After an extended March Madness-related hiatus, the UFC is back in full force Saturday with UFC 210, going down in Buffalo, New York.
The narrative on Daniel Cormier has become clear over the course of the week. This card does not carry the buzz that o…
After an extended March Madness-related hiatus, the UFC is back in full force Saturday with UFC 210, going down in Buffalo, New York.
The narrative on Daniel Cormier has become clear over the course of the week. This card does not carry the buzz that others carry. Cormier, who defends his light-heavyweight title against first-round terror Anthony Johnson in the evening’s main event, bears some responsibility for this, but is chronically under-appreciated by the mainstream MMA– and sports-going publics.
Perhaps if the former Olympic wrestler can defeat the knockout artist Johnson for the second time—Cormier choked him out in 2015 to take the belt vacated by a wayward Jon Jones—that would add enough mass to create a tipping point.
We shall see Saturday. We shall also see about the co-main event, which pits middleweight contenders Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi against each other. And those are only two of the five fights scheduled for the pay-per-view card.
We can’t let you watch these fights with no information or perspective. So we’re giving you a breakdown and a prediction for each of these main-card contests. It’s our tried-and-true staff predictions team. Steven Rondina. Craig Amos. Nathan McCarter. And myself, Scott Harris. Let’s get it on.
The Octagon invades Buffalo for the first time since UFC 7 back in 1995 Saturday night with UFC 210. In the featured attraction, Daniel Cormier defends his light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson. Back in May of last year, “DC” scored a submission win in the third round over Johnson to win the title, which […]
The Octagon invades Buffalo for the first time since UFC 7 back in 1995 Saturday night with UFC 210. In the featured attraction, Daniel Cormier defends his light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson. Back in May of last year, “DC” scored a submission win in the third round over Johnson to win the title, which […]
Gegard Mousasi feels prepared for Chris Weidman’s pressure. Mousasi, who holds the fifth spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight rankings, battles Weidman who is just ahead at the fourth position. The two will collide in the co-main event of UFC 210 this Saturday night (April 8). A win for “The Dreamcatcher” would […]
Gegard Mousasi feels prepared for Chris Weidman’s pressure. Mousasi, who holds the fifth spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight rankings, battles Weidman who is just ahead at the fourth position. The two will collide in the co-main event of UFC 210 this Saturday night (April 8). A win for “The Dreamcatcher” would […]
Hear from Anthony Johnson, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman following their performances at open workouts for UFC 210 in Buffalo recently. Johnson challenges Cormier for the title in the main event, while Mousasi and Weidman – who received a Buffalo Sabres hockey jersey – square off in the co-main. […]
Hear from Anthony Johnson, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman following their performances at open workouts for UFC 210 in Buffalo recently. Johnson challenges Cormier for the title in the main event, while Mousasi and Weidman – who received a Buffalo Sabres hockey jersey – square off in the co-main. […]
UFC 210 is co-headlined by a pretty important middleweight affair as former champion Chris Weidman will look to get back on track against Gegard Mousasi. The fight is certainly high stakes to say the least as both men are at a crossroads in their career. For Gegard Mousasi it’s a chance to prove his worth to the masses as one of the greatest fighters in the game. For Chris Weidman, it’s potential a final chance to prove that he can hang with the best of the best in the division.
UFC 210 is co-headlined by a pretty important middleweight affair as former champion Chris Weidman will look to get back on track against Gegard Mousasi. The fight is certainly high stakes to say the least as both men are at a crossroads in their career. For Gegard Mousasi it’s a chance to prove his worth to the masses as one of the greatest fighters in the game. For Chris Weidman, it’s potential a final chance to prove that he can hang with the best of the best in the division.
Gegard Mousasi feels disrespected and he doesn’t care who knows it. These days he’s become more vocal in his opinions about the UFC and what the promotion stands for. He’s been vocal because, really, that’s the only way to generate buzz in this day and age (he has Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor to thank for that). Nevertheless, the one thing that has always been certain about Gegard Mousasi is his ability to fight. If anyone ever had any doubts, the man is truly one of the best middleweights on the UFC’s roster today.
His overall striking is strong, but what makes him so dangerous is his jab and the ability to play aggressor and counter fighter all at once. Mousasi likes to employ intelligent pressure and keep his opponents on the back foot with his jabs. When he does choose to counter, he leans his head over his leg to give the appearance of being there to be hit. He pop his head back and counter with straights and hooks as well as some powerful kicks. He’ll be smart to use the pressure game against Weidman, flicking jabs and forcing the former champion to shoot for takedowns. Anticipating the rush from Weidman is the biggest factor for Mousasi to overcome and if he can handle that, stringing off combinations of multiple combinations, and the occasional kick, will lead Mousasi to victory.
For the former middleweight king, being on a two fight skid is something pretty uncommon. Chris Weidman has the distinction of beating some of the best Brazilian mixed martial artists in the game, including arguable the greatest to have ever done it, Anderson Silva. It’s a sexy feather to have in his cap, but he can’t rest on his laurels. Getting back to title contention will mean busting up Mousasi badly to begin a new streak. Weidman has some deceptively intricate footwork that pushes his opponent’s backs to the fence and forces them to react to his strikes and feints. Weidman isn’t the most polished striker but he’s very effective in understanding range which has carried him far. He stays busy with strikes up top and down below, giving his opponent something to constantly think about.
Chris Weidman also has that dangerous wrestling to fall back on as he has taken down all of his UFC opponents. The problem he faced in his bout with Yoel Romero is giving the his opponent too much space to react to the shot. Weidman will want to mitigate this by giving Mousasi no space against the cage, firing off a combination, and getting in on the hips. While he’s effective at getting the takedown in space, giving Mousasi less real estate to work with will be essential to grasping victory in this fight.
It’s a battle between a middleweight who believes he deserves more respect and another chomping at the bit to once again be the man. Who will come out on top at UFC 210 this weekend, Chris Weidman or Gegard Mousasi?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
The UFC heads to Buffalo, New York, for the first time in more than 20 years with a solid offering on pay-per-view Saturday.
In the main event, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends his light heavyweight belt for the second time against Ant…
The UFC heads to Buffalo, New York, for the first time in more than 20 years with a solid offering on pay-per-view Saturday.
In the main event, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends his light heavyweight belt for the second time against Anthony Johnson in a rematch of their excellent fight from 2015. Until Jon Jones returns, this is the best fight that can be made at 205 pounds. The winner will be a worthy champion.
The co-main event is likewise excellent. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman attempts to get back on track against the surging Gegard Mousasi, who has won four in a row and six of his last seven. In a wide-open middleweight division with a logjam at the top, the winner of this bout will find himself in the mix for the next title shot after Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre finally meet in the Octagon.
The rest of the card drops off in terms of name value, but not the quality of the matchups. Keep an eye on the pay-per-view opener between Will Brooks and Charles Oliveira in particular, which should be a barnburner.
On the preliminary card, talented prospects reign supreme. The welterweight bout between Sean Strickland and Kamaru Usman will determine a new member of the elite in a division that badly needs some new blood at the top. Shane Burgos, Gregor Gillespie and Magomed Bibulatov all have a chance to make statement wins.
