While this fight hangs in the balance and hasn’t officially announced by the UFC, a welterweight championship bout between reigning champion Kamaru Usman and former interim champion Colby Covington is hoped to take place at UFC 245. This event will go down at T Mobile Arena, Las Vegas on December 15th. We may finally get […]
While this fight hangs in the balance and hasn’t officially announced by the UFC, a welterweight championship bout between reigning champion Kamaru Usman and former interim champion Colby Covington is hoped to take place at UFC 245. This event will go down at T Mobile Arena, Las Vegas on December 15th. We may finally get our answer of who’s better between these two.
Kamaru Usman opened up as quite a sizable favorite over Colby Covington, with him sitting at -250 and Covington at +195. These odds will continue to change and fluctuate on the best betting sites for UFC, until the fight actually happens, they always do.
It’s hard to say how this one will go, considering they’re almost identical in style. Both are constantly throwing strikes and walking their opponents down, both strikes mainly to get into range for a takedown, or to wear on their opponent on the fence. They’re both elite level wrestlers, both have insane cardio, they’re almost the same fighter. The only differences are that Usman throws mostly punches, while Covington does mix in other strikes, and the other is that Usman’s just a little more physically imposing.
Usman is 6′ with a 76” reach, as opposed to Covington being 5’11” with a 72” reach. He’s also a little more muscular, and perhaps stronger. When it comes down to the best of the best, usually if there’s a size difference, the bigger man will win. Not generally, but when talking about the very best in the world, and Usman is the bigger man. Usman will most likely take a close decision considering, but who knows with this fight. They’re both so incredibly good at fighting.
Something to be noted, as Covington has said, Usman beat Demian Maia and Rafael dos Anjos both after he handled them first. Covington probably should have been the one to fight Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 rather than Usman in all fairness, and given how that fight went, Covington probably would’ve had a very similar performance and won the title himself. It’s very evident these two don’t at all like each other. From both of these guys being accomplished and credentialed wrestlers, to both being cardio machines, to being two of the only three fighters to ever land 10+ takedowns and 100+ strikes in a single UFC fight, to one being 31 and the other being 32, we literally need to see this fight happen so we can see a difference and see who’s better.
This is perhaps the biggest welterweight title fight since Georges St-Pierre versus Johny Hendricks. Remember how everyone needed to see that fight in order to know who the best welterweight was? Remember how a ton of people said “Bigg Rigg” was the one to dethrone “GSP” and that “GSP” was ducking him? Now everyone’s saying that about Usman. Now a ton of fans were saying that “The Nigerian Nightmare” was ducking “Chaos”, and everyone wants to see this happen, so we really know who the best 170-pound fighter in the world is.
This is a great fight that’s been in talks for quite a while now but was really made after Covington’s fight with Robbie Lawler at the ESPN desk. This fight needs to happen but until it’s confirmed by the UFC all we can do is wait.
This past weekend (Sat. September 7, 2019) at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, we had a great morning and afternoon of fights that showcased all sorts of talent. The event featured 13 fights, seven of which went to decision with one of those being a draw, four knockouts, and two submissions. The show was headlined […]
This past weekend (Sat. September 7, 2019) at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, we had a great morning and afternoon of fights that showcased all sorts of talent. The event featured 13 fights, seven of which went to decision with one of those being a draw, four knockouts, and two submissions.
The show was headlined by undefeated and undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov and now former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier. This fight saw Nurmagomedov literally run right through the No. 1 ranked lightweight, as he scored seven of the attempted eight takedowns and landed 54 of his 77 total strikes.
We at LowKickMMA have compiled a list of five fights to make after their showings. Where do the winners go from here? Where do the losers go from here? Continue reading to see our five matchups:
Curtis Blaydes (12-2) 1 NC vs. Junior dos Santos (21-6)
Curtis Blaydes had a vintage trademark performance last night, as he cruised his way to a TKO victory after absolutely mauling Shamil Abdurakhimov, what a dominant showing that was. His performance over Abdurakhimov may have been just as dominant as Nurmagomedov’s win over Poirier was.
Blaydes has got to be one of the very best wrestlers in this entire sport, and that’s really something considering the highest level of wrestling he ever competed in was NJCAA. His ground and pound is quite vicious as well. “Razor” is going to continue to give the majority of heavyweights fits, maybe all of them at some point. At 28-years-old, pretty much growing up and evolving in the UFC, and coming from a wrestling background, he’s going to be even more of a problem than he is now in the coming years.
A fight with Junior dos Santos makes sense strictly because dos Santos is the only guy above him that makes sense. Blaydes lost to Francis Ngannou twice, Daniel Cormier is about to retire and will probably get an immediate rematch against the champion Stipe Miocic in his last one. Those are the only guys in front of him. Derrick Lewis is right behind him, but has lost his last two, rather than dos Santos’ last one, “Razor” versus “Cigano” is the fight to make.
Islam Makhachev (18-1) vs. Gregor Gillespie (13-0)
We’ve gotten to see Islam Makhachev fight two stud grapplers in a row now. One of which was against the debuting Arman Tsarukyan in April, and the other of which was on Saturday against Davi Ramos. Many people say Gregor Gillespie is the one to dethrone Nurmagomedov because of how good he is at wrestling, but there’s one problem, he simply isn’t in the position to get that fight. However, a fight with ‘Mini Khabib’ makes perfect sense.
Makhachev is about as elite as they get, he’s like a 27-year-old version of the champion. His grappling is some of the best in the sport, and his striking is quite technical as well. The way these Dagestani fighters do such a stellar job of mixing freestyle wrestling, Greco-roman wrestling, BJJ, and judo to make the perfect MMA grappling style is a beautiful thing to observe, especially the ones trained by Khabib’s father.
This is the perfect fight to see where each should go from here, and it’s the perfect fight that if it happens, it’d be easier to gauge and predict how a fight with Nurmagomedov would go for Gillespie. This could also get Gillespie into the top 15, which is something we’ve all talked about for some time now. What will come out on top? An NCAA Division I Freestyle Wrestling National Champion or a World Combat Sambo gold medalist?
Paul Felder (17-4) vs. Al Iaquinta (14-5-1)/Dan Hooker (19-8) winner
Paul Felder looked good in his rematch with Edson Barboza, and like their first fight, it was incredibly close. This one may have even been closer than the first fight. Though the scoring was atrocious, there really wasn’t much of a way to mess this one up, because either could’ve gotten the nod without much controversy.
Felder has been scheduled to fight Al Iaquinta twice at this point. Once when Felder fought Charles Oliveira, Iaquinta pulled out due to being unhappy with his contract. The other was when Iaquinta was scheduled to fight Felder, but instead fought Nurmagomedov on a day’s notice for the title. Maybe the third time could be a charm for these two.
Now if Dan Hooker wins, himself versus Felder is a great fight too. Hooker comes from a kickboxing background, so that against Felder’s karate and taekwondo would be very fun to watch. Same with Iaquinta, though he comes from a wrestling background, he’s mostly a boxer that has a few good kicks he likes to use. Iaquinta is ranked above Felder, and with a win, Hooker will most likely be right next to him. Either of these fights make a great deal of sense and would be fun to watch.
Dustin Poirier (25-6) 1 NC vs. Conor McGregor (21-4) II
This would be a great rematch that everyone would love. Firstly, there aren’t too many options for Poirier right now as the division is. Most guys in the top ten are booked, one just fought but has lost four of his last five, and two of lightweight’s top ten are at welterweight now. That leaves us with Conor McGregor.
Many of us have wanted this rematch for a long time, especially since they’ve both been at 155 pounds. McGregor has stated that he’d like to make his return as well, and the next best guy aside from the champion and the No. 1 contender is Dustin Poirier. Of course, McGregor quickly knocked Poirier out in their first fight together, but a rematch may go quite differently.
McGregor’s precision and timing are impeccable, and that’s what got him the knockout win over Poirier in their first fight, but Poirier can take a much better shot at lightweight. He used to get hurt all the time at featherweight; Jonathan Brookins, Akira Corassani, and Diego Brandao all hurt him on the feet, only one of which is a guy that regularly knocks his opponents out, or even has high level striking for that matter. That doesn’t happen anymore, Poirier did get knocked out by Michael Johnson, but that fight is where he learned that he needs patience in order to be the best.
McGregor needs a fight, and he’s not going to fight anyone that isn’t ranked highly either. Tony Ferguson’s going to be booked, the champion’s going to be booked, the next best bet may be the winner of Donald Cerrone and Justin Gaethje. However, if Gaethje wins that fight, he should probably be next in line after Ferguson. Both McGregor and Poirier were climbing the featherweight rankings during their first fight, now they’re both at the very top of lightweight. How would this rematch go?
Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) vs. Tony Ferguson (25-3)
Is it time for this fight to come together yet or what? As everyone knows, these two have been scheduled to fight each other four times, of course, none of which did they actually make the walk to the cage opposite one another. Each pulled out twice, resulting in each of them taking a fight with a lesser opponent once, and each of them taking a fight with another fellow ranked opponent once. Nurmagomedov had to fight UFC newcomer Darrell Horcher because of this, and Tony Ferguson had to fight UFC newcomer Lando Vannata.
Also, Ferguson ended up fighting Edson Barboza after Nurmagomedov pulled out, and Nurmagomedov had to fight Al Iaquinta after Ferguson pulled out. At least all four times the healthy party was still able to fight, but four times these two have been scheduled to fight each other and it hasn’t happened. They were even scheduled to fight on the same night at UFC 229, and both made it to the fight with no issues, but if they’re fighting each other, it doesn’t seem to pan out. What bad luck they’ve had.
Hopefully, the fifth time’s a charm for this fight. Both are on a 12-fight win streak in MMA’s most stacked division, not even the UFC’s most stacked division, but the entirety of MMA. Each time these two end up not fighting each other, they both just keep continuing to win and this fight gets more and more important to make each time. The UFC has been trying to make this fight for four years, it’s time to see who really is the best lightweight in the world.
The UFC brought the fights to Abu Dhabi for a scorching UFC 242 and with it came a title unification bout with the return of Khabib Nurmagomedov against Dustin Poirier. An undisputed champion was crowned in a fight that leaves only one option left in t…
The UFC brought the fights to Abu Dhabi for a scorching UFC 242 and with it came a title unification bout with the return of Khabib Nurmagomedov against Dustin Poirier. An undisputed champion was crowned in a fight that leaves only one option left in the coming year. However, there was a lot to take […]
Tomorrow (Sat. September 7, 2019) UFC 242 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Abu Dhabi, and will feature a 155-pound title main event. Undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov will unify his title against interim champion Dustin Poirier. It’s truly the toughest test of each man’s career, as Khabib takes on an extremely well-rounded fighter, while Poirier […]
Tomorrow (Sat. September 7, 2019) UFC 242 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Abu Dhabi, and will feature a 155-pound title main event.
Undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov will unify his title against interim champion Dustin Poirier. It’s truly the toughest test of each man’s career, as Khabib takes on an extremely well-rounded fighter, while Poirier faces, arguably, the most dominant champion in mixed martial arts (MMA) history.
We here at LowKickMMA have compiled our predictions for tomorrow afternoon’s main event. Check them out here.
UFC 242 Staff Predictions
Jon Fuentes:
This is such an interesting fight. Poirier is probably the most well-rounded fighter Khabib has fought yet. He has the power to knock out just about anyone and has some phenomenal training partners at American Top Team (ATT) to help him prepare for “The Eagle’s” grappling. Of course, it’s a completely different animal when you’re actually in there with him.
I don’t think Khabib has fought a striker quite like Poirier before, who is also skilled in the jiu-jitsu department. But Khabib has given me no reason to believe anyone can stop him at this point. Especially in front of a supportive crowd like he’ll have in Abu Dhabi. (Prediction: Khabib Nurmagomedov)
Abhinav Kini:
Dustin Poirier proved me wrong when he outpointed Max Holloway to win the interim lightweight title. However, he will now not only be facing a longtime lightweight but one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC in Khabib Nurmagomedov. Poirier has good jiu-jitsu and some slick boxing, but I just don’t think it’s enough to really challenge Nurmagomedov, let alone shock the world. (Prediction: Khabib Nurmagomedov)
Andrew Ravens:
This fight is actually more simple than people like to think. Poirier must stay on his feet and try to survive. That’s his fight while Khabib will focus on avoiding any big shots while going for a takedown.
I would hope that Poirier would come out with the game plan of throwing a crazy amount of strikes in order to prevent such a takedown from the champion but up to this point, I haven’t seen anyone do that. Khabib is the favorite for a reason and walks away with the unanimous decision win. (Prediction: Khabib Nurmagomedov)
Brady Briggs:
What a great main event we have for UFC 242. Honestly, I have a feeling “The Diamond” may pull off the upset via knockout. He just hits so hard and connects with about everyone. Either he wins it that way, via decision, or Nurmagomedov takes a decision. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see either of those happen. My final prediction is Poirier by TKO in round two or three. (Prediction: Dustin Poirier)
Cole Shelton:
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier will be a fantastic fight and I may be in the minority that this will be a much closer fight than many expect. Look, Khabib said it right, Poirier is the toughest challenge of his career. He is a much tougher fight than Conor McGregor given how underrated his takedown defense and jiu-jitsu is.
There is a possibility he can stuff the takedowns and use his boxing and kicks to keep the range and piece up Khabib. However, as long as Nurmagomedov is undefeated it is hard to bet against him and I think he will use his wrestling to win this fight but I expect it to go the distance and Poirier win some rounds and make this a much closer fight. (Prediction: Khabib Nurmagomedov)
What do you make of our UFC 242 staff predictions?
We have an incredible card this weekend at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. Headlining the event will be a lightweight title fight between two of the very best fighters on planet earth, the No. 1 ranked interim champion Dustin Poirier and the undisputed, undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. This is about as high level of a […]
We have an incredible card this weekend at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. Headlining the event will be a lightweight title fight between two of the very best fighters on planet earth, the No. 1 ranked interim champion Dustin Poirier and the undisputed, undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This is about as high level of a matchup as we’ll ever get, both of these guys are so elite, but fight nothing like one another. Dustin Poirier has always been a serious talent ever since he debuted in the WEC against Danny Castillo. Where he really shined through and first stood out was when he upset Josh Grispi in his UFC debut, winning all three rounds against the one man who was supposed to fight then-champion Jose Aldo next.
After this, he would win his next three fights before losing to Chan Sung Jung, his only loss via submission.
After splitting his next two fights with a win over TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins and a unanimous decision loss to then peaking Cub Swanson, he’d win his next three, two of which were via knockout. “The Diamond” then fought Conor McGregor in McGregor’s first really high profile matchup and lost via knockout in round one. After this, Poirier went to lightweight and has gone 9-1 (1 NC) since.
After going 4-0 in his first four fights at 155 pounds, he got caught by Michael Johnson and finished via strikes. He has since gone 5-0 (1 NC). This includes wins over current and former champions like Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway. Quite the impressive resume Poirier has, and now he’s got to fight perhaps the scariest lightweight the sport has ever seen, and perhaps the best MMA grappler the sport has ever seen as well.
Khabib Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut in 2012 and has gone 11-0 since, capturing the UFC lightweight championship and defending it in his last two fights. After winning his first three UFC fights, he then broke a record for most takedowns in a single UFC fight against four-time NAIA All-American Abel Trujillo.
He almost ended the fight via triangle choke, but the bell at the end of round one saved Trujillo, and Nurmagomedov was able to break this record considering. Nurmagomedov took Trujillo down a total of 21 times out of 27 attempts, which is 78% accuracy, but that’s not the most impressive part.
The most impressive part of that is that the record was previously 15, which was recorded in a five-round fight, and Sean Sherk is the man that set the mark. If anyone remembers, “The Muscle Shark” was a stud wrestler in his own right; he had two extra rounds to do it and got six fewer takedowns. If that doesn’t show you what Nurmagomedov is capable of then nothing will.
Trujillo isn’t one of the elites at lightweight, but he is a good fighter, a dangerous fighter, and a great wrestler with way more credentials than listed above.
Nurmagomedov would then maul both Pat Healy and Rafael dos Anjos before being out for exactly two years due to injuries. He was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson in his return, but Ferguson was forced out with an injury and was replaced by Darrell Horcher, who Nurmagomedov out-grappled easily to a second-round TKO victory.
“The Eagle” then returned later that year to fight Michael Johnson, and had his best performance to date, before being out another 13-and-a-half months due to weight cutting issues.
His last fight before challenging for the title was against this weekend’s co-main event A-Side, Edson Barboza, a fight he dominated. The Tony Ferguson matchup was then made again for the fourth time for the vacant UFC lightweight championship, but Ferguson fell out with a leg injury. After thinking he was going to fight Max Holloway all week leading up to UFC 223, he then had to fight Al Iaquinta instead, a fight he won all five rounds of.
After winning the belt he, of course, fought “The Notorious” Conor McGregor at UFC 229, and also dominated that fight. He’s been out since then due to suspension, but he’s now back against the interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, his most dangerous opponent to date. If there’s anyone “The Eagle” has ever fought that has the best chance of changing his record for the worse, Poirier has the best chance thus far by far.
Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0) vs. Dustin Poirier (25-5) 1 NC
Both of these guys are at the pinnacle of the sport right now, and rightfully so. There’s one fight we could refer to when predicting this one, and that’s Nurmagomedov’s fight with Al Iaquinta, though it may not have 100% relevance given the fact that was a 24-hour notice fight. However, Poirier has never fought anyone like Nurmagomedov, but Nurmagomedov fought Iaquinta, who fights similar to “The Diamond”.
They both are primarily boxers that mix in some decent kicks, but Poirier’s better on the ground than Iaquinta; his footwork is a little different, and he also hits much harder. Aside from that, they’re quite similar. “The Eagle” and “The Diamond” have two common opponents, Michael Johnson, and Conor McGregor, and funnily enough, both knocked Poirier out in a combined 3:21. That’s not to say Nurmagomedov definitely has this fight won, because MMA math doesn’t work and Nurmagomedov doesn’t win fights in that manner.
The only time we’ve ever seen Nurmagomedov have problems of any sort was against Gleison Tibau in his second UFC fight. He attempted 13 takedowns against the 15-fight, six-year UFC veteran and scored zero, but what people don’t realize is that this was not only Nurmagomedov’s second fight in the UFC, but also only his second fight ever in a cage, his first 16 were in a ring. He also still won that fight 30-27 on all three judges scorecards.
One interesting thing to think of, Poirier hasn’t ever lost how Nurmagomedov wins, and Nurmagomedov hasn’t lost ever, something’s got to give in this fight.
How do you see this fight going between these two 30-year-old assassins?
UFC 242 is upon us. The event will be held inside du Arena in Abu Dhabi tomorrow (Sept. 7). Headlining the card will be a lightweight title unification bout between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim title holder Dustin Poirier. Taking the co-mai…
UFC 242 is upon us. The event will be held inside du Arena in Abu Dhabi tomorrow (Sept. 7). Headlining the card will be a lightweight title unification bout between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim title holder Dustin Poirier. Taking the co-main event spot will be a 155-pound rematch between Edson Barboza and Paul Felder. […]
