The UFC continued their packed September schedule with tonight’s (Fri., September 22, 2017) UFC Fight Night 117 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux met late replacement and returning veteran Yushin Okami in the main event, ending the fight early and scoring a second straight finish in Japan with […]
The UFC continued their packed September schedule with tonight’s (Fri., September 22, 2017) UFC Fight Night 117 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux met late replacement and returning veteran Yushin Okami in the main event, ending the fight early and scoring a second straight finish in Japan with his third overall Von Flue choke.
Top-ranked women’s strawweight Claudia Gadelha faced fellow former title contender Jessica Andrade in the co-main event, and the fight turned into an absolute bloodbath with Gadelha controlling the action early with some cutting elbows. But Andrade bided her time and took the fight over in the second and third, slamming and battering her Brazilian rival with a bludgeoning assault of ground and pound.
The fighters will answer questions for the media at the post-fight press conference streaming live in the video shortly after the main card’s conclusion below:
It’s not receiving much (or any) hype in the tangible post-Mayweather vs. McGregor hangover period, but the UFC will return to the Land Of The Rising Sun tonight (Fri., September 22, 2017) with UFC Fight Night 117 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. In the main event, light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux will […]
It’s not receiving much (or any) hype in the tangible post-Mayweather vs. McGregor hangover period, but the UFC will return to the Land Of The Rising Sun tonight (Fri., September 22, 2017) with UFC Fight Night 117 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
In the main event, light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux will take on short-notice veteran Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami, who just replaced former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua last weekend. In the co-main, top-ranked strawweight Claudia Gadelha will meet recent title challenger Jessica Andrade for a spot near the top of the women’s 115-pound ranks.
Legendary K-1 competitor Gokhan Sakhi will also make his UFC debut on the card as well when he meets knockout striker Henrique da Silva.
Find who we picked to win on the UFC Japan main card right here.
Yushin Okami vs. Ovince Saint Preux:
Japan native Okami will get to showcase his skills on the grandest stage mixed martial arts (MMA) has to offer in the UFC’s Octagon, and he’ll challenge proven finisher and former interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux. “OSP” comes off of a momentous second-round submission win via Von Flue choke over Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Okami is riding a four-fight win streak and has no intention of becoming the University Of Tennessee alumni’s next highlight reel finish.
Pick: Okami via Split Decision.
Jessica Andrade vs. Claudia Gadelha
Andrade comes off of a failed attempt at taking UFC strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk’s throne, while Gadelha rides the momentum of a dominant first-round submission win over fellow former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Gadelha is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division and came the closest to downing J?drzejczyk inside the Octagon.
Pick: Gadelha should retain her position as gatekeeper of the 115-pound title shot with a unanimous decision win.
Takanori Gomi vs. “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim
The 38-year-old Gomi is a legend of the MMA game and has put on some of the more fierce bouts in the history of the sport, but the game has begun to catch up with the Japanese veteran who is on a four-fight losing streak in which he has been finished in each in the first round. Taking on a competitor the caliber of “Stun Gunn,” who comes off a disappointing loss to rising welterweight star Colby Covington, won’t bode well for Gomi either.
Pick: Kim via R1 KO.
Henrique da Silva vs. Gokhan Saki
K-1 legend Gokhan Saki will be competing in his second-ever MMA bout since his debut back in 2004, and will be competing in his last fight since April of 2015. De Silva started off his MMA career in an extremely promising way, going 12-0 before losing three straight over the past year.
Pick: I expect de Silva to get back on the winning track with a win over a lesser experienced Saki via R1 KO.
Rolando Dy vs. Teruto Ishihara
Ishihara’s UFC career looked extremely promising after picking up back-to-back knockout wins back in 2016, but after a pair of losses to the likes of Artem Lobov and Gray Maynard, it’s time for him to take a step back against Rolando Dy, who comes into his second fight under the UFC banner. With Dy coming off a second-round TKO loss to Alex Caceres via doctor stoppage, both men have something to prove in their return to the Octagon.
Pick: Something tells me Ishihara returns to his finishing ways with a second-round knockout win.
Jussier Formiga vs. Ulka Sasaki
Sasaki’s height has paid off huge dividends at the 125-pound weight class, standing at five-foot-ten, and having picked up three submission wins in his UFC tenure. Formiga has lost two of his last three fights to former UFC flyweight title challengers Henry Cejudo and Wilson Reis. Sasaki is looking to get in on the 125-pound title picture and should be fighting with a ton of motivation to do so.
Tomorrow night (Sat., June 3, 2017) the UFC will get their jam-packed summer schedule rolling with UFC 212 from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The card features the long-awaited featherweight title unification bout between champion Jose Aldo and surging interim champion Max Holloway. Aldo was last seen winning the interim 145-pound belt, […]
Tomorrow night (Sat., June 3, 2017) the UFC will get their jam-packed summer schedule rolling with UFC 212 from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The card features the long-awaited featherweight title unification bout between champion Jose Aldo and surging interim champion Max Holloway.
Aldo was last seen winning the interim 145-pound belt, which eventually became the official 145-pound he held since 2011, when Conor McGregor was stripped of the title after not defending it for a year after winning it by knocking out “Junior” in the main event of 2015’s UFC 194. He’ll be faced with an under-the-radar challenge in “Blessed” (who should be anything but), who’s won an incredible 10 straight bouts over some of the best featherweights the sport has ever seen.
In the co-main event, top-ranked women’s strawweight Claudia Gadelha will look to battle her way back to a 115-pound title shot against No. 2 Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Both have recently lost to dominant champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, but with the champ having almost cleaned out the division aside from expected next contender Rose Namajunas, the winner of this pivotal match-up will find themselves dangerously close to yet another title shot.
Legendary knockout artist and controversial Brazilian MMA pioneer Vitor Belfort will also make his final walk to the octagon when he meets fellow longtime veteran Nate Marquardt in what should be an emotional, hard-hitting affair.
Rounding out the main card, Paulo Barrochinha will meet Oluwale Bamgbose at middleweight while Erick Silva will get the main card rolling against Yancy Medeiros. Find out whom we picked to win at UFC 212 below.
Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway:
This is one of the more interesting featherweight title bouts we’ve had outside of McGregor vs. Aldo, and a lot of that has to do with how dominant Holloway has looked running through many of the best 145-athletes in the world during his unprecedented win streak.
The Hawaiian “Blessed” has clearly hit his prime as a mixed martial artist after losing to McGregor as a green prospect, an now he’s finally gotten his chance against the best featherweight of all-time, in his native fight-crazed home of Rio. The champ has looked excellent against the more stout wrestling-type fighters he’s made his money against, evident in his two wins over Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes. Holloway presents an entirely different challenge altogether, as he’s a lanky striker who likes to push the pace with both accurate and powerful punches in volume. Aldo will always have his vaunted leg kicks and hand speed here, and a win over the young upstart would further cement his already decorated legacy.
But I just think that now is Holloway’s time, and he’s ready to come in and throw down with Aldo for a full five rounds by using his length and reach to come out on top.
Prediction: Holloway by fourth-round TKO
PHoto: Jason da Silva for USA TODAY Sports
Claudia Gadelha vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz:
This match-up of the two top women’s strawweight fighters in the UFC other than Joanna Jedrzejczyk should be a closely-contested co-main event at UFC 212, and Gadelha should be motivated by the support of her home fans.
It’s hard to predict if she’ll look to implement a grappling-centered gameplan to neutralize the world-class Muay Thai skills of Kowalkiewicz, because she did tire a bit after resorting to takedown attempts in her failed title rematch against “Joanna Champion” last July. Gadelha appeared to be holding her own in the striking department against one of the best in the game until she gassed, meaning we could see an entertaining battle of talented 115-pound women.
I still think Gadelha should look to use her grappling and jiu-jitsu edge, however, as meeting the Polish whirlwind in the center of the octagon to throw down in a technical striking contest just isn’t the best gameplan here. Gadelha will have a decided size and strength advantage, and the fight should turn in her favor if she can hold Kowalkiewicz on the mat for any extended period of time – especially in the early rounds. Kowalkiewicz will most likely have her moments on the feet as well, but Gadelha’s toughness should see her edge a gritty victory.
Prediction: Gadelha by unanimous decision
Vitor Belfort vs. Nate Marquardt:
Belfort’s final fight – maybe – is a solid match-up for him here, as he’s finally facing another fading power striker/submission artist in longtime veteran Marquardt. Both may have a little knockout power left in their hands and feet, as that’s usually the last thing to go on fading fighters. If this is indeed “The Phenom’s” last fight (he’s hinted at fighting for Bellator more than once recently), then I expect him to come out guns blazing with nothing to lose. His career has been both decorated and controversial, but why not, I saw he gets one last knockout for the Brazilian faithful in his last UFC bout.
Prediction: Belfort by first-round TKO
Photo: Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports
Paulo Borrachinha vs. Oluwale Bamgbose:
Borrachinha appears to be a vastly promising 9-0 Brazilian prospect after winning his UFC debut by stoppage in March. He brings an exciting mixture of speed, strength, youth, and athleticism, and Bamgbose is a perfect all-out striker to test his abilities against. He’s lost two out of his last three in the UFC and will need to throw caution to the wind to keep his job. He isn’t likely to attempt to ground Borrachinha to do it, meaning this fight could have “Fight of the Night” written all over it. I think Borrachinha is the more polished and measured striker, so I think he’ll score an impressive early KO.
Prediction: Borrachinha by first-round TKO
Photo Credit: Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports
Erick Silva vs. Yancy Medeiros:
Silva has no doubt faded after surging into the UFC as one of the hottest welterweights up-and-comers roughly five years ago, but I still think he’ll have the size advantage over lightweight Medeiros in the second Brazilian vs. Hawaiian main card bout at UFC 212. Silva holds a noted edge in the jiu-jitsu department, and will also have the full support of the crowd. Medeiros is tough and can throw down with the best of them, but I think Silva takes this one home for his Brazilian fans.
