumbent Max Holloway clash in a much-anticipated rematch at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
“Blessed” Holloway shocked Rio de…

“Blessed” Holloway shocked Rio de Janeiro when he stripped Aldo of the title in his own Brazilian backyard at UFC 212 in June, and the promotion recently advertised a stacked fight card ahead of their second successive showdown:

Aldo gathered an early head of steam in the first meeting between these two fighters, but it was Holloway who finished the stronger of the two and collected a TKO victory via punches to unify the featherweight belts.

Now a fully fledged title holder in the UFC, this will be the Waianae, Hawaii, native’s first test defending his strap, and the competition doesn’t get much higher.

The ceremonial UFC 218 weigh-in will take place at Little Caesars Arena at 6 p.m. ET (11 p.m. GMT), and we provide all the hype leading up to that event, complete with fight prediction and preview.

Tickets for UFC 218 can be purchased via StubHub.com.

Preview

Saturday’s matchup will pit undoubtedly the two best fighters in the featherweight division against one another after Aldo stepped up to replace the injured Frankie Edgar in the headline spot.

An unexpected recall to the title slot offers the South American icon a gifted opportunity to reclaim what he lost at UFC 212, but MMA writer Mike Bohn recently pointed to evidence a victory may be difficult for him to come by:

Throughout his rise to the top of the featherweight ladder, Holloway has exuded a calm but motivated demeanour, symbolic of his Hawaiian roots, but the pressure of defending as champion can often change a fighter.

However, Fox Sports: UFC provided footage from the most recent UFC 218 Embedded vlog series, suggesting the addition of a belt hasn’t altered the man wearing it in the buildup to his first defence:

Aldo, the longest-reigning featherweight champion in the promotion’s history, will look to immediately dethrone Holloway, a rising superstar of the sport.

Max Holloway Keeps the Blessed Era Alive

To say Holloway had a slow start in Rio de Janeiro a little more than five months ago would be an understatement as he absorbed blows from Aldo that could well have finished a lesser competitor.

The fact he was able to wade through those was a testament to his chin, but former UFC fighter Dan Hardy and presenter John Gooden recently discussed how the kicking game could be more telling this time around in the latest Inside the Octagon:

It’s important to note Aldo, 31, has never lost successive fights or a rematch in his career and many expect him to be a hungrier beast this time around.

Blessed bounced back from a sloppy start to take the belt in June, and MMA Junkie’s George Garcia predicted an almost-identical outcome in the second clash:

Although his fight IQ nods to a more experienced veteran, 18-3 Holloway is six years Aldo’s younger and will likely have an advantage in areas such as stamina and speed, not to mention he’s already faced the Brazilian’s worst.

The fact Aldo has taken the fight on shorter notice than his previously scheduled bout with Ricardo Lamas also won’t help his cause. And if he can’t finish the fight, one gets the sense Holloway—who has gone the distance only three times while amassing an 11-fight win streak—will.

Prediction: Holloway to Win via TKO (punches)

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Andy Ryan: Bellator ‘Wanted That Big WWE Scene’ with Conor McGregor

Mixed martial arts coach Andy Ryan has said Bellator “wanted that big WWE scene” and deserves to shoulder some of the responsibility for Conor McGregor’s recent storm into the Octagon during Bellator 187 on Friday night.
The Notorious was in atte…

Mixed martial arts coach Andy Ryan has said Bellator “wanted that big WWE scene” and deserves to shoulder some of the responsibility for Conor McGregor‘s recent storm into the Octagon during Bellator 187 on Friday night.

The Notorious was in attendance to cheer on friend Charlie Ward against John Redmond, a member of Ryan’s Team Ryano. The coach saw McGregor jump in to embrace Ward and clash with referee Mark Goddard after his team-mate knocked Redmond out, but Ryan defended McGregor, per MMA Fighting’s Peter Carroll:

“I honestly feel like the promotion and the commission need to take some of the blame here because they were more interested in trying not to upset Conor than looking after John Redmond.

“John missed out on some attention that he needed because the event security didn’t have a handle on the situation.”

Ryan suggested McGregor wasn’t treated with the same strictness an average spectator would and added: “I just think the promotions wanted that. They wanted that big WWE scene in the cage. Irish MMA doesn’t want that, but the promotions certainly do.”

MMA reporter Luke Thomas provided a breakdown of the incident that unfolded in Dublin:

A scuffle between UFC lightweight champion McGregor and Goddard broke out after the latter scolded the trespasser for entering the Octagon while the recently knocked out Redmond was still being inspected and the official result determined.

Ward, who trains at John Kavanagh’s SBG in Dublin—the same gym often attended by McGregor—finished Redmond with only a second left in the first round, resulting in some confusion as to whether the fight was over.

McGregor’s excitement for his team-mate seemingly got the better of him, although The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani has nodded to another recent example of the fighter overstepping his boundaries:

The Notorious addressed Friday’s events in an unapologetic, since-deleted Twitter post, but Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported it read: “Bloke KO’d on floor bout a minute straight and ref trying to say fights not over Conor. That’s when I lost it. F— yous all.”

Ryan empathised with the UFC star and admitted “emotions are going to be running high” for McGregor when he’d just seen his friend win via KO, eager to see Bellator step in and admit some fault in the controversy.

One would think one of the most talented mixed martial artists on the planet would have the discipline to oblige Bellator rules, however, even if the promotion was hoping for, as Ryan puts it, some form of WWE pantomime.

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Nate Diaz Coach Says Fighter Wants $20M-$30M to Fight Conor McGregor

Nate Diaz wants to earn “at least $20 million, $30 million” if he’s to return to the Octagon for the third segment of his trilogy against UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, according to his boxing coach.
Richard Perez appeared on the MMA pod…

Richard Perez appeared on the MMA podcast Submission Radio (h/t TMZ Sports) and suggested Diaz will be seeking a much bigger cut in order to lace up against The Notorious for a third time:

“At least $20 million, $30 million. Come on. UFC’s making a whole lot of money.

“They’re giving more to McGregor, so it’s not fair because it takes two in that ring to draw a crowd.“

Following a 10th-round TKO defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in McGregor’s professional boxing debut on Saturday, attention will naturally turn to what’s next for him, and a UFC comeback appears the most likely route.

Furthermore, MMAFighting.com reporter Ariel Helwani suggested after McGregor’s loss to Mayweather that Diaz currently stands as the favourite to hand the Irishman his return to the UFC:

November will mark the one-year anniversary of McGregor’s knockout of former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to become the promotion’s first dual-weight titleholder, but he’s yet to defend his belt since.

A lightweight title defence makes sense. After fighting at the welterweight limit of 170 pounds in each of his first two fights against Diaz, McGregor told BBC News (h/t MMAFighting.com) a third meeting will have to take place at 155 pounds, where he currently reigns:

“I’m the 155-pound champion, I faced him at 170, he beat me, then I rematched him at 170, I beat him. Now I’m the 155-pound world champion. If he wants that fight, he must come down. That’s a fair trade. I didn’t ask for the rematch at a lower weight, I asked for the rematch at the exact same weight. I thought that was a fair play move on my half and then I came in and I won. So now I won that, then I won the 155-pound title after that. If he wants to fight, he’s got to make that 155-pound limit.”

That means not only would Diaz and McGregor likely fight for big bucks should they meet for the final segment of their trilogy, but there could also be a belt on the line for both fighters.

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan recently hinted this could make the matchup opportunity too good to turn down:

The Daily Star‘s Chisanga Malata reported McGregor raked in a purse of $30 million (£23 million) for his loss to Mayweather, a lot more than he makes fighting in the UFC but the kind of earnings he’ll be determined to maintain in future fights.

Diaz’s trainer, Perez, clearly senses the opportunity ahead of his fighter, and Diaz’s MMA absence since losing to McGregor in August 2016 may suggest he’s holding out for the payday chance of his career.

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Mayweather vs. McGregor Early Fight Odds and Scorecard Predictions

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has a chance to pull off one of the greatest upsets in sports history when he goes head-to-head against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, August 26.
The boxing apprenti…

The boxing apprentice, making his first professional appearance in the ring, will step outside the Octagon and attempt to become the first man to defeat Mayweather, himself making his 50th appearance in pursuit of a perfect 50-0 record.

McGregor remains the underdog to emerge victorious with the bookmakers, but MMA commentator Jon Anik recently discussed with OddsShark how the chances have moved in his favour of late:

And Mayweather’s favourite status has been gradually whittled down in the buildup to the bout, at least with the bookmakers, meaning the chances to make a profit off his potential victory are improving, while the Notorious loses value.

Read on for a roundup of the latest odds on offer, complete with a prediction of how the fight will progress, whether it will ever go the distance and who we can expect to see dominate the scorecard come August 26.

Fight Odds

Floyd Mayweather Jr: -400

Draw: +3300

Conor McGregor: +300

Fight to go the distance: Yes (+225), No (-300)

All odds provided courtesy of Odds Shark and Oddschecker.com.

Preview

The fight will see the newcomer in McGregor attempt to outbox the veteran, Mayweather, very likely the greatest defensive fighter to have graced the squared circle in a fixture many see as one-sided.

It’s up to McGregor, 29, quickly establishing himself as one of the best MMA stars to have lived, to prove the transition between the two crafts isn’t as difficult as some would suggest—at least not for one of his skill level.

Granted, it will be an entirely new challenge for McGregor, a jack of all trades in MMA, to take on a master in the form of Mayweather, 40, but with 11 years separating the two and the former in his pomp, it’s far from an open-and-closed discussion.

Mayweather could prove to be the harbinger some predict and pick the newcomer apart or McGregor will fire out of the blocks and end it early on, as he recently predicted on Conan:

It’s also significant that the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved the fighters’ requests to use eight-ounce gloves rather than the heavier 10-ounce gloves recently reserved for fights above 147 pounds, per BBC Sport.

The Notorious, who is used to predicting—often successfully—how his fights will finish, cited this as cause to reduce his expectation for how long his upcoming opponent will last to just four rounds:

“I don’t believe with the new gloves he makes it out of the second round.

“Part of me kind of wants to show some skill and dismantle him but I do not see him absorbing the blows.

“I am ready to go to war for 12 rounds and I am also ready to put him away in seconds. There is no way in hell I am not prepared to fight in the deepest of trenches.”

It’s been almost two years since Mayweather defeated Andre Berto via unanimous decision before retiring in September 2015, and it’s been almost six years since he last finished an opponent, Victor Ortiz, winning seven decisions since then.

McGregor doesn’t play by the same tactics; in comparison, seven of his nine UFC wins have come via stoppage.

Not only will his unorthodox style present a problem to the elder statesman or his 2″ reach advantage grant him an added weapon, but his calmness under pressure tends to yield results:

Even those who mock McGregor’s attempt to take on arguably the best boxer ever seen would have to concede that in a fight, anything can happen on any given day. Everyone has a fighter’s chance.

We can expect McGregor to fly out of the blocks, and while his victory may not be as swift as even he predicts, he will connect eventually, and in his hands lies a stopping power that Mayweather can’t match.

Prediction: McGregor to win via TKO in Round 5.

Mayweather leading scorecard at time of finish: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46

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Daniel Cormier ‘Very Emotional’ over Jon Jones’ Potential UFC 214 Drug Violation

Dethroned UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has released a statement detailing his “very emotional” state after it was reported Jon Jones failed a drug test prior to their recent rematch at UFC 214.
Cormier suffered a third-round knockout d…

Cormier suffered a third-round knockout defeat to Bones in Anaheim, California on July 29, and the 38-year-old gave his account of events to MMA Fighting following Jones’ latest potential violation of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s policy:

“It’s hard to find words to describe how I’m feeling right now. I’m disappointed to hear the news. It’s very emotional.

“We as athletes are entitled to due process, and I will refrain from saying much more until I know exactly what happened.

“In my mind, on July 29, I competed and I lost. I thought Jon Jones was the better man that day. I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t believe we are going through all of this again. We will see what happens next.”

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Jon Jones’ Team-Mate Frank Lester Says UFC 214 Positive Drugs Test ‘Is a Set Up’

Jon Jones’ latest positive test for a banned substance leading up to UFC 214 “is a set-up” against the light heavyweight champion, according to coach and team-mate Frank Lester.
Lester is a coach at Jackson Wink Academy, where Jones trains, and he took…

Jon Jones‘ latest positive test for a banned substance leading up to UFC 214 “is a set-up” against the light heavyweight champion, according to coach and team-mate Frank Lester.

Lester is a coach at Jackson Wink Academy, where Jones trains, and he took to Facebook to defend his friend after the UFC confirmed the United States Anti-Doping Agency had informed Bones of another potential violation (Warning: Some language NSFW):

MMAjunkie’s Steven Marrocco provided a transcription of Lester’s comments and reported the in-competition sample was taken on July 28, at the weigh-ins and a day prior to his rematch against Daniel Cormier.

TMZ originally reported Jones had been stripped of his light heavyweight title as he eyes yet another suspension from the sport, although Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White clarified that isn’t the case, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Jones defeated Cormier via knockout in the third round of their rematch bout on July 29, and the former’s latest alleged drug offence coaxed a solemn reaction out of ex-fighter-turned-pundit Brendan Schaub:

UFC 214 was Jones’ comeback fixture after more than a year out of the Octagon, having previously been suspended for another positive drug test in July 2016, when he was last preparing to face Cormier, than at UFC 200.

Marrocco reported Bones is facing a potential four-year ban considering this isn’t his first drug offence, and MMA reporter Chamatkar Sandhu provided footage of White saying his UFC career may be over as a result:

Cormier’s loss to Jones at UFC 214 would be ruled a no-contest rather than a loss on the former’s record if the failed test holds, per Okamoto, this being but the latest time DC has in some way been let down by his arch nemesis.

The 19-2 former light heavyweight champion told MMA Fighting of his opinion on Tuesday’s news and said:

“It’s hard to find words to describe how I’m feeling right now. I’m disappointed to hear the news. It’s very emotional.

“We as athletes are entitled to due process, and I will refrain from saying much more until I know exactly what happened.

Former UFC fighter turned Fox Sports commentator Kenny Florian didn’t hold back in his assessment of the matter and what this means for Jones:

Jones’ last alleged violation may put the career of the greatest mixed martial artist of all time at serious risk.

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