Tag: UFC 210

UFC 210 is a nice card overall, but the crown jewel is a light heavyweight title rematch between current champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. 

The first fight was an epic back-and-forth battle for the title abandoned by Jon “Bones” Jones. So while the two wait for the return of Bones from a one-year doping suspension, the powers that be saw it fit to bless fans with another encounter between these two powerful behemoths of the 205-pound division. 

The card, hosted in Buffalo, New York, at the KeyBank Center, will also feature one of the state’s most successful fighters in Chris Weidman. The All-American will take on Gegard Mousasi in an important middleweight scrap. 

Here’s a look at the complete card along with the latest odds from Odds Shark going into fight night and a closer look at some of the biggest fights on the card:

 

Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira

The card kicks off with a lightweight bout between fighters who find themselves outside the lightweight rankings. 

Will Brooks fell a few ranks for reasons that might not have been entirely fair. The former Bellator champion had his nine-fight win streak erased by Alex Oliveira after “Cowboy” came into the bout 5.5 pounds overweight. 

In a fight that had a lot of clinching and wrestling involved before Brooks was finished in the third round, that size advantage can’t be overstated. 

This time, Brooks takes on a different Oliveira in Charles. Rather than a massive lightweight who primarily fights at welterweight, “Do Bronx” is a former featherweight, though it was often a struggle for him to make that cut. 

Where this bout will be interesting is in the transitions on the ground. Brooks has a mauling top game, but Oliveira‘s submission game is slick. Brooks could look to take Oliveira down and work his ground-and-pound, but he could easily be ensnared in a choke if he isn’t careful. 

Ultimately, Patrick Wyman of Bleacher Report believes that Brooks is simply on another level from his opponent in this one. 

 

Looking at what both have done in their career, that’s the easy case to make. Brooks could easily avoid what Oliveira is best at by keeping the Brazilian’s takedowns at bay and forcing a stand-up bout. Brooks wins easily in that department and should get the decision. 

Brooks by decision

 

Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi

Given the climate of the middleweight division right now, neither of these fighters can really afford a loss. 

Michael Bisping is still the champion and is waiting on Georges St-Pierre to set a date. The obvious next fighter in line after that is Yoel Romero. At the rate that all of the guys involved fight, it could be a long time before the next person gets a crack at the belt. 

That’s a scary place to be for Gegard Mousasi because a shot at the championship is what he’s been pining for. He feels like a win here will prove that he deserves that chance but knows there’s a chance it still might not happen even with with a victory.

“Now if I win, I’m going to have to put everything on the line again and if I win then maybe I’m next. And still maybe,” Mousasi told the Fight Society Podcast (h/t Damon Martin of Fox Sports). “Because who knows what fight they’re going to make after this. Like I said, I deserve this.”

Weidman won’t go away easily, though. His back is truly against the wall in this fight. The once 13-0 fighter now finds himself at 13-2. Back-to-back losses to Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero leave his contender status in question. 

A loss to Mousasi would certainly be an end to Weidman‘s title hopes for an extended period of time. 

Fortunately for Weidman, this is a better matchup for him than Rockhold and Romero. Both Rockhold and Romero are the physical freaks of the division. Rockhold has superior length, and Romero had the wrestling ability to out-grapple even Weidman. 

Mousasi‘s streak has been impressive recently, but he hasn’t fought many fighters who are looking to turn things into a grappling exchange since Jacare Souza. 

In that fight, Souza took him down four times en route to a submission loss. 

Mousasi has certainly improved, but a desperate Weidman is not an easy fighter to beat. 

Weidman by decision

 

Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson

The last time these two fought, it was an awesome testament to the power of the human will. 

Where most people are vaporized by an overhand right from Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Cormier took one, recovered and went on to win the fight by submission. 

Now, two years later, Rumble will get the opportunity to land that right hand again. Cormier has defeated Anderson Silva and Alexander Gustafsson in the interim while Rumble has racked up three more knockout wins against Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira.

The rules of engagement here are pretty simple: If Cormier can survive the early onslaught—like he did in their first fight—he will successfully defend the title. Johnson has devastating power, but not much cardio. 

If Cormier gets tagged by Rumble in the same way that he did in the first fight, he’s in serious trouble. 

Cormier defeated Gustafsson and Silva, but it wasn’t without cost. Cormier absorbed 120 significant strikes from the Swede in a split decision win and was rocked by The Spider in their non-title bout at UFC 200. 

Those are all signs that an aging Cormier might not have the chin and willpower that once carried him through the early storms against Rumble. 

Johnson is a front-runner, but he’s among the best front-runners in MMA. Cormier‘s defense isn’t strong enough to guarantee that he won’t get tagged early in the fight, and the odds that someone survives two bombs from Rumble isn’t a gamble worth taking. 

Expect Rumble to catch Cormier early and finish the job this time. 

Johnson by first-round TKO

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