Tag: Preview/Prediction

UFC 213 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds, Predictions for Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2

For over a year, Amanda Nunes has had to hear questions about fading against Valentina Shevchenko in their March 2016 fight—even after taking the belt from Miesha Tate with a first-round finish in her next fight.
Questions persist about what Nune…

For over a year, Amanda Nunes has had to hear questions about fading against Valentina Shevchenko in their March 2016 fight—even after taking the belt from Miesha Tate with a first-round finish in her next fight.

Questions persist about what Nunes can do when a fight gets out of the first round. Even after demolishing Ronda Rousey in under a minute, the attention shifted to the third round of her fight with Shevchenko.

That’s what makes the main event of UFC 213 so intriguing.

Nunes has taken over as the most dominant force in the women’s bantamweight division. She’s won five fights in a row, with four of those wins coming in the first round. She even won the fight against Shevchenko via decision, but the biggest question she must answer as a champion is what she’ll look like in the championship rounds.

Shevchenko might just be the fighter to give us the answer to that question.

It’s a strong main event for a fun card set to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Here’s a look at the rest of the card along with the latest odds from OddsShark and predictions for the biggest fights.

       

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

  • Amanda Nunes (-110) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (-120) (for Women’s Bantamweight Title)
  • Yoel Romero (-105) vs. Robert Whittaker (-125) (for Interim Middleweight Title)
  • Curtis Blaydes (-700) vs. Daniel Omielanczuk (+450)
  • Alistair Overeem (-130) vs. Fabricio Werdum (EVEN)
  • Anthony Pettis (-250) vs. Jim Miller (+195)

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

  • Travis Browne (-235) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (+185)
  • Chad Laprise (-600) vs. Brian Camozzi (+400)
  • Thiago Santos (-160) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+140)
  • Belal Muhammad (-150) vs. Jordan Mein (+120)

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

  • Rob Font (-325) vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade (+250)
  • Cody Stamann (-275) vs. Terrion Ware (+215)
  • Trevin Giles (-305) vs. James Bochnovic (+235)

      

Predictions

Jim Miller over Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis returns to the lightweight division where he was once champion in desperate need of a win. Showtime has lost four of his last five fights, including three at 155 pounds where he once held the belt.

Pettis once ruled the division with his lethal and versatile striking at range. Rafael dos Anjos destroyed the aura of invincibility that he once had by applying constant pressure, closing the distance and blasting the champion from close range.

It’s been the recipe for shutting down Pettis ever since.

Pettis tried dipping down to 145 pounds in hopes that smaller opponents would mean less grinding, but after getting TKO’d by Max Holloway in an interim title fight, he’s back to 155 pounds and actually decided to focus less on his wrestling.

“Wrestling is a big part of the sport,” Pettis said, per Fernanda Prates of MMAjunkie. “But if you look at it, I’m not gonna catch up to this guys. I’m not going to catch up to a Clay Guida in wrestling, and they’re not going to catch up to me in striking. So I’ve got to go out there and make sure that my striking is OK for the fight and not get caught up on the who’s on top and who’s doing the takedowns.”

It’s clear that Showtime is the better striker. Miller only has four wins by knockout in his 12-year career, but he is among the best grapplers in the lightweight division and could spell trouble for Pettis if he’s able to close the distance.

Expect Miller to be all over Pettis and ruin his return to lightweight by submission or decision.

      

Yoel Romero over Robert Whittaker

The middleweight interim title fight might just be the best on this card, as Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker truly represent two of the hottest fighters in the middleweight division.

For a division that has Michael Bisping as champion and no return date for an actual title fight, this is the best it gets at 185 pounds right now.

It’s hard to pick against Whittaker. The 26-year-old has brutalized his way to the top of the division. He’s on a seven-fight win streak highlighted by knockout wins over Derek Brunson and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

But Romero is a slightly different beast. Even Whittaker will admit that.

“I want to be known as one of the best fighters ever,” Whittaker said, per Will Swanton of The Australian. “So in order to walk that path I need to fight the toughest and baddest dudes in the world. More than anything this week, more than that shiny belt at the end of it, I get the chance to fight Yoel Romero. He’s such a tough dude. I’m in this game to fight hard dudes.”

Where Brunson had the power on the feet and Souza had the slick submission game, Romero is a threat to end this fight on the feet or on the mat at any point. Whittaker has the power to turn this prediction on its head, but Romero has more ways to win the fight.

The stand-up exchanges in this fight should be fun. Whittaker’s vicious combinations set up an interesting contrast to Romero’s explosive one-punch power, but if/when Romero is able to get this to the ground, the talent disparity will show.

That should be the difference as Romero secures a TKO via ground-and-pound.

       

Valentina Shevchenko over Amanda Nunes

As previously described, this fight comes down to what Nunes can get done in the first round and what is left of Shevchenko if and when this fight gets to the third round and beyond.

Nunes’ pressure game is hard to beat. She’s so long for the division and attacks with combinations that make it hard to get away without getting hit by at least one of her strikes.

But Shevchenko’s ability to pivot and counter could be the difference. Shevchenko has an impressive kickboxing and muay thai record that demonstrates her technical abilities in the stand-up department.

It isn’t just Shevchenko’s elite level striking, though. She’s also proved to be an adept grappler. She has secured multiple takedowns in each of her UFC fights except her loss to Nunes, per Fight Metric, so she could be looking to either utilize an early takedown to quiet Nunes’ early rush or take down a tired Nunes in the later rounds to do her damage that way.

Regardless, the chances are that we will know exactly how this fight is going to go after the first round. If Shevchenko is still standing, it’s a good sign for her. Nunes is 3-3 in fights that have gone past the first round in her career, with the latest win coming against Shevchenko (the other two came in 2009 and 2010).

Even in the third round of that fight, Shevchenko outstruck 17-3 and scored the takedown.

With a revised game plan that includes more early takedown attempts, Shevchenko has the slight advantage in this one. Expect her to stall for a decent part of the first round, ride the storm and take over the fight with a mixture of her counters and ground game.

If Nunes’ prior forays into the later rounds are any indication, it’s not out of the realm that Shevchenko should secure the finish by the fourth frame.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 213: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

If Amanda Nunes wants to be more than the woman who likely retired Ronda Rousey, she’ll need to defeat Valentina Shevchenko in the main event at UFC 213. 
The women’s bantamweight title will once again be on the line as the Lioness looks to defend…

If Amanda Nunes wants to be more than the woman who likely retired Ronda Rousey, she’ll need to defeat Valentina Shevchenko in the main event at UFC 213. 

The women’s bantamweight title will once again be on the line as the Lioness looks to defend her title for a second time against a familiar foe in Shevchenko. 

The champion and challenger have met once before. Nunes rode a hot start to a unanimous-decision victory in her first bout with the challenger, but a five-round affair has the potential for a different dynamic between the two. 

The main event is good, but the co-main event gives it a run for its money for best fight of the night. Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker meet in a battle for the interim middleweight title. 

It’s a card with plenty of intrigue as the two title fights are near toss-ups, and they set the tone for the rest of the card. Here’s a look at the complete lineup along with predictions for the biggest fights on the card. 

      

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

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko (for Women’s Bantamweight Title)
  • Yoel Romero vs. Robert Whittaker (for Interim Middleweight Title)
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Daniel Omielanczuk
  • Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Anthony Pettis vs. Jim Miller

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

  • Thiago de Lima Santos vs. Gerald Meerschaert
  • Chad Laprise vs. Brian Camozzi
  • Travis Browne vs. Oleksiy Oliynyk
  • Jordan Mein vs. Belal Muhammad

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

  • Rob Font vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Cody Stamann vs. Terrion Ware
  • Trevin Giles vs. James Bochnovic

         

Predictions

Valentina Shevchenko is the New Women’s Bantamweight Champion

Nunes has looked like an unstoppable force in her last two fights. After submitting Miesha Tate in the first round to become the champion, she scored the biggest win of her career by brutally finishing Rousey in just 48 seconds. 

But the rules of engagement when fighting Nunes seem pretty clear at this point. She’s one of the best finishers in women’s MMA, but if a fighter can survive the opening salvo, she’s got a shot. 

Shevchenko is already one of the prime examples of that in Nunes career. In their first encounter, the Lioness easily won the first round and blitzed Shevchenko in the second, but  the latter started to gain some traction in the second round before outstriking Nunes 17-3 in the final frame, per Fight Metric. 

Even more concerning for the champion is that her bout against Shevchenko was her best performance in a fight that got out of the first round. Her other bouts that went past the first five minutes are knockout losses to Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano and a decision loss to Sarah D’Alelio. 

One thing to keep an eye on is just how many takedown attempts Nunes will attempt. In the first fight she did most of her damage on the ground but went 0-for-4 on takedown attempts in the final round. 

If Shevchenko can hang on through the opening round or two, her high-level striking should take over in the later rounds. It was her ability to generate power in the clinch that turned the fight in their first bout:

Nunes cardio may be improving, but Shevchenko still took over the fight in the final round of the three-round fight. She could easily be added to the list of first-round victims for Nunes, but if she isn’t, it’s her fight to lose. 

Prediction: Shevchenko via fourth-round submission.

        

Yoel Romero Takes Control of the Middleweight Division

With Michael Bisping clinging to his middleweight championship belt for dear life while sitting out for all of 2017 thus far, the UFC’s distinction that this is an interim title fight actually carries some weight. 

Whoever wins this fight all but guarantees they’ll be the first in line to fight the champ when he gets off the sideline. The winner of this fight will likely be favored when Bisping does make his return. 

The fight itself is an intriguing matchup. Whittaker has proved that he needs to be taken seriously when it comes to anyone in the middleweight division. Since moving up to middleweight from the 170-pound division, Whittaker has ripped off six-straight wins. 

Whittaker has got the job done with a pressure game that forces opponents to fold and enough power to put fighters away. He has scored back-to-back finishes in his last two fights and will look to continue that streak by fighting the fight on his terms. 

“My strength is definitely my stand-up ability; my stand-up ability helps me control the fight,” Whittaker said, per Darren Arthur of ESPN. “I definitely want to get in there and hopefully use that on him and push the fight to my angle and my edge and my advantage through my striking.”

However, pushing the pace also opens up holes for reactive takedowns. That’s something that Romero is more than happy to throw into the mix as an Olympic wrestler. The mat is definitely a place that Whittaker will be looking to avoid. 

Once on the ground, Romero’s size and power could be too much for Australian. 

Prediction: Romero via third-round TKO

       

Alistair Overeem Takes the Rubber Match Against Fabricio Werdum

Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum are more than just a little familiar with each other—they just can’t seem to get enough of fighting one another. The two aging heavyweights will square off for the third time on the main card, with the series all knotted up at one apiece. 

This fight might not have much of an impact on the title picture—both fighters have lost to current champion Stipe Miocic, but don’t tell Overeem that. He plans on pushing for a rematch with the champion after taking care of business against Werdum. 

“After I get my hand raised, I’m going to grab that mic, and I’m going to challenge Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight championship belt,”  the former Strikeforce star said, per Fernanda Prates and Ken Hathaway of MMAjunkie. 

With Overeem, the possibility of a knockout loss is always just one good strike away. Ten of his 15 career losses have come by way of knockout, but Werdum hasn’t knocked anyone out since Mark Hunt in 2014. 

It appears that Overeem is both motivated and has just a little more punch left in him than Werdum. That should be enough to make the difference in a bout between two of the biggest names in the division who have a score to settle. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 213 Odds Preview: Shevchenko Betting Favorite Against Nunes in Main Event

Many feel that top title contender Valentina Shevchenko (14-2) would have beaten women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (14-4) had their first fight gone five rounds.
Shevchenko will get the chance to prove them correct Saturday, when she faces Nun…

Many feel that top title contender Valentina Shevchenko (14-2) would have beaten women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (14-4) had their first fight gone five rounds.

Shevchenko will get the chance to prove them correct Saturday, when she faces Nunes for the title as a minus-125 betting favorite (wager $125 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark in the main event of UFC 213.

Shevchenko opened as a slight underdog but has since flipped to chalk status, while some books have this championship bout listed as a pick ’em.

Regardless, it is an intriguing matchup between arguably the best striker in the UFC (Nunes) and the top tactician in the division (Shevchenko). In their first meeting, at UFC 196 in March 2016, Nunes won a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27. She started fast but faded in the third round, holding on to win on the judges’ scorecards.

This time around, the 29-year-old Nunes is a minus-105 underdog, and she remains the lone Brazilian champ in the UFC after Jose Aldo lost the featherweight title to Max Holloway at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro.

Nunes upset former champ Ronda Rousey as an underdog at UFC 207 on December 30 with a first-round TKO. She took the title away from Miesha Tate with a first-round rear-naked choke submission at UFC 200.

Meanwhile, Valentina has a strong kickboxing background, losing just twice in 60 fights. She is 3-1 in the UFC, with back-to-back wins over Holly Holm and Julianna Pena since falling to Nunes. Her only other MMA loss came against UFC vet Liz Carmouche via second-round TKO (doctor stoppage) in C3 Fights back in 2010.

The co-main event will also see a championship belt on the line, when Australian Robert Whittaker (18-4) meets Cuban Yoel Romero (13-1) for the interim middleweight title. Whittaker is the minus-135 favorite and has gone 6-0 since moving up to 185 pounds from 170, earning four performance bonuses along the way.

Whittaker’s last loss came as a welterweight against Stephen Thompson by first-round TKO at UFC 170 in February 2014.

The 40-year-old Romero is listed as a plus-105 underdog despite going unbeaten in the UFC, at 8-0. He has picked up five performance bonuses in his eight bouts with the promotion, knocking out six opponents, with five of those KOs coming in the third round.

The interim belt is up for grabs because middleweight champ Michael Bisping has not fought since October 2016 and seemingly wants to fight Georges St-Pierre rather than Romero.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale Odds: Johnson vs. Gaethje Betting Preview

Justin Gaethje (17-0) has been one of the top MMA prospects outside of the UFC since becoming the World Series of Fighting’s lightweight champion in January 2014.
Now the 28-year-old will finally get the opportunity to prove himself against elite…

Justin Gaethje (17-0) has been one of the top MMA prospects outside of the UFC since becoming the World Series of Fighting’s lightweight champion in January 2014.

Now the 28-year-old will finally get the opportunity to prove himself against elite competition when he faces fifth-ranked Michael Johnson (17-11) as a slight underdog at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark in the main event of Friday’s TUF 25 Finale.

Gaethje is a +130 underdog wager (bet $100 to win $130) against the favored Johnson, who is listed at -160 (bet $160 to win $100). This is just the second time the Arizona native has been a dog, and you have to go back to early 2013 versus Gesias Cavalcante in his WSOF debut to find the first.

Gaethje ended up scoring a first-round TKO of Cavalcante via doctor stoppage and finished nine of his 10 opponents in the organization overall.

Johnson made it to the finals of the TUF 12 lightweight tournament where he lost to Jonathan Brookins by unanimous decision on December 4, 2010. He has gone 9-6 in the UFC since then, dropping three of his last four to ranked foes, including No. 11 Beneil Dariush, No. 6 Nate Diaz and No. 1 Khabib Nurmagomedov (in that order).

Nurmagomedov submitted Johnson in the third round at UFC 205 on November 12. All of the top 155-pounders are looking for a title shot with champion Conor McGregor out.

 

The co-main event will feature the two finalists of the TUF 25 welterweight tournament, while another intriguing lightweight bout on the main card prior to that has two more undefeated fighters squaring off, as Marc Diakiese (12-0) takes on Drakkar Klose (8-0-1).

Diakiese is a big -270 favorite on The Ultimate Fighter betting lines with Klose a +210 underdog in his second UFC bout.

In his promotional debut, Klose won a unanimous decision over Devin Powell at UFC Fight Night 103 on January 15.

Meanwhile, Diakiese is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC with two knockouts. The former BAMMA champ is coming off a 30-second KO of Teemu Packalen that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Fight Night 107.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Complete Guide to UFC 213: Nunes vs. Shevchenko

International Fight Week has returned.
The UFC’s annual summer event is often dubbed their version of WrestleMania. Historically, it is one of the biggest events of the year, with thousands of fans from across the world descending on Las Vegas for five…

International Fight Week has returned.

The UFC’s annual summer event is often dubbed their version of WrestleMania. Historically, it is one of the biggest events of the year, with thousands of fans from across the world descending on Las Vegas for five days of fights and fun, culminating with a stacked pay-per-view card on Saturday night.

This year, things are a little different.

The UFC is presenting just two fight cards instead of the usual three, and Saturday night’s PPV event is, by any logical measure, just not up to the same kind of quality level we’re used to.

It’s a good fight card, for sure, but any fan in their right mind is already looking past Saturday night toward UFC 214 and its otherworldly bill on July 29. And the best fight of the week might be the Friday main event between Michael Johnson and Justin Gaethje.

Still, we’ve got two title matches on this card and one of those will be violent. So let’s take a look at those fights, plus the rest of the card, and figure out what we should be looking forward to on Saturday night.

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The 10 Best Fights Booked for the Second Half of 2017

We have reached the halfway mark on the 2017 calendar, and there is no better time to see what’s coming our way for the next six months on the UFC’s docket.
The complete slate is not full, but there is plenty of action already signed.
UFC 213 and 214 a…

We have reached the halfway mark on the 2017 calendar, and there is no better time to see what’s coming our way for the next six months on the UFC’s docket.

The complete slate is not full, but there is plenty of action already signed.

UFC 213 and 214 are two marquee events just around the bend. Mixed in are some Fight Night events along with a The Ultimate Fighter finale. And that’s just in the month of July alone. The UFC is working on filling out the cards beyond the next 30 days.

Are you ready? 2017’s shot in the arm is just around the corner.

Some fights you may expect to be entertaining, while others could surprise. 

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