Check out a brief preview of WSOF 29, where Justin Gaethje will defend his title against Brian Foster.
Brian Foster’s come-from-behind tournament win earned him a lightweight title shot against longstanding champion Justin Gaethje, and he’ll get it tonight in Greeley, CO at WSOF 29. The main card, which airs on NBC Sports Network starting at 10pm ET/7pm PT, also features a heavyweight bout and a scrap between two Strikeforce vets.
Let’s take a brief look at the main card and offer up some predictions.
Justin Gaethje vs. Brian Foster
As mentioned, this is for the WSOF lightweight title. Foster won a wild and wacky lightweight tournament back in November where he was actually beaten by Joao Zeferino in the first round, but got back in due to injuries and ended up getting his win back from Zeferino in the finals. His strong all-round game will be put to the test by the undefeated champion, who throws caution to the wind and engages in brawls more often than not.
Truthfully, this is Gaethje’s fight to lose. He’ll fight like he always does, and if his chin can stand up to Foster’s power, he should eventually wear him down and get the victory.
Prediction: Justin Gaethje by TKO, round 4
Copeland had a cup of coffee in the UFC, dropping his only two bouts there. He was beaten by Vitaly Minakov in his last bout in Europe. Hayes fought in a couple of early Bellator tournaments and has not had good results as of late, going just 1-6-1 in his last eight.
This will be your typical heavyweight fight. Plodding, probably unremarkable until a finish shows up out of nowhere.
Prediction: Josh Copeland by TKO, round 2
Both Strikeforce vets are coming in on four-fight winning streaks, which is commendable – they even beat UFC-tested competition. This might be a contender fight for the right to face David Branch for his middleweight title next. Devela is the slight favorite, and I think he has the game to win a close decision.
Prediction: Cory Devela by decision
Prediction: Josh Cavan by decision