UFC on Fox 20 goes down Saturday from The Windy City, also known as Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago is also known as The City of Broad Shoulders. That image might have some traction in the camp of one Holly Holm, who appears to be carrying most, if not all,…
UFC on Fox 20 goes down Saturday from The Windy City, also known as Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago is also known as The City of Broad Shoulders. That image might have some traction in the camp of one Holly Holm, who appears to be carrying most, if not all, of this card on her shoulders.
It’s a perilous position for Holm, who shocked the world with her knockout of Ronda Rousey in November 2015 but lost the UFC women’s bantamweight title in March to Miesha Tate. Tate, as you’ll recall, lost the title in her first defense to Amanda Nunes just two weeks ago at UFC 200.
In this main event, Holm faces a virtual unknown in Kyrgyzstan native Valentina Shevchenko. If she wins, she’s back on track. If she loses, she’ll be relegated, at least for a while, to the discount bin alongside Right Said Fred and Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
Whatever happens, it will happen in the main event on “big” Fox, and with the rest of the card not exactly glimmering with star power, it likely won’t be diluted by another result with more immediate title ramifications.
So what’s going to happen? And what are the stakes for the rest of the four-fight main card? It’s a good thing you have the Bleacher Report MMA predictions team to take you through it all. Craig Amos. Sydnie Jones. Steven Rondina. Nathan McCarter. And myself, Scott Harris. Let’s get it on.
UFC on Fox 20 kicks off the main card with a strawweight contest pitting a veteran against an up-and-coming prospect.
Felice Herrig (10-6) has been around the game for a long time with mixed results, and after more than a year away from the cage, she i…
UFC on Fox 20 kicks off the main card with a strawweight contest pitting a veteran against an up-and-coming prospect.
Felice Herrig (10-6) has been around the game for a long time with mixed results, and after more than a year away from the cage, she is set to return on Saturday. Standing opposite her will be 25-year-old Kailin Curran (4-2).
Herrig has not been in action since dropping a fight against Paige VanZant in April of 2015. Curran also shares a loss to VanZant but has been more active with two fights since Herrig‘s last outing. Curran got back in the win column with a win over Emily Kagan in December.
The fight could be Herrig‘s last attempt to move herself into prime position of the growing strawweight division, or it could be the stage to announce Curran as yet another top prospect with a bright future. It is a matchup with significant implications for the story of their respective careers.
Who will get the better of the stand-up? Who can finish with a submission? Those questions are answered along with who walks out of Chicago with their hand raised as we break down the action from head-to-toe.
The UFC returns to Fox on Saturday, July 23 in Chicago with a decent slate of fights.
In the main event, former bantamweight champion Holly Holm takes on Kyrgyzstan-born Valentina Shevchenko in a matchup of decorated strikers with serious implications …
The UFC returns to Fox on Saturday, July 23 in Chicago with a decent slate of fights.
In the main event, former bantamweight champion Holly Holm takes on Kyrgyzstan-born Valentina Shevchenko in a matchup of decorated strikers with serious implications for the title in a wide-open division. This will be Holm’s first fight since dropping her title to Miesha Tate last March in a massive upset, but she can quickly reestablish herself as a top contender in the absence of Ronda Rousey.
The co-main event features a barnburner of a lightweight scrap between former Strikeforce champion and two-time UFC title challenger Gilbert Melendez and the fast-rising Edson Barboza.
The rest of the card has enough matchups to hold the viewer’s interest. Promising heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou graces the main card against the unknown Bojan Mihajlovic in a showcase fight, while Hawaiian strawweight Kailin Curran opens proceedings on Fox against veteran Felice Herrig.
There are a few other interesting fights scattered throughout the card.
The Fight Pass headliner between Alex Oliveira and James Moontasri should have outstanding action while it lasts. The early prelims on Fox feature an excellent prospect-veteran matchup between the rising Kamaru Usman and Alexander Yakovlev. The headliner to the preliminary card is an excellent bantamweight fight between Eddie Wineland and Frankie Saenz.
This is far from the UFC’s best effort on Fox, but it still has enough intriguing fights to draw the dedicated viewer. Let’s take a look at each matchup.
UFC on Fox 20 has a lightweight co-main event that fans will be standing to watch.
The human highlight reel that is Edson Barboza (17-4) takes on the returning Gilbert Melendez (22-5) in Chicago. Barboza checks in at No. 7 on the Bleacher Report MMA ra…
UFC on Fox 20 has a lightweight co-main event that fans will be standing to watch.
Barboza is coming off a win over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis at UFC 197. The performance erased the stinging defeat he suffered at the hands of Tony Ferguson in December and put him back in elite company in the division. Melendez returns after more than a year away and hopes to avoid losing three straight.
Two high-output strikers will meet and exchange, but only one will move forward in the shark-infested waters of the UFC’s lightweight division.
How does this fight break down? Who will come out on top in Chicago? Those are the questions we are here to answer. This is your look at UFC on Fox 20’s co-main event from head to toe.
UFC on Fox 20 is scheduled for July 23. The event is set to be headlined by a clash between bantamweights Holly Holm and Valentina Shevchenko.
After capturing the division’s title from Ronda Rousey in 2015, Holm relinquished t…
UFC on Fox 20 is scheduled for July 23. The event is set to be headlined by a clash between bantamweights Holly Holm and Valentina Shevchenko.
After capturing the division’s title from Ronda Rousey in 2015, Holm relinquished the honor to Miesha Tate in her first attempted defense. The loss was the first of Holm’s career, and she’ll be looking to get back into the win column with a win over Shevchenko.
For her part, Shevchenko carries a career 12-2 record and has gone 1-1 since joining the UFC. Most recently, she was defeated by current champion Amanda Nunes in a competitive three-round bout.
Both women bring impressive striking credentials to the Octagon, setting up what could be an outstanding stand-up battle. But perhaps one combatant will look to take the other out of her natural element by focusing on takedowns. If so, who will it be, and will she be successful?
Let’s take a look at who has the edge in the striking, grappling and submission departments, as well as how the fight might pan out.
Bellator MMA takes London on Saturday from The O2 Arena. A crucial welterweight bout tops the Bellator 158 card as Paul Daley takes on Douglas Lima.
The 170-pound division will again be on the display in the co-main event. The electric Michael “Venom” …
BellatorMMA takes London on Saturday from The O2 Arena. A crucial welterweight bout tops the Bellator 158 card as Paul Daley takes on Douglas Lima.
The 170-pound division will again be on the display in the co-main event. The electric Michael “Venom” Page will try to keep his unbeaten record as he faces the veteran Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos.
As you can see from the Bellator MMA tweet, the UK will be well represented:
Here’s a look at the viewing info, the card and predictions for the five televised bouts.
When: Saturday, July 16, at 9 p.m. ET
Where: The O2 Arena in London
TV: Spike
Predictions
James Gallagher over Mike Cutting—TKO
Oli Thompson over Matt Mitrione—KO
Francis Carmont over Lukasz Klinger—submission
Michael Page over Evangelista Santos—KO
Douglas Lima over Paul Daley—decision
MVP Is Must-See TV
Few performers in mixed martial arts have personas that match their fighting skills. Michael Venom Page has everything necessary to be a superstar, and he’ll take another step toward validating his status on Saturday.
I had an opportunity to speak with Page last week, and we discussed his future, his next opponent and more:
Santos (21-17-0) has plenty of experience and fights under his belt, but he will be overmatched by the well-rounded and dangerous Page. No opponent Page (10-0-0) has faced in Bellator has been able to go the distance, and that won’t change on Saturday.
MVP will win with another memorable knockout after he thwarts Cyborg’s attempts to take the fight to the ground.
Oli Will Stop Mitrione
Matt Mitrione narrowly escaped defeat in his debut against Carl Seumanutafa at Bellator 157 on June 24. After being dinged pretty badly in the early moments, Mitrione earned top position and planted Seumanutafa with a right hand while the latter was on his back.
The referee stopped the fight, and Mitrione had the win. He won’t be as fortunate against Oli Thompson.
The 36-year-old from East Sussex in the United Kingdom is massively strong. Mitrione has had an up-and-down career, but because his defense is so bad, the question isn’t if he’s going to take a shot, but when he’ll do it.
Thompson is going to beat him to the punch and win by KO.
Lima Will Stun Daley
Paul Daley was supposed to be facing bitter rival Josh Koscheck in this fight, but an injury forced the latter to pull out.
Lima is more than worthy as a replacement. He is the former Bellator welterweight champion, but he lost his title to Andrey Koreshkov via unanimous decision in July 2015.
Daley has the definitive advantage in power, but Lima is a more diverse striker and better on the ground. Injuries have impeded him in the past, but when healthy, he’s one of the best welterweights in Bellator.
He’ll prove it on Saturday when he outstrikes Daley with leg kicks, jabs and his knees.
