UFC 200 is an extraordinarily deep fight card featuring two upper-echelon welterweights as a preliminary contest.
Johny Hendricks (17-4), ranked No. 6 according to Bleacher Report, takes on Kelvin Gastelum (11-2) as part of the Fox Sports 1 prelims.
Bo…
UFC 200 is an extraordinarily deep fight card featuring two upper-echelon welterweights as a preliminary contest.
Both welterweights are coming off losses. Hendricks was promptly ousted by Stephen Thompson in their February meeting, and Gastelum was edged out by Neil Magny last November. A loss for either man would be devastating to their title hopes.
Hendricks and Gastelum will be watched closely from the time they arrive in Las Vegas. Both men have struggled making the 171-pound weight limit in the past. It will be a point of discussion until they officially stand on the scale during fight week.
The heavy-handed grapplers matchup well against one another, and should make for a very intriguing contest.
Which welterweight can claim victory and move back into title contention? To assist you in the lead-up to the important welterweight clash, here is the head-to-toe breakdown for Hendricks vs. Gastelum at UFC 200.
T.J. Dillashaw (12-3) and Raphael Assuncao (23-4) are set for another three-round affair inside the Octagon.
No. 2-ranked Dillashaw and No. 3-ranked Assuncao, per Bleacher Report’s June MMA rankings, first met in 2013 at UFC Fight Night 29. A…
T.J. Dillashaw (12-3) and Raphael Assuncao (23-4) are set for another three-round affair inside the Octagon.
No. 2-ranked Dillashaw and No. 3-ranked Assuncao, per Bleacher Report’s June MMA rankings, first met in 2013 at UFC Fight Night 29. Assuncao would capture a controversial split decision. According to MMADecisions.com, the majority of the media scored the fight for Dillashaw.
Less than year later, Assuncao was slated to fight Renan Barao for the bantamweight championship. The Brazilian cited a rib injury as reason to pull out, Dillashaw replaced him and the American won the belt. So much has changed since that evening in 2013. Where does that take us at UFC 200?
Undoubtedly, the winner of this elite-level matchup will put their name at the top of the list for a title shot. A lot is riding on how they perform at the UFC’s biggest event to date. Will Dillashaw get his rematch with Dominick Cruz, or will Assuncao finally claim his title shot?
This is your head-to-toe breakdown for Dillashaw vs. Assuncao II.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) is back.
On Friday night at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, the 38-year-old MMA legend will take on Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1) in Jackson’s first Bellator bout since he won a controversial decision over Muhammed L…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) is back.
On Friday night at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, the 38-year-old MMA legend will take on SatoshiIshii (14-5-1) in Jackson’s first Bellator bout since he won a controversial decision over MuhammedLawal in May 2014.
Ishii is a 29-year-old veteran from Japan who has been knocked out a lot recently (three times in his last five fights), and there’s a good chance he goes night-night against Rampage.
Ishii wants to get the fight to the ground, where he’s secured six of his 14 wins by submission. The problem Ishii will have is securing a takedown.
He isn’t an explosive athlete, and he could run into one of Jackson’s nasty uppercuts and right crosses. The punching power is the last thing to go.
Bet on Rampage catching Ishii with a bomb and finishing him in the first round.
Here’s a look at the rest of the televised card with the viewing information and predictions for each bout. There’s also a kickboxing portion of the card. You can see the list of the televised fights in that sport here:
Date and Time: Friday, June 24 (prelims begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and main card starts at 9 p.m. ET)
TV: Spike
Michael Chandler Will Outscrap Patricky “Pitbull” Freire
Michael Chandler (14-3) and Patricky Freire (16-7) will battle for the lightweight title vacated by Will Brooks’ exit from the promotion.
This is a bout that could easily be the main event, and it’ll be a memorable battle. Dave Meltzer of MMA Fighting calls the lightweight division the deepest in Bellator, and he’s not mistaken.
Josh Thomson and Benson Henderson only made it deeper with their arrivals from the UFC.
Chandler beat Pitbull by unanimous decision back in 2011, and he’ll win again on Friday. Chandler is the more well-rounded of the two, and he’ll outsmart Pitbull en route to another unanimous-decision win.
Matt Mitrione Will Hammer Carl Seumanutafa
Former UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione (9-5) makes his Bellator debut in this one, and he’ll have a size and speed advantage over Carl Seumanutafa (10-6). Per his Instagram account, Mitrione left camp looking fit and ready for battle:
Mitrione can be a devastating finisher, and Seumanutafa will learn that firsthand. The latter doesn’t have the movement to elude what figures to be an amped Mitrione, who will be hungry for a finish.
Chances are this one won’t make it out of the first round.
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Will Submit Rebecca Ruth
Rebecca Ruth (6-1) is a savage in the cage, but she’s one-dimensional. Ruth comes looking for the finish every second of every fight, but her aggression will be her undoing against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (3-0).
Macfarlane has all the tools to become a star. She’s a good striker and grappler, and she has shown the ability to work a submission game in her young MMA career.
Her biggest test will come if she’s caught with one of Ruth’s hard punches. As long as Macfarlane can withstand the onslaught that is surely coming in the first round, she should be able to grab a submission win.
UFC Fight Night 89 took place in Ottawa on Saturday evening, and the TD Place Arena was treated to a long night of high-quality MMA action.
In the main event, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson continued his ascent up the welterweight ladder by knocking off …
UFC Fight Night 89 took place in Ottawa on Saturday evening, and the TD Place Arena was treated to a long night of high-quality MMA action.
In the main event, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson continued his ascent up the welterweight ladder by knocking off former title contender Rory MacDonald. How far will this move Thompson up the ranks, and how far will MacDonald fall? We will examine that.
Donald Cerrone stated his case to be a contender in the weight class too. Cerrone pelted Patrick Cote en route to a finish. This opens the door for a plethora of fun matchups at 170 pounds.
But the other 22 fighters’ futures will also be addressed. Theorizing on their next outings is no easy task. The UFC’s large roster will give them many options for their next bouts. Let’s waste no time and get to cracking on filling out the next step for the winners and losers from Ottawa.
Here is what should be coming next for the winners and losers of UFC Fight Night 89.
On one side, a title shot hangs in the balance. On the other side, a win could mean a huge payoff in free agency.
When welterweights Stephen Thompson and Rory MacDonald face off Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa, Canada, there …
On one side, a title shot hangs in the balance. On the other side, a win could mean a huge payoff in free agency.
When welterweights Stephen Thompson and Rory MacDonald face off Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa, Canada, there will be a lot on the line. As has been thoroughly reported, this is the final fight on MacDonald’s contract, and a win would surely improve his bargaining position. A win would be the seventh in a row for Thompson, and as he himself pointed out, it’s hard to imagine him not receiving a date with champ Robbie Lawler if he gets past MacDonald.
Who has the most to gain or lose? What are each fighter’s keys to victory? And what about the rest of the card?
Glad you asked. Here to talk us through it is Fox Sports 1 UFC analyst Brian Stann. We will parse it out in an innovative Q&A format (questions and responses edited for length).
Bleacher Report MMA: So between MacDonald and Thompson, is it possible to say who has the most at stake on Saturday?
Stann: Rory has the much bigger stakes. Stephen Thompson has never fought Robbie Lawler before. Rory MacDonald has already fought Lawler twice and lost. He’s fighting for the last contract of his career. He’s got to do something with this. Win it and win in style, and he has big negotiating power. We need a good draw in Canada.
B/R MMA: What do these fighters have to do to win?
Stann: It comes down to which one owns the center of the Octagon. Can Rory MacDonald get past the right leg of Stephen Thompson? I think [Thompson] will start off mostly southpaw, and he’ll use that side kick to keep him at a distance. MacDonald is great at catching kicks. If Thompson uses that more traditional muaythai style of kick, those MacDonald can catch and turn into takedowns. But those heel and side kicks are much harder to catch. He can throw those and force MacDonald to fight long. MacDonald has to work behind his jab and get inside.
B/R MMA: The co-main event pits Donald Cerrone against Patrick Cote. A lot of people see a brawl ensuing here. How do you see it unfolding?
Stann: If I’m Patrick Cote, I don’t let it play out that way. He’s a lot bigger but he has a speed disadvantage and, honestly, a cardio disadvantage. For Cote, he should clinch Cerrone along the fence and grind. Don’t let Cowboy dictate the pace. You’ve got to back Cowboy up. Take advantage of his narrow, straight stance. Fire off overhand rights, take him down, stay on top and stay busy.
I don’t like this fight for Cowboy. If you move up it’s one thing to fight a guy like Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira. It’s another thing to fight a guy on a winning streak who has power and once fought at 205 [pounds]. Taking this fight is an unnecessary risk, unless you just want to get paid or stay busy. I know risk isn’t in Cowboy’s vocabulary, and the fans all love him for that. But if I’m his friend or his manager, I’m scratching my head at this one. But hey, if he did go win this fight, I’m sure he’ll find me and flip me the bird. [laughs]
B/R MMA: Are there any other fights on the card that grab your attention?
Stann: Joanne Calderwood versus Valerie Letourneau. Both are really good technical fighters and are a lot better than they’ve shown to date. Letourneau is better than she realizes she is. It’s a matter of if she can start to believe. Calderwood has had a myriad of personal problems in her training atmosphere. Now she’s at Tristar [in Canada]. It will be interesting to see if she can begin to believe in those skills and talents and just let it fly.
I’d also say Sam Alvey and Elias Theodorou. Both of these guys are charismatic and fun to watch. Elias Theodorou is a very witty guy and great on social media. He really interacts with the fans and does a good job of promoting his fights. They can each make a statement here, go from a fringe prospect to getting a top-15 opponent in their next fight.
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. Scott is available on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.
The UFC makes its first trip to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, this Saturday with an excellent Fight Night offering on Fox Sports 1.
In the main event, former title contender Rory MacDonald makes his return to the Octagon after his devastating fifth-ro…
The UFC makes its first trip to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, this Saturday with an excellent Fight Night offering on Fox Sports 1.
In the main event, former title contender Rory MacDonald makes his return to the Octagon after his devastating fifth-round loss to champion Robbie Lawler last July. MacDonald faces karate expert Stephen Thompson, who put a stamp on his entry into the welterweight division’s elite with a crushing first-round knockout of former champion Johny Hendricks in February.
This is one of the best potential fights in a division stacked with talent, and it could well determine the next contender to the welterweight crown.
The bout takes on additional meaning because this is the last fight on MacDonald’s contract. If he wins, he becomes one of the biggest free agents to hit the market in the history of the sport.
The main event is the biggest and most relevant fight on the card, but the rest of the event is stacked with fun fights. Action fighter Donald Cerrone takes on veteran Canadian brawler Patrick Cote in an entertaining co-main event, while former hockey enforcer Steve Bosse meets Sean O’Connell in another bout that promises violence.
Name value isn’t the preliminary card’s strong suit, but nearly every fight should be full of action. Keep an eye in particular on the middleweight bouts between Tamdan McCrory and Krzysztof Jotko and Elias Theodorou and Sam Alvey, the latter of which headlines the Fight Pass portion of the event.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) is back.