The heavyweight division of the MMA lacks luster to say the least. This may come down to the fact that the UFC’s payouts are pretty minimal and so the best athletes end up in places such as the NFL and only aged, about – to retire kind of fighters from here cross over to the UFC and are still good enough to become some of the best fighters in the sport.
There are several fighters who find themselves at the top spots in the UFCs heavyweight division simply because there have been no real challengers coming in to repeal and replace them. Leaving the heavyweight division lacking in terms of both sporting quality and entertainment value.
However, with the introduction of Francis Ngannou, things have looked up for the heavyweight division. He has been a packet of energy in an otherwise boring weight division and come UFC 218, Ngannou will really get the chance to showcase his talents as he comes up against aging Alistair Overeem who seems to have been around forever.
Having said that, Overeem is certainly not someone you can push around, he might be an aging star, but he will not go out without putting up a good fight. He has always improved in terms of skills and fitness despite his age not being on the prime side. He has some sharp kick boxing skills and a mean guillotine choke under his sleeve and is a pragmatic fighter with a good amount of experience under his belt, enough to cause problems for Ngannou. The UFC seems to have put together the only possible fight which is palatable in the heavyweight division.
Prediction – Overeem to win by unanimous decision.