Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is all set to stage its annual Fourth of July weekend extravaganza, as UFC 239 goes down TONIGHT (Sat., July 6, 2019) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the massive pay-per-view (PPV) event is a Light Heavyweight title fight that will see Jon Jones defend his belt against power-hitting Thiago Santos. In the co-main event, UFC women’s “champ-champ” Amanda Nunes puts her Bantamweight title on the line against former division queen, Holly Holm.
What’s Hot:
We already know Jones is a bad man, but he will look to keep adding to his legacy by attempting to defend his title for the third time in seven months. But, it won’t be the first time “Bones” has attempted/accomplished that feat, as he did that in 2011-2012, beating Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans in the same timespan. In fact, had it not been for his numerous suspensions and lengthy layoffs in his later years as champion, Jones might have been much busier, as he has always been an active fighter. Determined to make up for lost time, Jones fighting so often is a welcome sight for fight fans and UFC as a company, especially since Ronda Rousey is no longer in mixed martial arts (MMA), and Conor McGregor hasn’t been very active over the last few years.
Up next for Jones is a showdown against the power-packing Santos, who can end the fight in the blink of an eye thanks to his ferocious style and heavy hands (example here). But, this is nothing new for Jones, as he’s faced the best-of-the best — specialists in every area of the fight game, including men who were supposed to knock his block off. He’s been there, done that and he’s heard the same story time and again: “I will be the one to knockout Jon Jones.” While Santos can very well do that, Jones isn’t too convinced “Marreta” has the mindset and gameplan to put it all together to sneak that one kill shot in. Indeed, aside from putting his hands behind his back and allowing the Brazilian bomber a free shot, Jones isn’t giving Santos much of a chance here.
And he’s not afraid to admit it.
One can’t blame Jones for being confident — even borderline cocky — as he has earned the right by never having lost a fight inside the Octagon and pretty much having his way with everyone sans his first fight with Alexander Gustafsson. If he takes out Santos, it will be his tenth title defense at 205 pounds, leaving him with even less competition to look forward to moving forward. Sure, several former Middleweight champions are making the jump up to Light Heavyweight to get at “Bones,” but by the time they earn their way to a shot at the title, Jones could be a Heavyweight. And as much as Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman have accomplished at 185 pounds, I don’t give them much of a chance against Jones in a bigger weight class, anyway.
Since moving up to Light Heavyweight, Santos has been on a tear, knocking out Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz in violent fashion, earning him an extra $150,000 in performance bonuses along the way. His gameplan is no secret — he will push the pace, get in your face and swings for the fences. But, he isn’t all brute strength and careless striking; on the contrary, he has shown he can take his time and pick his shots when need be.
It will be interesting to see what type of strategy he decides to employ against Jones. As we saw in Jones’ last fight against Anthony Smith, “Lionheart — who is usually aggressive – was cautious and failed to fire off anything. Once Jones sees that, he knows he has his opponent and will pick him apart systematically. Santos’ best bet is to be the aggressor and keep the fight standing, though getting in close enough to land a shot will be a problem, as Jones uses his reach like no one else. Plus, his wrestling game has always been good enough to take someone down if need be. His submission game is always improving, so Santos has his hands more than full in “Sin City.”
That said, Santos can’t be completely counted out, as one clean hit could spell the end of Jones’ era and shift the direction of the 205-pound division, as well as the land of the big men.
What’s Not:
It’s pretty hard to complain about this card — it is stacked from top to bottom with several intriguing and key match ups. That said, my only gripe is the fight between Gilbert Melendez and Arnold Allen. I just can’t wrap my head around why matchmakers would pit a scorching hot Allen — who has won seven in a row, including all five of his UFC fights — against a man who has lost four in a row. There is no upside here aside from beating a longtime vet and former Strikeforce champion. That said, Melendez hasn’t won a fight in six years! I would have preferred Allen get matched up against someone with a similar win streak to give him a bigger boost.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos were originally lined up to face each other at this event, but was later moved to UFC on ESPN 3 (which happened last week). Furthermore, Sean O’Malley was set to face Marlon Vera on this card, but was once against yanked from the fight because “Suga’s” never-ending issues with United States Anti Doping agency (USADA). Nohelin Hernandez got the call up to the big leagues on a few weeks notice to replace O’Malley.
Injuries:
Thankfully, the injury bug blessed us by staying away from this event.
New Blood:
At 6-1, Julia Avila will look to pump some blood into the women’s Bantamweight division in her UFC debut against Pannie Kianzad. Avila has bounced around from the regional circuit to Invicta FC before getting the call up. She has proven to have a well-rounded game with a gas tank to match, though she does have some weaknesses as pointed out by Patrick L. Stumberg in his “New Blood” piece.
Hernandez will get his first-ever shot inside the Octagon, stepping in for the aforementioned O’Malley against Marlon Vera. Noehelin is a product of famed American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) and is currently riding a four-fight win streak. He has a big test ahead of him in Vera, who has won three straight inside the Octagon.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
After nearly two years away from the fight game, Melendez will make his long-waited return to the Octagon to face Allen. Gilbert’s run inside the Octagon has been sub-par to say the least, going 1-5 since making his debut in 2013. Allen, meanwhile, has won seven in a row, including his first five tests inside the eight-walled cage. While I personally would have liked to see Allen face someone who is actually winning, UFC had other plans, apparently determined to make this fight happen after it was scratched once before.
Former UFC Strawweight title contender Claudia Gadelha will look to get a much-needed win when she faces off against Randa Markos. Since her title fight in 2016, Gadelha has failed to gain much momentum, going 3-2 since, which isn’t good enough to get back into the championship mix. Meanwhile, Markos has been consistent so far in her UFC career … but not in a good way. Since making her Octagon debut back in 2014, Markos has alternated wins and losses since, going 5-5-1 under the UFC banner. While that’s good enough to keep your job — unless you’re this man — it won’t do much for championship aspirations.
After suffering his first loss under the UFC banner, Alejandro Perez will look to bounce back against Yadong Song, who is the proud owner of a six-fight win streak (3-0 UFC). Both men are two rising Bantamweights who have shown tons of potential. I really like this match up, as it will give the victor a big boost in a division that seems to be getting more and more crowded by the day.
To get a better look at all of the UFC 239 “Prelims” click here and here.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
As mentioned above, Melendez needs a win in the worst way after dropping four in a row and five of six overall. During his Strikeforce heyday, “El Nino” reigned supreme as Lightweight king, but aside from his win over Diego Sanchez at UFC 166, Melendez has not come close to replicating that previous success under the UFC umbrella. Should he lose his fifth straight, there is no telling what will become of “El Nino’s” combat future.
Interest Level: 9.5/10
Nunes is without a doubt the best female fighter to ever grace the Octagon. And that’s saying something, as Rousey was once known as the best thanks to her trailblazing ways and initial run of six straight title defenses. But, what Nunes has been able to do during her times with UFC is simply remarkable.
With a record of 10-1 inside the Octagon, Nunes is the owner of an eight-fight win streak, owner of two separate division titles (Bantamweight and Featherweight) and holds two wins over current women’s Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Plus, she swiftly ended Cris Cyborg’s terrorizing reign at 145 pounds (watch it), knocked out the aforementioned Rousey in less than one minute and had Miesha Tate tapping for dear life.
That’s legendary stuff for any fighter, male or female.
If she can score a win over Holm, Nunes’ stock will go through the roof, leaving her with one less ex-champion to take care off. She can’t drop down to Strawweight or Flyweight, which means she will have to wait for a suitable foe to step forward at 135- or 145-pounds. And since a rematch between Cyborg is unlikely to happen, Nunes will likely be waiting a while. That said, Holm is eager to get her title back in what will be her third attempt at winning UFC gold since 2017.
After upsetting Rousey at UFC 193, Holm’s run has been less than stellar, losing four of six and coming up short in two title fights. Still, “The Preacher’s Daughter” — thanks to her great management team — has always managed to find her way into a championship fight after picking up just one win following a loss. On that note, if she doesn’t win here, I will be surprised if the promotion grants her another title fight in the near future. In a sense, this a must-win for Holm.
If two massive title fights weren’t enough to fill your MMA hunger, Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal will collide in a pivotal Welterweight matchup that should determine the next title contender. The two men have mildly been at each other on social media, for whatever reason, so seeing them put their words to the side in exchange for using their fists will be a welcome sight.
After failing to reach another Middleweight title fight, Luke Rockhold decided it was time to move up to Light Heavyweight where he will face Jan Blachowicz. It’s a good match up for both men (moreso for Blachowicz). If he can get a win over a former world champion, it puts him back in the mix and erases the memory of his knockout defeat to Santos, one half of the main event. For Rockhold, it’s a big risk facing Blachowicz, as he carries big power, though his name isn’t exactly the biggest in the game.
Kicking things off on the PPV main card is a Welterweight match up between long-time UFC veteran, Diego Sanchez, and Michael Chiesa. Sanchez recently revealed he had once again left Jackson-Wink MMA, saying all of the attention was going to Holm and Jones. Now that he is doing his own thing, Sanchez is determined to finally climb his way to another shot at a title. Chiesa, meanwhile, is trying to string together enough wins to get into the mix, something he’s been unable to do since 2012. But, getting a win over Sanchez to score his first back-to-back wins since 2016 is a good start.
Enjoy the fights!
Full UFC 239 Fight Card:
UFC 239 PPV Main Event:
205 lbs.: UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos
UFC 239 PPV Co-Main Event:
135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes vs. Holly Holm
UFC 239 Main Card on PPV (10 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Ben Askren vs. Jorge Masvidal
205 lbs.: Jan Blachowicz vs. Luke Rockhold
170 lbs.: Michael Chiesa vs. Diego Sanchez
UFC 239 Prelims on ESPN (8 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Arnold Allen vs. Gilbert Melendez
135 lbs.: Marlon Vera vs. Nohelin Hernandez
115 lbs.: Claudia Gadelha vs. Randa Markos
135 lbs.: Alejandro Perez vs. Song Yadong
UFC 239 Prelims on ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Jack Marshman vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
170 lbs.: Ismail Naurdiev vs. Chance Rencountre
135 lbs.: Julia Avila vs. Pannie Kianzad
*Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to change.
For more upcoming UFC events click here.