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UFC 217 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Bisping vs. St-Pierre

The UFC’s best fight card of the year is here, and it’s actually intact.
In a year full of fights falling apart at the last second, it’s about time that fight fans get to see some of the best in the world finally enter the Octagon and put their titles …

The UFC’s best fight card of the year is here, and it’s actually intact.

In a year full of fights falling apart at the last second, it’s about time that fight fans get to see some of the best in the world finally enter the Octagon and put their titles on the line. Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City, UFC 217 will host three title fights, including the return of UFC legend Georges St-Pierre.

GSP will face off against current Middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, in what will be the former welterweight champion’s first fight in four years.

But even though that fight is considered the main event of the evening, it might not even be the best fight on the main card. That’s how stacked it is.

Here’s a full look at the night’s fight-card schedule, including updated odds for each fight.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark:

UFC 217

Main Card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Michael Bisping (+105, bet $100 to win $105) vs. Georges St-Pierre (-125, bet $125 to win $100): Middleweight title fight
Cody Garbrandt (-200) vs. TJ Dillashaw (+160): Bantamweight title fight
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (-600) vs. Rose Namajunas (+400): Women’s Strawweight title fight
Jorge Masvidal (+155) vs. Stephen Thompson (-190): Welterweight
Paulo Costa (-310) vs. Johny Hendricks (+240): Middleweight

Prelims (Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)

Joe Duffy (-160) vs. James Vick (+130): Lightweight
Walt Harris (-360) vs. Mark Godbeer (+270): Heavyweight
Corey Anderson (+125) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (-155): Light Heavyweight
Randy Brown (-110) vs. Mickey Gall (-120): Welterweight

Prelims (Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET)

Curtis Blaydes (-360) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (+260): Heavyweight
Ricardo Ramos (-200) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (+160): Bantamweight

Joanna Jedrzejczk vs. Rose Namajunas

History is on the line for Joanna, as she can tie Ronda Rousey’s record of six title defenses with a victory at UFC 217, while recording her ninth straight victory.

But in this instance, history takes a back step. All we care about is finally seeing Jedrzejczyk back inside the Octagon against Thug Rose.

On paper, this is the champ’s fight to lose. Rose is too young, inexperienced and has never fought someone like Joanna. Having said that, Rose does offer one thing that the champ can’t prepare for: the unpredictable.

Namajunas has submitted her opponents in various ways from all sorts of angles. Getting Joanna on the mat will be a challenge, but never say never. For Jedrzejczyk, she’s easily the most skilled female striker in the game and pound-for-pound, regardless of gender, in the world.

During Thursday’s press conference, Joanna told her audience what to expect on fight night, and who are we to disagree with her?

The boogey woman is, indeed, coming, and she’s going to take out Rose with a third-round TKO finish.

Cody Garbrandt vs. T.J. Dillashaw

For all the cringeworthy trash talk that’s been surrounding this fight over the past six months, this is still one hell of a fight that could easily take Fight of the Night honors.

The bad blood, the Team Alpha Male drama—this fight has it all, and the UFC has struck gold having it as the night’s co-main event. Garbrandt, as we’ve seen during his brief-yet-meteoric rise in the UFC, has the kiss of death in his hands and boxing skills that would give Conor McGregor a run for his money.

For being such a hot head outside of the Octagon, his patience with his strikes and his fluid footwork once the fight starts is surprising, and it showed how much Dominick Cruz underestimated his skills when Garbrandt won the bantamweight title with a masterclass performance last year.

We know what Garbrandt is capable of inside the Octagon, but the real question surrounding this fight is how much Dillashaw has improved since the last time we’ve seen him fight for a title.

After losing his title to Cruz, Dillashaw went on a mission to become one of the most complete fighters at 135 pounds in the world, even if it meant leaving Team Alpha Male to do so.

In his last performance against John Lineker, Dillashaw looked—for lack of a better word—incredible. If that version of Dillashaw has improved even more since then, it could be a long night for Garbrandt. But as we all know when it comes to those four-ounce gloves, it only takes one punch.

I anticipate Dillashaw showing Garbrandt different looks, even looking to shoot for a couple takedowns to take away Garbrandt’s advantage on the feet.

Dillashaw will win the first round handedly, but Garbrandt will soon figure out his timing and solve the puzzle, allowing him to unload a right-hand bomb that sends Dillashaw to the canvas in the second round. A little ground-and-pound should be enough for the referee to stop the fight and give the champ his first title defense of his career.

Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre

Yeah, this card just gets better and better as the night goes on.

GSP might not have been the most entertaining fighter when the history books are written, but no one can deny his wrestling skill set and fight IQ. As for Bisping, when have you ever been bored watching The Count inside of the Octagon? Even if he does get viciously knocked out a la Dan Henderson.

In many ways, this is a bizarre matchup. Not only is GSP fighting at 185 pounds for the first time in his career, he’s fighting one of the best strikers the UFC has ever had in Bisping, who owns the record for most significant strikes landed, most wins inside of the Octagon and most fights.

He’s coming off a war against Henderson and a knockout victory over Luke Rockhold, and now Bisping has his eyes set on putting himself in the GOAT conversation with a win over GSP. The game plan is rather simple for Bisping, who wants to keep this fight on the feet as much as he can.

After all, he did say his greatest fear is getting cuddled to death by GSP yesterday, and he’s not exaggerating.

GSP’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu is world-class and he would be foolish to try and exchange with Bisping on the feet, even if he does have legendary boxing coach Freddie Roach in his corner.

GSP may have made the 185-pound weight limit easily, but how comfortable is he fighting a five-round fight at that weight against a guy like Bisping, who never seems to slow down?

The former 170-pound champ bit off more than he can chew with this fight, and it will show after a strong opening couple of minutes where GSP looks like his old self until the adrenaline wears off. The extra muscle and weight he’s carrying around will work against him as his movement slows down and his breathing becomes heavy.

Bisping will use his cardio to his advantage and load on the pressure with well-executed combinations, backing GSP up against the cage. From there, Bisping will have his way with the former champ, ultimately getting the finish with a second-round TKO after GSP goes down to the mat and covers up, waiting for the referee to stop the fight.

With the loss, it’s safe to say that this will be the final time (for real this time) that fight fans will see GSP fight in the UFC.

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NYSAC Makes Changes To Weigh-In Protocol Following UFC 210 Towelgate

Following the towel incident involving UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 210, the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) has decided to make some changes to its weigh-in protocol. Weigh-ins for UFC 210 took place on April 7th, one day before the event, and some controversy ensued once Cormier hit the scale. Initially, […]

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Weigh-ins for UFC 210 took place on April 7th, one day before the event, and some controversy ensued once Cormier hit the scale. Initially, Cormier missed the 205-pound weight limit by 1.2 pounds but returned three minutes later and made the weight perfectly.

While weighing in the second time, however, Cormier was holding on to the towel that was covering him and it looked as though he was putting some weight on it, which would’ve affected the scale’s reading. The NYSAC did not penalize Cormier as he technically didn’t break any of their rules (via MMA Fighting):

“When I got off the scale the first time, I walked away, and they didn’t cover me,” Cormier said. “So obviously, a guy thinks that he’s losing everything that he’s worked for on the scale, and we just walk back off the scale and nobody even worried about protecting me. So I was like, you know what, I’m going to hold the towel a little bit myself to make sure that I’m covered.”

Because of this, a change to the NYSAC’s regulations as it pertains to weigh-ins were made on April 13th. The change suggests that a fighter “shall not make physical contact with any person or object other than the scale.”

You can read the full addition to the rule here:

“When on the scale, the combatant shall stand still with his or her feet flat upon the scale and shall not make physical contact with any person or object other than the scale. No other person shall touch the scale when a combatant is in the act of weighing in. While on the scale, the combatant shall follow any direction issued by the Commission.”

Another addition to the rules suggests that a fighter can be disciplined by the commission if a competitor “fails to act in good faith, engages in disruptive behavior, or violates any rule or directive of the Commission during the official weigh-in.”

“In the discretion of the Commission, a combatant may be directed to immediately retake the scale to ensure that the combatant’s weight was accurately assessed.”

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UFC 208 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Holm vs. De Randamie

UFC 208 is almost upon us, and the company’s second return to New York is finally here—except this time, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be hosting the event, unlike Madison Square Garden back in November.
The first pay-per-view of 201…

The first pay-per-view of 2017 may not have the star power that UFC 205, 206 or 207 had, but this is a sneaky-good card for the diehard UFC fans. More so than the inaugural featherweight title up for grabs between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie, there are also a couple of really interesting fights, including Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson and Jacare Souza vs. Tim Boetsch.

Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie

This is a tough fight for Holm.

The UFC isn’t doing Holm any favors by putting her in the Octagon against De Randamie, a world champion kickboxer and muay thai champion. Holm is in desperate need of a victory on Saturday not only to make history, but to keep her UFC career alive.

Holm isn’t in any danger of getting released by the company or anything of that nature, but a third consecutive loss would make Holm a tough sell to its fans in a time when the new UFC owners and matchmakers are scrambling to put fight cards together to make money.

Holm, for as good as she is on her feet, cannot exchange with a striker like De Randamie, who can overpower Holm standing, in the clinch and on the ground if she has top control.

The best hope for Holm is that she can score a couple of takedowns to disrupt De Randamie‘s rhythm and make her think twice about being too aggressive and overcommitting.

Unfortunately for her, De Randamie will pick her apart and get the finish early in this one and make history as the company’s first-ever 145-pound female champion. Is Cris Cyborg next? We shall see.

Prediction: De Randamie defeats Holm in the second round via TKO.

Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson

The Spider is back.

While Silva hasn’t officially won a UFC fight since 2012 after getting knocked out by Chris Weidman, breaking his leg in the rematch against Weidman, a no-contest against Nick Diaz, a controversial loss to Michael Bisping and a loss to Daniel Cormier, it’s still a little strange to see him as an underdog.

Especially to a fighter like Derek Brunson.

Don’t get me wrong, Brunson is worthy of being a Top 10 fighter in this division, but being favored to beat Silva? That’s a bit steep, if you ask me. Brunson is coming off a tough first-round knockout loss to Robert Whittaker. Before that, Brunson was riding high with a five-fight win streak, including an impressive knockout victory over Uriah Hall.

Brunson is more than capable of stopping any fight with his power and precision as a striker, but Silva is arguably the best male striker the UFC has ever seen. Before he can even think of laying his hands on the former world champion, Brunson has to show that he can withstand Silva’s power and technique.

Prediction: Silva defeats Brunson in the third round via TKO.

Jacare Souza vs. Tim Boetsch

When this fight was announced, a lot of pundits were scratching their heads. While this is a huge opportunity for Tim Boetsch to cement himself as a title contender and move up the pecking order for an eventual title shot, it’s hard to see any real benefit for Souza. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose.

And that’s not a good position to be in when you’re a prizefighter.

For The Barbarian, this fight is, stylistically speaking, a bad matchup if Souza can find his way to the mat whether he’s in top control or in full guard. The last thing Boetsch wants to do is play the ground game with Souza, who is one of the world’s most elite grapplers and jiu-jitsu practitioners.

While the Brazilian has shown improvements in his striking over his last few fights, he’s still not an elite-level boxer by any means, which is where Boetsch has a glimmer of hope of taking down his heavily favored opponent.

But leave it to Boetsch to show no fear inside the Octagon against one of the best middleweights in the world. He even predicted that Souza will go down in one round.

That’s right, the underdog is calling his shot.

Everyone loves an underdog story, and perhaps no other sport sees an underdog win as often as MMA does. However, this is not one of those occasions. Souza is too talented and too disciplined to look past Boetsch and not take this fight seriously.

He will look for the quick finish whether it’s on the feet or on the mat and look immediately for a title shot or a fight against another top contender, maybe a rematch with Luke Rockhold whenever he’s healthy after pulling out against Souza late last year.

Prediction: Souza defeats Boetsch in the first round via submission.

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Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie: Keys to Victory for Fighters at UFC 208

History is in the making Saturday night as the UFC makes its way to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, for the very first time for UFC 208.
The main event, featuring former bantamweight champion Holly Holm vs. former kickboxing/muay thai world …

History is in the making Saturday night as the UFC makes its way to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, for the very first time for UFC 208.

The main event, featuring former bantamweight champion Holly Holm vs. former kickboxing/muay thai world champion Germaine de Randamie, is being overlooked as a money-grab fight for the company’s new owners. After all, how many casual UFC fans had heard of De Randamie leading up to this fight?

This fight card is for the diehard fans, and that’s how it should be.

Holm has the unique opportunity to become the first female two-division champion, despite losing two consecutive bouts. For De Randamie, this is her opportunity to show the UFC and its audience she’s a star and become a headlining act for years to come.

How Holm wins

In all honesty, the UFC isn’t doing Holm any favors by putting her in a cage against a monster like De Randamie. By essentially feeding the 35-year-old to a much more skilled striker, the UFC is sacrificing one of its few female moneymakers in hopes that the fans will respond positively to De Randamie. It’s a risk, but the UFC has to do what it can while its superstars are on hiatus.

Holm has, predominantly, been the superior boxer and kickboxer in every matchup she’s had inside the Octagon, with the exception of Valentina Shevchenko.

The American cannot do what she does best in this fight against De Randamie for one simple reason: The Dutchwoman can out-strike Holm in every aspect of her game.

For Holm to have any chance at winning the 145-pound belt, this fight will have to go to the ground, which may seem hard to imagine—the last time one of her fights went to the ground, she was choked out by Miesha Tate.

Holm is not a world-class grappler by any means, but De Randamie is inferior on the mat. By taking the Dutch striker off her feet into a world of combat she is not comfortable in, Holm will have her best chance to get the finish or earn a decision.

How De Randamie wins

This may seem quite simple, but all De Randamie has to do is avoid getting taken down by Holm and not overcommit on any punches or kicks. By fighting within herself and to her capabilities, there’s little doubt De Randamie shouldn’t run Holm over.

The Dutchwoman isn’t afraid of getting hit, which has been evident in her past UFC fights. This can be a good or a bad thing. It’s good because she shows no fear inside of the Octagon, but it’s also bad because she may leave herself vulnerable to counterstrikes and get finished, like she did against the current 135-pound champion, Amanda Nunes.

While Holm has excellent kicks and straight punches, De Randamie‘s muay thai is off the charts. Not only can she box, but she also knows when to deliver body blows with a vicious knee or body kick to stun her opponent.

This isn’t rocket science for De Randamie. All she has to do is stay on her feet and do what she does best.

Prediction

It’s hard to imagine Holm will lose three fights in a row, but unfortunately, that is her new reality. She will not make history Saturday night, despite a good showing.

Holm will be wrongly labeled as a one-hit wonder in the UFC after knocking out Ronda Rousey, but the fight game isn’t about being fair; it’s about winning.

De Randamie will become the company’s first-ever 145-pound champion and will likely take on Cris Cyborg if she is given an exemption from her suspension.

The Dutch contender will make history and finish Holm in the second round with vicious hooks and knees to the body that will make Holm reconsider her move up the featherweight division.

With the victory, the UFC will have a new star to promote in De Randamie, who has the personality and fighting ability to take her game to the next level. Who knows, maybe even a superfight/rematch with Nunes could be on the table within the next year?

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Three Bouts That Could Steal ‘Fight Of The Night’ At UFC 205

UFC 205 in New York is set for this Saturday and the date is fast approaching. The UFC has built a card second to none and is guaranteed to be the biggest card in the sports history. The main card is carrying six fights and to give context to the depth of the card, Frankie

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UFC 205 in New York is set for this Saturday and the date is fast approaching.

The UFC has built a card second to none and is guaranteed to be the biggest card in the sports history. The main card is carrying six fights and to give context to the depth of the card, Frankie Edgar vs Jeremy Stephens and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Michael Johnson are both on the undercard. For the fighters it may never be tougher to earn one of the coveted fight bonuses.

With Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez set to make history here are three other fights that could easily pick-up ‘Fight of the Night.’

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz

These two women are both represent Poland and have ment once before. They met as amateurs in 2012 with Jedrzejczyk picking up the victory. Fast forward four years and these two are both carrying undefeated records in the UFC’s strawweight division and have been on a collision course.

The title is on the line, national pride is on the line and both these women are high-level strikers. Their physical dimensions are almost identicle. They both throw a high volume of strikes and neither one like to take a back step. These two ladies takedown average zero, they are going to stand and bang. There is no doubt that this fight will be fireworks. This could easily be the fight of the night.

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Alvarez vs. McGregor: UFC 205 Odds, Predictions and Pre-Fight Twitter Hype

If Thursday afternoon’s press conference was any indication of what UFC 205 will look like on Saturday, we’re in for one hell of a showdown.
Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will look to defend his title against featherweight champion and lightweight…

If Thursday afternoon’s press conference was any indication of what UFC 205 will look like on Saturday, we’re in for one hell of a showdown.

Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will look to defend his title against featherweight champion and lightweight contender Conor McGregor.

It’s a difficult fight to break down for a multitude of reasons, mainly because the UFC has never seen McGregor fight at 155 pounds despite the fact that he was the featherweight and lightweight champion in Cage Warriors before signing on with the UFC.

But before we get into the chaos that was the press conference and the incredible main event that the world is waiting for, let’s look at the latest pre-fight odds, according to Odds Shark.

Alvarez and McGregor were in rare form at Thursday’s press conference, which began with McGregor arriving late, something that UFC fans have become all too familiar with.

Alvarez was vocal, playfully jabbing at the Irish contingency in attendance and even went as far as saying how “embarrassed” he felt for Ireland.

While the crowd and media anxiously awaited McGregor’s arrival, Alvarez grew tired of waiting and walked off the stage, eerily similar to the way Nate Diaz left the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference (Warning: NSFW).

When McGregor eventually came out from the shadows in the most fashionable way imaginable, he did what he does best: steal the show.

Call it staged, exaggerated and planned for selling more pay-per-views, but it was entertainment at its finest.

And for those curious about McGregor’s Gucci mink coat and red turtle neck, Fox Sports gave a good explanation for it on Twitter.

If McGregor was fined $75,000—not $150,000 as originally thought—for throwing a water bottle and a can of Monster Energy Drink at Nate Diaz and his team at the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference, how much would he have been fined for throwing a chair over Alvarez’s head?

Maybe the UFC is taking a page out of WWE’s playbook. Either way, Saturday can’t come soon enough given that both fighters are on edge and ready to throw haymakers at each other.

McGregor had lots to say, but because most of what he said is inappropriate for many readers, here is the G-rated trash talk from the featherweight champion on Thursday.

There is no way better way to explain this card than epic. From prelim to main event, it truly is the best fight card the UFC has ever put together. And while there are many good, close fights on the card, let’s be real. We’re here to talk about history being made.

McGregor is looking to become the first UFC fighter to ever simultaneously hold two belts in two weight divisions while Alvarez is looking to solidify his place in mixed martial arts history with a victory over the biggest name in the sport.

It’s not an easy fight for either corner. McGregor has to learn to withstand Alvarez’s relentless pressure and his ability to grind out a victory against the cage and in the clinch. The Irishman had some success in the clinch and defending takedown against Diaz, but Alvarez is a much stronger and more technical wrestler. Think Chad Mendes only taller, more aggressive and stronger.

By taking this fight off the feet and slowing down the pace, Alvarez should be able to come away with a decision win or even a submission victory.

But having said that, Alvarez has to withstand “The Notorious.”

There is a reason why McGregor has so much bravado and why he is undoubtedly the face of the fight game. He can walk the walk and talk the talk like no other UFC fighter, and he usually predicts how the fight will end, except for the two Diaz bouts.

McGregor has said time and again that he will rearrange Alvarez’s face and punish him once they step into the Octagon if he can withstand the barrage of strikes in the first round. McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh doesn’t agree with his student’s prediction of a first-round knockout, but he told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour this past Monday that he envisions a second-round knockout of Alvarez.

Prediction: Alvarez will eventually go down in history as a great fighter, but he will go down in the second round via McGregor’s left hand on Saturday.

If you want to see everything that went down at Thursday’s press conference, you can watch it here via UFC at the 10:28 mark (Warning: NSFW).

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