The UFC’s return to Japan follows the theme of “the bigger the name, the bigger the odds” as UFC Fight Night 117 goes Friday night at the Saitama Super Arena.
The card was originally topped by light heavyweight contenders Ovince Saint Preux and Maurici…
The UFC’s return to Japan follows the theme of “the bigger the name, the bigger the odds” as UFC Fight Night 117 goes Friday night at the Saitama Super Arena.
The card was originally topped by light heavyweight contenders Ovince Saint Preux and Mauricio Rua, but Shogun was injured, forcing former middleweight contender Yushin Okami into the Main Event. And sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark clearly don’t believe Okami’s time away from the UFC has served him well as he is a huge underdog to the erratic Saint Preux.
Okami, who lost a title fight to Anderson Silva in 2011, has fought mainly in World Series of Fighting since leaving the UFC three years ago. But the brawler is 5-2 in those seven fights, including four straight wins, and has the grappling pedigree to get this fight to the mat.
He should also be buoyed by a home crowd and has the size to hang with a bigger man in Saint Preux, who has lost four of his past six fights. Most of the Asian betting sites offering lines on this fight have Okami at nearly +400 (bet $100 to win $400) odds.
While the rest of the card is heavy on local Japanese and South Korean talent, the best scrap of the night features two women from Brazil. And again, oddsmakers have a steep betting line here on the favorite Claudia Gadelha (-270) over Jessica Andrade (+210).
Both lost recent title shots at the 115-pound women’s strap, and Andrade would make a case for a rematch against Joanna Jedrzejczyk with a win here. Gadelha faces a tougher road back to a title fight, as she has already lost twice to the champion.
The other big name on the card is Japanese MMA pioneer Takanori Gomi, who is a big underdog against South Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim. That’s the lightweight Dong Hyun Kim nicknamed Maestro, not the middleweight Dong Hyun Kim nicknamed Stun Gun, for those keeping track at home.
Gomi, known as the Fireball Kid, has been finished emphatically in his past four UFC fights, so his presence here is mainly for name appeal on the card. Oddsmakers seem to agree, setting Kim, a middling fighter who was finished violently in his first two UFC scraps, at an expensive -350 price on the betting lines.
Gomi is a +265 underdog and probably not a great bet to win just his second fight since 2012.
The card also features the UFC debut of K1 kickboxing champion Gokhan Saki. He is favored at -175 odds for Friday night over Brazilian heavyweight Luiz Henrique da Silva (+145).
UFC returned to Pittsburgh for another Fight Night event Saturday.
In the main event, Luke Rockhold defeated David Branch to cement his status as one of the best middleweights in the world. However, what comes next is not clear.
UFC middleweight champi…
UFC returned to Pittsburgh for another Fight Night event Saturday.
In the main event, Luke Rockhold defeated David Branch to cement his status as one of the best middleweights in the world. However, what comes next is not clear.
UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has a date with Georges St-Pierre in November, and interim champion Robert Whittaker waits in the wings following that bout. So what’s next for Rockhold?
In the co-main event, Mike Perry iced Alex Reyes to continue showcasing his fight-ending power. It’s not the level of opponent he was originally slated to have, which may affect how far up the ranks he moves and, consequently, the level of opponent he gets next.
So what are the fights to book for Rockhold and Perry? What about Branch and Reyes? We’re here to answer just that. We’ll also take a look at the other eight fights that made up the card in the Steel City. Ready to play matchmaker?
Here are the fights to make for the winners and losers out of UFC Fight Night 116.
Credit where it’s due: Luke Rockhold knows how to nurse a wound.
It was well over a year ago that Rockhold lost his UFC middleweight title to Michael Bisping. Despite being a massive favorite in his first title defense, Rockhold suffered an unceremonio…
Credit where it’s due: Luke Rockhold knows how to nurse a wound.
It was well over a year ago that Rockhold lost his UFC middleweight title to Michael Bisping. Despite being a massive favorite in his first title defense, Rockhold suffered an unceremonious first-round beating to a man six years his senior.
He found a way to shoulder on. A dalliance with singer/actress/MMA enthusiast DemiLovato may have been helpful. Ditto his launching of a professional modeling career. There’s also the small fact that Rockhold is rich and famous (at least in an MMA context) and had the luxury of sitting out for a year in anticipation of “the right situation” coming along.
That right situation, evidently, was David Branch, who recently reached the UFC after being a two-division champ in the World Series of Fighting promotion. These two will headline UFC Fight Night 116, going down Saturday from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Despite Rockhold‘s presence and stated desire for his return to be accompanied by M-80s and Blue Angels, this is not the world’s sexiest card. And yet, there are several bouts worth watching, especially since it’s all freely available on Fox Sports 1.
Let us now separate wheat from chaff and identify the three fights you can’t miss on the evenings. Betting odds courtesy of OddsShark.
Bantamweight
Luke Sanders (11-1) vs. Felipe Arantes (18-8-1)
Odds: Sanders -250
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
Don’t let his last loss to IuriAlcantara fool you. Alcantara‘s an otherworldly grappler, and even so it was a bit of a fluky submission finish. Sanders remains one of the brightest prospects in the bantamweight division.
Sanders is violent. He likes to get his takedowns and deploy heavy ground striking, but to do that against the veteran Arantes, he’s going to have to get through a dangerous striking attack. Arantes is good everywhere, but he’s at his best when he’s throwing kicks. There should be some high-octane exchanges on the feet before Sanders eventually gets this to the ground. He should avoid the Hail Mary submission this time, but you never know.
This one’s kind of interesting from a marketing standpoint. Lombard is far better known than Smith, but at age 39 and on a three-plus-year losing streak, the bloom is off the rose a bit for the Cuban-Australian. Smith, on the other hand, is a dangerous fighter with no name recognition whatsoever.
That equation could change Saturday.
These two have a lot of fights between them. Ditto the knockouts, with a combined 32. For all his judo skills, Lombard fell hard for the quick finish long ago, and there’s nothing to suggest he’ll be changing that up anytime soon. But Smith, exactly 10 years Lombard’s junior, should be equal to the task, not only weathering the storm but returning a few lightning bolts of his own.
Lombard has faced cardio concerns for years now. If he doesn’t pace himself here—and, again, old dog new tricks—he could be a pivotal stepping stone for an exciting younger fighter in Smith.
Middleweight
Luke Rockhold (15-3) vs. David Branch (21-3)
Odds: Rockhold -208
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
In his first UFC fight after a six-year absence that included his two-division title run in WSOF, Branch didn’t exactly light the world on fire in a close split-decision win over KrzysztofJotko. But Jotko‘s good, and Branch got the job done. He might just need a little more against the former middleweight champ.
Branch has stated he wants to “shut down” Rockhold and earn a finish, per The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Mania). Rockhold has predicted a domination so thorough that Branch will “panic.” As they say, something will need to give here.
Rockhold has been working with famed kickboxer and instructor Henri Hooft, so his striking will be on point. You know his jiu-jitsu will always be top notch. He has good size and will probably look to attack Branch from the perimeter with kicks and lay back for the counter.
Branch has a fairly basic striking game, and it may be hard for him to get close enough to ply his jab or initiate a clinch. He is also a great wrestler and grappler, but opponents aren’t safe anywhere on the ground against Rockhold. It’s hard to see Branch holding Rockhold down and neutralizing him for 25 minutes.
Still, Branch is a battle-tested veteran with consummate grinding skills. Rockhold is the favorite for a reason but bigger upsets have occurred.
UFC 215 kicked off what is looking to be a slow season for the promotion and that trend isn’t being bucked by UFC 216.
The full card currently stands as follows:
Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee
Fabricio Werdum vs. Derrick Lewis
Paige VanZant vs. Jessica …
UFC 215 kicked off what is looking to be a slow season for the promotion and that trend isn’t being bucked by UFC 216.
While there is certainly excitement to be found on the card—there are title-relevant bouts sitting atop the bill—the lack of name value and a true title fight hits UFC 216 hard.
Still, Bleacher Report is here to take an early look at the event and deliver the previews and predictions for the October 7 show at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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 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 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
AmandaNunes(EVEN) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (-130) for the women’s bantamweight championship
Rafael dosAnjos(-175) vs. NeilMagny(+145) welterweight bout
Henry Cejudo (-325) vs. Wilson Reis (+250) flyweight bout
IlirLatifi(-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.
The UFC will mark its second entry of a busy month when the Octagon travels to Edmonton, Canada, this Saturday, September 9, for UFC 215. The fight-card is looking a little worse for the wear after main event participant Ray Borg withdrew from the even…
The UFC will mark its second entry of a busy month when the Octagon travels to Edmonton, Canada, this Saturday, September 9, for UFC 215. The fight-card is looking a little worse for the wear after main event participant Ray Borg withdrew from the event late Thursday night due to illness.
Borg’s withdrawal not only rids the card of its main event, but also its potential to become the answer the trivia question, “At which event did Demetrious Johnson establish the record for most successful defenses of a UFC title?”
The bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko now slides into the main event slot. The women are familiar foes, having faced off previously in a competitive bout that Nunes won on the judges’ scorecards. This time around the stakes are higher, as Nunes will look to notch her second title defense, while Shevchenko will attempt to capture UFC gold for herself.
Welterweights Neil Magny and Rafael dos Anjos will square off in the co-main event of the evening. Magny enters having won four of his last five, while Dos Anjos has split a pair since losing his lightweight title a little more than a year ago.
UFC 215 will be rounded out by an additional nine matchups, beginning on Fight Pass, moving to cable and ending on pay-per-view.
The full UFC 215 main card looks like this:
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Neil Magny vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis
Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro
Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez
In anticipation of the action, Bleacher Report has assembled its usual team of writers to make some prognostications for the final five bouts of the evening. Read on for predictions from Steven Rondina, Nathan McCarter, Scott Harris and Craig Amos.
Credit where it’s due: Luke