Tag: Preview/Prediction

When the bright lights of the UFC fade, MMA fighters have two options: hang up the gloves and call it a career, or press forward and ply their trade in less prestigious organizations.

MMA fighters have more options than ever these days as far as promotions go, from the well-known Bellator to countless regional promotions scattered across the country (and plenty of international promotions too). 

One place you don’t automatically think of MMA fighters showing up in is bare-knuckle boxing. But the sport has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, with 73-0 Bobby Gunn becoming the face of it. 

BKB, a U.K. promotion, seems to be welcoming in former UFC fighters. The promotion, which recently put up a YouTube page, has featured former UFC fighters Joe “Diesel” Riggs and Cody McKenzie. (The two actually faced off in October in an MMA fight for Z Promotions; Riggs TKO’d McKenzie in the first round.)  

Riggs, who has racked up a whopping 60 MMA fights in his career, fought in the UFC as recently as February 2016, when he lost by TKO to Chris Camozzi. The organization released him shortly thereafter. He put together a 5-7 record inside the Octagon. 

McKenzie, owner of 26 MMA fights, compiled a 2-5 record with the UFC. He last competed inside the Octagon in December 2013. Since then, he’s fought for seven different promotions, going 2-6 during that time. 

Which brings us full circle to their bare-knuckle boxing debuts. 

Riggs took on a gentleman by the name of Christian Evans in a light heavyweight title fight, and Diesel had trouble controlling his MMA impulses. Early on in the fight, the referee had to deduct points for a takedown and then throwing an elbow. Riggs later settled in and went on to win by unanimous decision.

Now a champion for BKB, it’ll be interesting to see if Riggs defends his belt or if this was a one-off thing and he returns to what he knows in MMA. 

McKenzie didn’t fare as well as Riggs.

While he showed heart, he was no match for BKB middleweight champion Jimmy Sweeney. The experienced Sweeney knocked the novice McKenzie down a total of five times before the ref had finally seen enough and stopped the fight. Based on his performance, it would be best for McKenzie if he avoided any more high-level bare-knuckle boxers. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The UFC takes its first trip to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, this Saturday with a solid slate of fights on pay-per-view.

In the main event, Holly Holm attempts to capture her second UFC title in the inaugural women’s featherweight championship matchup against the Netherlands’ Germaine de Randamie. Whether the public will still be interested in Holm following two consecutive losses, especially against an unknown like de Randamie, is hard to say.

The fight, however, should be an entertaining matchup of skilled and talented strikers. That theme of entertainment runs through the entire card: Whatever it lacks in name value, it should make up for in pure fun.

The co-main event features the legendary Anderson Silva trying to get back on track against Derek Brunson in a meaningful matchup for both men. Middleweight contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza fights Tim Boetsch in what amounts to a stay-busy fight for the highly ranked Brazilian, and Glover Teixeira tries to stave off the surging Jared Cannonier in a fun light heavyweight matchup. Jim Miller and Dustin Poirier open the main card in style.

The undercard abounds with well-matched fights as well. Keep a particular eye on the lightweight scrap between veteran Nik Lentz and prospect Islam Makhachev and the welterweight fight featuring Randy Brown and Belal Muhammad.

Let’s take a look at each matchup.

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The UFC crowns its first UFC women’s featherweight champion this Saturday at UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Competing for the title will be former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.

Holm is coming off back-to-back losses. She lost her title to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 last March and then dropped a bout with Valentina Shevchenko in July. Nevertheless, her knockout of Ronda Rousey in November 2015 still resonates as she moves up in weight to take a crack at winning a new belt.

De Randamie may be largely unknown to casual fans, but she is 3-1 in the UFC, with her lone loss coming at the hands of current bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes.

History will be made regardless of who wins, but Holm has a chance to join an exclusive club of two division champions. Can she do it? The answer to that question comes down to how the fight shapes up stylistically. This is your look at the head-to-toe breakdown for the UFC 208 title tilt.

Let’s go.

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