Well, this was an interesting one.
Hours before UFC 213 was set to go down in Las Vegas, one half of the evening’s main event, women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, was confirmed out of her bout with Valentina Shevchenko.
Nunes was hospitalized with…
Well, this was an interesting one.
Hours before UFC 213 was set to go down in Las Vegas, one half of the evening’s main event, women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, was confirmed out of her bout with Valentina Shevchenko.
Nunes was hospitalized with undefined illness and ruled out of the contest, leaving a charismatic challenger in Shevchenko without a dance partner and moving the co-main event between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker into the prime slot.
So here we are. Without a potentially great champion in Nunes to headline the card, would UFC 213 survive? It’s an especially pertinent question when you remember this card also lost Cody Garbrandt vs. T.J. Dillashaw and Donald Cerrone vs. Robbie Lawler.
As always, the final stat lines don’t reveal everything. These are the real winners and losers from July 8 in Las Vegas.
For the literal-minded among us, full card results appear at the end.
It was a great night of fights from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada last night (Sat. July 8, 2017) for the UFC 213 pay-per-view (PPV) event. Our co-main event of the evening saw former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum suffer a controversial majority decision loss to Alistair Overem, where “The Reem” seemed to […]
It was a great night of fights from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada last night (Sat. July 8, 2017) for the UFC 213 pay-per-view (PPV) event.
Our co-main event of the evening saw former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum suffer a controversial majority decision loss to Alistair Overem, where “The Reem” seemed to re-enter the heavyweight title picture. In the main event, things got very interesting in the middleweight division as No. 3-ranked Robert Whittaker took a unanimous decision win over Yoel Romero to become the interim 185-pound champion of the world.
Now, Whittaker is set to take on current middleweight champ Michael Bisping at a later date to unify the titles. You can check out how the fight world reacted to the event on Twitter here below:
Alistair Overeem squeaks out a controversial decision over Fabricio Werdum! Does he get a title shot vs. Stipe Miocic? #UFC213pic.twitter.com/GtRXdZ7hAH
UFC 213 saw a new No. 1 contender rise to the top in the middleweight division as Robert Whittaker claimed the interim belt with a unanimous-decision win over Yoel Romero in the surprise main event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
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UFC 213 saw a new No. 1 contender rise to the top in the middleweight division as Robert Whittaker claimed the interim belt with a unanimous-decision win over Yoel Romero in the surprise main event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
MMAjunkie tweeted out the judges’ scorecards:
The first round served as a preview for why this was a tantalizing matchup. Both fighters attacked in bursts, with Whittaker landing quick combinations with his hands. Romero attacked with vicious kicks to the legs and body, connecting on a front kick to Whittaker’s left knee that appeared to have an impact on his movement.
The Cuban landed a takedown, but Whittaker bounced back up. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani scored the round for Romero but was impressed by the Australian’s defense.
Romero would once again put Bobby Knuckles’ takedown defense to the test in Round 2. He scored an early takedown and spent the opening minutes of the round wearing down Whittaker with ground-and-pound.
Even when Whittaker worked his way to the feet, Romero was quick to smother him in the clinch. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting gave Whittaker credit for hanging tough despite an apparent leg injury through the first two rounds:
Hanging tough would pay dividends for Whittaker in the third. As Romero slowed, Bobby Knuckles found a rhythm and made his mark on the fight with pressure of his own. The UFC tweeted out some of the highlights from the round:
UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping also took the round break to tear up a Cuban flag and throw it in Romero’s direction:
Whittaker’s defensive wrestling and striking once again carried the day as he stunned Romero more than once in the round and fended off the takedowns to provide a winner-take-all round in the fifth frame:
The final round featured a bloody, exhausted barroom brawl in which both fighters heaved what they had left. However, an ill-fated punch that caused Romero to slip was the death knell. Whittaker pounced on top of the Cuban to win the round and the fight.
UFC 213’s main event was supposed to be a women’s bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, but Nunes pulled out of the fight hours before the card started, perBrett Okamoto of ESPN.
A bout that now has the ability to spark the middleweight division back into relevancy wasn’t a bad replacement main event.
The Bisping era has left the 185-pound division forgotten recently. The 38-year-old champion has taken his time between defenses and dealt with a knee injury that has put the entire division on hold.
The wait for a unification fight shouldn’t be much longer, though. Bisping has been holding out for a potential date with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre, but it’s looking like he’ll have to settle for the winner of Saturday’s bout.
Bobby Knuckles has what it takes to revitalize a division that has been lying dormant. The 26-year-old has been on an absolute tear of late. Romero joins a list of opponents that counts Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Derek Brunson among those who couldn’t withstand the new interim champion’s hands.
At this point, with the interim title around Whittaker’s waist and an eight-fight win streak to his name, even Bisping acknowledges he can’t wait around for GSP anymore.
“Georges, you’ve got until Saturday,” Bisping toldAriel Helwani onThe MMA Hour(viaFanSided’s Mike Heck). “Because on Saturday, I’m going to be on the FS1 post-fight show and one of those two, tune in, Whittaker or Romero will be joining me at the desk, so you know that will have fireworks. If I can’t say I’m fighting GSP by then, then I have to say that I’m fighting Whittaker or Romero.”
Now that the fight has taken place, Bisping has his answer.
The next man up is Whittaker, and after taming Romero, the Australian looks like he’ll add Bisping to his list of victims and become the next UFC champion.
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.
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.
UFC 213 will go down live tonight (Sat. July 8, 2017) on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will feature a pair of intense title bouts. In the co-main event of the evening, the UFC will crown an interim middleweight champion when No. 1-ranked Yoel Romero takes on young No. […]
UFC 213 will go down live tonight (Sat. July 8, 2017) on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will feature a pair of intense title bouts.
In the co-main event of the evening, the UFC will crown an interim middleweight champion when No. 1-ranked Yoel Romero takes on young No. 3-ranked Robert Whittaker. The winner is expected to take on current 185-pound champ Michael Bisping once he is ready to return to action after nursing an injury.
Our main event will see women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes make her second title defense when she takes on No. 1-ranked Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch from their initial meeting in March of last year, which “The Lioness” won via unanimous decision.
You can check out tonight’s full fight card, start time, and information on how to watch here below:
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)
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 challengeStipe Miocicfor 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.
UFC 213 saw a new No. 1 contender rise to the top in the middleweight division as Robert Whittaker claimed the interim belt with a unanimous-decision win over 