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UFC 215 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Nunes vs. Schevchenko

The UFC 215 fight card has experienced some shakeups, but the Edmonton, Alberta crowd at Rogers Place will still be treated to the culmination of a bitter rivalry in the Amanda Nunes-Valentina Shevchenko main event.
The pay-per-view was supposed …

The pay-per-view was supposed to be anchored by Demetrious Johnson going for 11th consecutive title defense in the flyweight division. However, opponent Ray Borg was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an illness, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

In addition to the loss of the heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos due to a potential doping violation for JDS, the card has taken a considerable hit.

There’s still some fights worth getting excited about, though. The women’s bantamweight title rematch should be a fun bout, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is continuing his welterweight campaign and Gilbert Melendez will make his featherweight debut.

Here’s a look at the main card along with the latest odds from OddsShark and a closer look at some of the biggest fights on this card.

Main Card

Amanda Nunes (EVEN) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (-130) for the women’s bantamweight championship
Rafael dos Anjos (-175) vs. Neil Magny (+145) welterweight bout
Henry Cejudo (-325) vs. Wilson Reis (+250) flyweight bout
Ilir Latifi (-105) vs. Tyson Pedro (-125) light heavyweight bout
Jeremy Stephens (-115) vs. Gilbert Melendez (-115) featherweight bout

Note: All odds are in moneyline form. For instance, -900 means that a bettor would have to bet $900 dollars to win $100.

Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko

The Nunes vs. Shevchenko matchup has high expectations to be a good one. Carrying a card that has been through the ringer, the hope is that they’ll close out the night with an action fight.

Gilbert Melendez—who knows a thing or two about action fights—believes that the championship fight is his main competition for Fight of the Night.

“I believe Valentina will become stronger and more dominant as it goes along. Amanda Nunes really lets those hands go and I think she’s getting very good at her striking,” Melendez said, breaking down the fight per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting. I didn’t give her that much credit earlier, but she’s really blossomed, I have to say if [Melendez and opponent Jeremy Stephens] don’t get Fight of the Night, they probably will.”

It’s hard to argue with Melendez’s logic. Nunes is a quick starter who will look for the early finish. She has finished 11 of her 14 wins inside the first round so she’ll look to press right away.

If Shevchenko can survive that initial onslaught we are in for a war, though. In the first fight Nunes had just enough gas left in the second round to earn the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecard.

By the third, she was hanging on to win the decision. Shevchenko dominated the third round in such a way that it’s hard not to see her once again dominating the later rounds.

With the title fight going five rounds, that leaves Shevchenko with three rounds to work with if she happens to drop the first two again to the champion. That’s plenty of time to complete the comeback this time around.

Prediction: Shevchenko via decision

Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis

Because Demetrious Johnson’s latest title defense was taken off the main card, a battle between two of the champions former challengers was promoted to the pay-per-view. Henry Cejudo and Wilson Reis will square off in a fight that could determine who gets a shot at redemption against the champion.

Johnson is to the point now where the division is all but cleaned out so rematches could be the next phase of his title reign. Cejudo figured to be one of Johnson’s toughest outs, but Mighty Mouse ended the fight early with brutal knees in the clinch.

That performance was a bit of an aberration for both Johnson and Cejudo. Mighty Mouse isn’t generally the kind of striker that ends fights in the first round and Cejudo scored an early takedown, but wasn’t able to maintain top position.

Reis lasted longer in his bout with the champion, but was more thoroughly dominated. Where Cejudo at least scored a takedown and showed glimpses of competing, Reis was outlanded 108-16 in significant strikes, per FightMetric before succumbing to a third-round submission.

Still, Reis feels that his grappling chops are in line with Cejudo and it will be a big part of his gameplan on Saturday night.

“I have an aggressive wrestling style, too,” Reis said, per FloCombat. “I like to take people down. I’m looking for an opportunity all the time, so, just because he is an Olympic champion, I will not take that part of my game out of my strategy. I believe very much in my takedown abilities, so I will fully rely on my wrestling and jiu-jitsu against him.”

That might not be the best idea. Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist level wrestler and he has transitioned that discipline well into his MMA repertoire.

Reis is an accomplished grappler, but he’s been taken down in losses to Jussier Formiga and Iuri Alcantara. It should be more of the same here as Cejudo proves too powerful for the Brazilian.

Prediction: Cejudo via third-round TKO

Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez

The people’s main event on Saturday might just be the featherweight bout between division mainstay Jeremy Stephens and debutante Gilbert Melendez.

After a run at lightweight that included a Strikeforce championship and two shots at the UFC strap, El Nino will make the move down to 145 pounds. Greeting him will be a fighter in Stephens who has taken on the best of the best in the division.

Stephens is far from elite at this stage in his career. He’s just 2-5 in his last seven fights. But he’s always a scrappy challenge, having three Knockout of the Night and three Fight of the Night honors to his name.

There’ll be plenty of motivation to do well, too. After all, the man postponed his wedding to take the fight.

“I got the call and I said, ‘alright, who’s the opponent?’, Stephens said, per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting. “They said ‘Gilbert Melendez,’ and I said ‘hang on, let me call my fiancee real quick’ and see if she’s willing to do it.”

Stephens decision might just pay off in this case. Melendez hasn’t been impressive of late either. He’s on a three-fight losing streak and is just 1-3 since coming over to the UFC from Strikeforce in 2013.

At this point, this fight comes down to which fighter has more left of their prime. The 31-year-old Stephens might just have the advantage in that category over the 35-year-old Melendez.

Expect the motivated Stephens to edge out Melendez in a fight that should feature plenty of action.

Prediction: Stephens via decision

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Jeremy Stephens Says Gilbert Melendez Has Been in Too Many Wars

Jeremy Stephens doesn’t believe Gilbert Melendez will bring anything new to the table on Sept. 9. At UFC 215 inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Stephens and Melendez are set to throw leather. “Lil Heathen” has lost his last two bouts. Melendez is on a three-fight skid. Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Stephens said “El Nino” should’ve […]

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 215 – Notable Bouts

Sara McMann vs. Ketlen Vieira
McMann’s recent form has been pretty flawless, so much so that her losses to Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Amanda Nunes seems like they happened an eternity ago. McMann looks confident and strong, and it is certainly going to take some serious talent and skills to put an end to her momentum. Time, however, is not on McMann’s side, she is 36 years old and so she certainly does not have too many years of competitive fighting ahead of her to look forward to. Whatever she wants to be and prove, this is her time now to do it at UFC 215.
On the other side of the octagon is going to be Ketle Vieira. Vieira is not exactly as well known and is considerably inexperienced in the UFC. She was promoted from the Brazilian MMA and her current record is an impressive 8 – 0.
We think Vieira is going to taste defeat for the first time in the UFC at the hands of McMann.
Neil Magny vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Rafael Dos Anjos has moved weight divisions from lightweight to welterweight and his welterweight debut went pretty the way he would have hoped for. It was crucial that he get a win in the debut and he did. Anjos is considerably a more unknown fighter amongst the fans and he has never really gotten the spot light much. Now on UFC fight night 215, he is going to come up against Neil Magny who certainly is no push over.
Magny is solid all round, but we would still put our money on Rafeal Dos Anjos for this one, his experience should be enough to carry him through.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendezs’ last three outings in the lightweight division have all been losses and he is now making a move to the featherweight division to hopefully churn out some victories there. Melendez will be looking to getting back to winning ways when he comes up against Wilson Reis.
Reis, you can rest assured, is not going to make it easy for Stephens. The Former EliteXC champion has been consistent so far and will make Melendez work for it!

Gilbert Melendez on Jeremy Stephens: ‘I Respect Him & His Style’

Gilbert Melendez is giving Jeremy Stephens his due ahead of their Sept. 9 bout. Melendez is taking the trip back down to featherweight to do battle with “Lil’ Heathen” inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The two will clash at UFC 215. “El Nino” will be going for his first win since Oct. 2013. […]

Gilbert Melendez Explains Why He’s Dropping Down To Featherweight

At 35 years of age, Gilbert Melendez, a former Strikeforce champion and a former UFC title challenger, has lost three consecutive fights at lightweight, and he’s well aware that change is needed, which is why he’s dropping down to 145 pounds to take on the hard hitting Jeremy Stephens at UFC 215 next month in […]

The post Gilbert Melendez Explains Why He’s Dropping Down To Featherweight appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

In addition to needing a new start, however, Melendez is also moving down a weight class because fighters at lightweight have been getting ‘bigger’ and ‘stronger’:

“I’m dropping down to 145 because I feel guys are getting better at cutting weight. I think they are doing it healthy and the sport is evolving and there are better techniques to it,” he said on a recent edition of The MMA Hour.

“I used to be a 145 fighter and I was doing just fine at ‘55. Guys just got bigger and stronger and a little bit more tough. I was fighting guys like Benson, I didn’t fight Frankie, but he was at ‘55 before,” added Melendez.

After his recent losing skid, “El Nino” is looking to reinvent ‘himself’, and he feels as if he’ll be able to control the action more competing at featherweight:

“I think I am looking to reinvent myself and be a longer fighter there and do something different. These 55’ers are big and I can’t really push forward like I’d like to. I am not scared to, I think at 145 I will be longer and be able to impose my will more. That is my goal there,” he concluded.

As far as his fight with Stephens goes, Melendez is pleased with the stylistic matchup, and he feels as if it’ll turn out to be an exciting fight:

“I own the center of the Octagon and I stand there and bang. Guys who have beaten me have usually outpointed me and not really beat my butt,” Melendez claimed. “They stick and move or change game plans, Stephens isn’t one of those guys. He pushes forward and someone who I have been asking for, someone’s who is not a runner, someone who’s a banger that’s actually going to fight. I respect him and I like his style. It’s a good recipe for MMA,” he said.

What are you expecting from “El Nino” in his return to action next month?

The post Gilbert Melendez Explains Why He’s Dropping Down To Featherweight appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

10 Current UFC Fighters Who Have Been To Jail

Boxing is often credited with having given many a troubled youth an alternate path away from a life of crime, as well as an opportunity to make something of themselves – and the sport of mixed martial arts is no different. Researching this article, there were many tales to be had of the rough childhoods, […]

The post 10 Current UFC Fighters Who Have Been To Jail appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Researching this article, there were many tales to be had of the rough childhoods, thuggish behavior, and poor choices that had led to 10 current UFC stars having been sent to jail at some point in their lives.

However, one recurring theme that cropped up more often than not was of these individuals then discovered MMA upon their release, and they were then able to use that as a springboard to move beyond their criminal past, channel their energy and attention in a more positive direction, and it ultimately lead to them competing in the Octagon.

It’s a positive take on what is otherwise a dark collection of stories that demonstrate just how close some of these stars came to throwing away any chance they had of making something of their lives. Let’s take a look back at how 10 current UFC athletes turned it around after going to jail.

Mark Hunt

Some of heavy-handed heavyweight Mark Hunt’s many fans may be surprised to discover that in his younger days before he discovered MMA, he had a reputation for violence and criminal behavior in his home city of Auckland, New Zealand.

Hunt and his siblings suffered horrific physical abuse at the hands of their father growing up, and the anger felt as a result of that led to him regularly getting into trouble himself for fighting on the streets.

Hunt also became involved in petty crimes and admits to having stolen dozens of cars in his early teens, before finally being sentenced to nine months in jail at just 16-years-old after mugging a man for his Dr Martens shoes.

Hunt didn’t learn his lesson though and was later put behind bars again for assault.

It was only when a bouncer convinced him to try martial arts after witnessing him knock out several people outside a nightclub that Hunt finally started to get his life on track, and in the two decades since he’s gone from living a pitiful existence to earning $750,000 every time he fights in the Octagon.

The post 10 Current UFC Fighters Who Have Been To Jail appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.