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