A major heavyweight fight is a rare sight in MMA, but UFC 220’s headliner between champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou is as big as they come.
Miocic is trying to become the first man in the division to defend the belt three times in one title reign. Ngannou wants to prove that he’s the next big thing in the sport. It’s a storyline that will drive the action on Saturday night.
Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will also defend his belt against a powerful up-and-comer. Volkan Oezdemir, fresh off of two sub-minute knockout wins, will look to take the belt away from DC.
Main Card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET)
- Stipe Miocic (c) (+145) vs. Francis Ngannou (-175), heavyweight championship
- Daniel Cormier (c) (-335) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (+255), light heavyweight championship
- Shane Burgos (-200) vs. Calvin Kattar (+140), featherweight
- Gian Villante (-170) vs. Francimar Barroso (+140), light heavyweight
- Thomas Almeida (-120) vs. Rob Font (-110), bantamweight
Prelims (Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)
- Kyle Bochniak (+115) vs. Brandon Davis (-145), featherweight
- Abdul Razak Alhassan (-205) vs. Sabah Homasi (+165), welterweight
- Dustin Ortiz (+110) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (-140), 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 (-260) vs. Gleison Tibau (+200), lightweight
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.
Is Francis Ngannou as Advertised?
It’s rare that a fight the magnitude of Miocic-Ngannou is difficult to analyze. Usually a championship fight comes with tons of tape to break down and achievements to weigh.
That isn’t the case here, because Ngannou’s rise happened so quickly that he’s a bit of an unknown. We know he’s massive. We know he has power for days, and we know that he’s proved he can finish fights.
That’s it.
A win over Alistair Overeem at UFC 218 launched him into this opportunity, but that was only seven weeks ago. There was barely enough time to process what the win meant before the promotions for his championship fight were released.
Miocic is no paper champion. In a division marked by the usual suspects as contenders, the champ has separated himself with five straight finishes against top-level competition.
Fight fans have seen this story play out time and time again in the Octagon: hyped prospect gets fast-tracked only to run into someone just a little more savvy, and the hype train faces derailment.
It isn’t often that doesn’t happen until a championship fight, but the potential is there. Ngannou’s last two opponents, Andrei Arlovski and Overeem, aren’t exactly the most durable. We haven’t seen what can happen when top competition can survive Ngannou’s initial attacks.
There’s a possibility Ngannou never sees the loss that points out the glaring weakness in his development. He might not have any. The Cameroon native is special. On Saturday, we get to find out just how special he is.
Prediction: Miocic is able to survive the early salvo and takes Ngannou to the third round for the first time in the rising star’s career. The champ retains his belt via TKO there.
Is Cormier Still the Clear No. 2 Light Heavyweight in the World?
Cormier has made it clear since making the move from heavyweight in 2014 that he’s the second-best light heavyweight in the world. He’s never been able to top nemesis Jon Jones, but no one else has been able to beat him.
It’s a frustrating place for him to be. Especially with out-of-cage trouble keeping Jones from holding the belt. Cormier is now the champion while he once again waits for Jones to clear his name and be allowed to fight.
Coming for that belt is Oezdemir.
The Swiss contender has earned this title shot by way of his knockout power, turning out the lights on back-to-back opponents in under one minute.
Granted, those opponents were Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa. It isn’t exactly a murderer’s row, but it’s more than a new challenger has done in the division in years. Much like the heavyweight division, the 205-pound class tends to have the same names at the top.
It sets up an interesting test of how much Cormier has left. The champion is 39 years old and coming off another war with Jones in which he suffered a third-round knockout. The wear and tear has to show up at some point.
The champ is the favorite for a reason. He’s been in a different class than Oezdemir, fighting some of the best names in the division.
But this will be a good test to see where Cormier is at. A prime Cormier would run through Oezdemir with his suffocating pressure. If Cormier’s chin is growing weaker and the athleticism is starting to wane, we could have a major upset on our hands.
Prediction: DC isn’t there yet. Deterioration might be lurking around the corner, but it’s hard to believe a man who just went toe-to-toe with Jon Jones (relatively speaking) would turn around and lose to Oezdemir. Cormier get the finish in the fourth round.
Can Thomas Almeida Rally?
Back in May 2016, Thomas Almeida was 20-0 and the favorite in a prospect vs. prospect showdown with Cody Garbrandt.
“No Love” scored a first-round knockout and went on to become the bantamweight champion. Almeida took the loss and went on to split his next two fights, with a loss to Jimmie Rivera by decision his last time in the cage.
Those losses definitely hurt, but they aren’t career killers. Garbrandt’s title run and Rivera’s 20-fight win streak make those losses understandable.
A loss to Font puts a ceiling on Almeida’s potential for the foreseeable future.
The matchup is a good one, though. Almeida at his best is a knockout artist, and a striker in Font gives him the perfect opportunity to score a big victory.
“He’s a striker,” Almeida said, per Farah Hannoun of The Sports Journal. “He has a good boxing background, and it’s a good matchup for me because we’re both strikers, and I think it’s going to be a good fight for the fans. This is what really matters, a good show for the fans.”
Font is a credible opponent. He’s coming off his own first-round loss to Pedro Munhoz, but his only other defeat is to John Lineker. All four of his UFC wins have come by way of knockout or submission, so he has the opportunity to stop Almeida as well.
The result should be a memorable firefight on an undercard that could definitely use one. If Almeida wins, he’s right back in the mix. If he loses, the bottom of the top 15 might just be his destiny.
Prediction: Almeida scores the knockout in the second round of a good action fight.
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