There isn’t a much better way to start tonight’s (Sat., December 2, 2017) UFC 218 from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, with the kind of all-out war that welterweights Yancy Medeiros and Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira just participated in. The bout is a clear “Fight of the Year” contender, with both landing some absolutely huge […]
There isn’t a much better way to start tonight’s (Sat., December 2, 2017) UFC 218 from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, with the kind of all-out war that welterweights Yancy Medeiros and Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira just participated in.
The bout is a clear “Fight of the Year” contender, with both landing some absolutely huge shots and withstanding never-ending onslaughts from the other.
It all started with Medieros landing some huge shots in the opening frame that appeared to break Oliveira’s nose, but he somehow survived to drop his Hawaiian foe with some huge power punches of his own:
The second round saw more of the same as both appeared to be walking forward like zombies, with Medeiros eventually reversing a takedown from Oliveira with a perfect judo throw to land on top and finish the round with some absolutely massive elbows:
Alex Oliveira and Yancy Medeiros are putting their names in the hat for FOTY. So much respect. So much skill. #UFC218https://t.co/D8UwKMoMZo
Finally, Medeiros was able to reverse a disadvantageous position after having his back taken to get back to his feet and unload a fight-ending sequence on a clearly injured Oliveira, thus ending what may just be 2017’s ‘Fight of the Year’ so far:
WHAT A FIGHT! Yancy Medeiros with the TKO win over Alex Oliveira in a fight of the year caliber match! #UFC218https://t.co/8jeOSmU60n
It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Saturday, December 2nd, 2017) will come from in the form of UFC 218. Headlining the card are Jose Aldo and Max Holloway, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the preliminary section of the card. Charles […]
It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Saturday, December 2nd, 2017) will come from in the form of UFC 218. Headlining the card are Jose Aldo and Max Holloway, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the preliminary section of the card.
Charles Oliveira vs. Paul Felder in a lightweight closes the preliminary card on FOX Sports 1.
Alex Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros is next in a welterweight bout.
David Teymur vs. Drakkar Klose is next in a lightweight bout.
Felice Herrig vs. Cortney Casey in a women’s strawweight opens the FOX Sports 1 preliminary bouts.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi in a lightweight bout finishes off the UFC Fight Pass preliminary card.
Angela Magana vs. Amanda Cooper is next in a women’s strawweight bout.
Dominick Reyes vs. Jeremy Kimball is next in a light heavyweight bout. In round 1, Long left front kick opens things for Reyes then a left body kick. Kimball literally charges Reyes and lands a hard right. Reyes looks for a guillotine after Kimball crashes him into the cage. Kimball dumps him briefly and gets his head out, trying to drag Reyes down. Kimball nearly pulls Reyes down again and feeds him left hands on the way up. Reyes reverses on the cage and trips Kimball. Side control from Reyes and he’s grinding with elbows. Kimball gets his guard back but eats a shot. Reyes stands, lands a pair of shots and jumps on Kimball’s back. Body triangle for Reyes, hitting Kimball with elbows as they’re both on their side. A rear-naked choke finish for Reyes.
Opening the UFC Fight Pass prelims is Justin Willis vs. Allen Crowder in a heavyweight bout. In round 1, nice 1-2 from southpaw from Willis. He catches a kick and tries to feed Crowder some fists but doesn’t connect. Right hand from Crowder. Willis grabs the Thai clinch and hits a knee then they dirty box before a break. Crowder keeps getting his kick caught. Willis has Crowder skirting the fence and lands several lefts. A counter left hook rocks Crowder and Willis polishes him off!
Here are the results:
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1/8 p.m. ET)
Lightweight: Charles Oliveira vs. Paul Felder
Welterweight: Alex Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros
Lightweight: David Teymur vs. Drakkar Klose
Strawweight: Felice Herrig vs. Cortney Casey
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass/6:15 p.m. ET)
Welterweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi
Strawweight: Angela Magana vs. Amanda Cooper
Light Heavyweight: Dominick Reyes def. Jeremy Kimball via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:39 of R1
Heavyweight: Justin Willis def. Allen Crowder via KO (punch) at 2:33 of R1
UFC 218 is a few hours away and the sixth episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel. In the episode, former featherweight champion Jose Aldo watches soccer before starting his weight cut. Spirits stay high as the pounds come off for heavyweight Francis Ngannou and lightweight Eddie Alvarez. It all pays off […]
UFC 218 is a few hours away and the sixth episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel.
In the episode, former featherweight champion Jose Aldo watches soccer before starting his weight cut. Spirits stay high as the pounds come off for heavyweight Francis Ngannou and lightweight Eddie Alvarez. It all pays off on Friday morning, when those fighters — as well as featherweight champion Max Holloway, heavyweight Alistair Overeem and Alvarez’ opponent Justin Gaethje — hit their targets at the official weigh-in. The stars of the main event recover with assorted carbs: spaghetti for Aldo and cupcakes for Holloway. Then it’s one more round of posing and staredowns, this time at Little Caesars Arena, where fans turn out for the ceremonial weigh-in.
The wait is over for Max Holloway’s first UFC featherweight title defense.
While his opposition may have changed, he still faces a stiff test against former champion Jose Aldo.
UFC 218 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit promises to be j…
The wait is over for Max Holloway’s first UFC featherweight title defense.
While his opposition may have changed, he still faces a stiff test against former champion Jose Aldo.
UFC 218 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit promises to be just as exciting as UFC 217’s blockbuster main card. While there is only one title fight on tonight’s card instead of the three we saw last month in New York, there are still some scintillating matchups. Those include Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje, Sergio Pettis vs. Henry Cejudo and, of course, the co-main event between two of the biggest names in the heavyweight division: Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou.
Let’s a take a quick look at tonight’s full lineup of prelims and main-card bouts before diving into predictions on the co-main and main event of the evening.
Alistair Overeem (+179) vs. Francis Ngannou (-221)
Henry Cejudo (-367) vs. Sergio Pettis (+283)
Eddie Alvarez (+185) vs. Justin Gaethje (-235)
Tecia Torres (-174) vs. Michelle Waterson (+146)
Undercard (Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)
Charles Oliveira (+136) vs.Paul Felder (-164)
Alex Oliveira (-208) vs.Yancy Medeiros (+172)
David Teymur (-167) vs. DrakkarKlose (+134)
Felice Herrig (-167) vs. Cortney Casey (+134)
Undercard (UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET)
Amanda Cooper (-333) vs. Angela Magana (+250)
Abdul RazakAlhassan (-250) vs.SabahHomasi (+195)
Jeremy Kimball (+285) vs.Dominick Reyes (-385)
Justin Willis (-222) vs.Allen Crowder (+175)
Co-main Event: Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou
It’s a tale as old as time: the hungry, new up-and-coming fighter vs. the experienced and highly regarded opponent. Going up against Overeem is the ultimate test of Ngannou‘s young career, although he has overcome much tougher situations in his life.
A spectacular victory over Overeem would place Ngannou, who is entering his sixth UFC fight at UFC 218, in front of the line for a title shot, if not a title eliminator with Fabricio Werdum.
For Overeem, a win grants him an automatic title shot. After all, he is coming off consecutive victories over Werdum and Mark Hunt after a loss to heavyweight champion StipeMoicic in which he nearly took victory.
The UFC has invested heavily in Ngannou over recent months, and for good reason.
His insane punching power combined with his hand speed and ability to learn new techniques on the fly is the perfect formula to becoming a UFC champion. It seems as though it’s not a question if Ngannou will become the heavyweight champion, it’s just a matter of when.
Overeem will enter this fight cautious of Ngannou‘s power and try to create distance with his front-leg kicks to the body to slow down his opponent in the opening round. But Ngannou will soon realize Overeem isn’t willing to engage and look to force the Dutchman onto his back foot to push him against the cage.
From there, he will unload on Overeem’s body, which will eventually open up potential knockout shots to the head.
Overeem is one of the most skilled strikers the UFC has ever seen, but it’s time for a new era of fighters. And Ngannou is the future face of the heavyweight division.
Prediction: Ngannou defeats Overeem by second-round KO.
Main Event: Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo
We’ve watched this movie before. Back in June, to be exact, at UFC 212. But whoever said that the sequel can’t be as good as the original?
It was disappointing to see Frankie Edgar have to pull out because of injury just a matter of weeks before his title shot against Holloway. But, as the Waianae, Hawaii, native would say, “It is what it is.”
Aldo is coming off a second round TKO loss to Holloway and is coming in on short notice. Cardio was Aldo’s downfall against Holloway back in June, and it’s hard to believe he has resolved those issues on short notice. Holloway would have been preparing for a tough, grinding grappling match against Edgar, too.
Holloway has gotten better with each fight inside of the Octagon. At just 25, that’s not surprising; he hasn’t even entered his prime, which is a terrifying thought for aspiring contenders at 145 pounds.
Aldo is clearly at the tail-end of his career and has been looking less and less like the guy who dominated the featherweight division in the WEC and UFC for the better part of a decade. The famous leg kicks haven’t been there in his recent fights, injured or not. Aldo prefers to stand and trade with punches rather than mix things up with leg and body kicks.
Look for the Brazilian to change things up a little bit this time around, as he knows he can’t just stand and trade with a taller and more accurate striker. He will shoot for takedowns but will get stuffed by Holloway, who will have been preparing to stuff takedowns in training for Edgar.
Holloway will take Aldo into deep water again and wait for Aldo’s adrenaline to diminish. Aldo’s cardio will betray him in the second round, and Holloway will finish him with another impressive combination from the feet.
Prediction: Holloway defeats Aldo by second-round TKO.
The wait is over for Max Holloway’s first UFC featherweight title defense.
While his opposition may have changed, he still faces a stiff test against former champion Jose Aldo.
UFC 218 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit promises to be j…
The wait is over for Max Holloway’s first UFC featherweight title defense.
While his opposition may have changed, he still faces a stiff test against former champion Jose Aldo.
UFC 218 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit promises to be just as exciting as UFC 217’s blockbuster main card. While there is only one title fight on tonight’s card instead of the three we saw last month in New York, there are still some scintillating matchups. Those include Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje, Sergio Pettis vs. Henry Cejudo and, of course, the co-main event between two of the biggest names in the heavyweight division: Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou.
Let’s a take a quick look at tonight’s full lineup of prelims and main-card bouts before diving into predictions on the co-main and main event of the evening.
Alistair Overeem (+179) vs. Francis Ngannou (-221)
Henry Cejudo (-367) vs. Sergio Pettis (+283)
Eddie Alvarez (+185) vs. Justin Gaethje (-235)
Tecia Torres (-174) vs. Michelle Waterson (+146)
Undercard (Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)
Charles Oliveira (+136) vs.Paul Felder (-164)
Alex Oliveira (-208) vs.Yancy Medeiros (+172)
David Teymur (-167) vs. DrakkarKlose (+134)
Felice Herrig (-167) vs. Cortney Casey (+134)
Undercard (UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET)
Amanda Cooper (-333) vs. Angela Magana (+250)
Abdul RazakAlhassan (-250) vs.SabahHomasi (+195)
Jeremy Kimball (+285) vs.Dominick Reyes (-385)
Justin Willis (-222) vs.Allen Crowder (+175)
Co-main Event: Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou
It’s a tale as old as time: the hungry, new up-and-coming fighter vs. the experienced and highly regarded opponent. Going up against Overeem is the ultimate test of Ngannou‘s young career, although he has overcome much tougher situations in his life.
A spectacular victory over Overeem would place Ngannou, who is entering his sixth UFC fight at UFC 218, in front of the line for a title shot, if not a title eliminator with Fabricio Werdum.
For Overeem, a win grants him an automatic title shot. After all, he is coming off consecutive victories over Werdum and Mark Hunt after a loss to heavyweight champion StipeMoicic in which he nearly took victory.
The UFC has invested heavily in Ngannou over recent months, and for good reason.
His insane punching power combined with his hand speed and ability to learn new techniques on the fly is the perfect formula to becoming a UFC champion. It seems as though it’s not a question if Ngannou will become the heavyweight champion, it’s just a matter of when.
Overeem will enter this fight cautious of Ngannou‘s power and try to create distance with his front-leg kicks to the body to slow down his opponent in the opening round. But Ngannou will soon realize Overeem isn’t willing to engage and look to force the Dutchman onto his back foot to push him against the cage.
From there, he will unload on Overeem’s body, which will eventually open up potential knockout shots to the head.
Overeem is one of the most skilled strikers the UFC has ever seen, but it’s time for a new era of fighters. And Ngannou is the future face of the heavyweight division.
Prediction: Ngannou defeats Overeem by second-round KO.
Main Event: Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo
We’ve watched this movie before. Back in June, to be exact, at UFC 212. But whoever said that the sequel can’t be as good as the original?
It was disappointing to see Frankie Edgar have to pull out because of injury just a matter of weeks before his title shot against Holloway. But, as the Waianae, Hawaii, native would say, “It is what it is.”
Aldo is coming off a second round TKO loss to Holloway and is coming in on short notice. Cardio was Aldo’s downfall against Holloway back in June, and it’s hard to believe he has resolved those issues on short notice. Holloway would have been preparing for a tough, grinding grappling match against Edgar, too.
Holloway has gotten better with each fight inside of the Octagon. At just 25, that’s not surprising; he hasn’t even entered his prime, which is a terrifying thought for aspiring contenders at 145 pounds.
Aldo is clearly at the tail-end of his career and has been looking less and less like the guy who dominated the featherweight division in the WEC and UFC for the better part of a decade. The famous leg kicks haven’t been there in his recent fights, injured or not. Aldo prefers to stand and trade with punches rather than mix things up with leg and body kicks.
Look for the Brazilian to change things up a little bit this time around, as he knows he can’t just stand and trade with a taller and more accurate striker. He will shoot for takedowns but will get stuffed by Holloway, who will have been preparing to stuff takedowns in training for Edgar.
Holloway will take Aldo into deep water again and wait for Aldo’s adrenaline to diminish. Aldo’s cardio will betray him in the second round, and Holloway will finish him with another impressive combination from the feet.
Prediction: Holloway defeats Aldo by second-round TKO.
In a few hours, longtime former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will meet current champ Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 218 from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to determine the future of the UFC 145-pound landscape for the immediate future. Aldo somewhat fortuitously received a rematch of their first meeting where Holloway won […]
In a few hours, longtime former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will meet current champ Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 218 from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to determine the future of the UFC 145-pound landscape for the immediate future.
Aldo somewhat fortuitously received a rematch of their first meeting where Holloway won by TKO at June’s UFC 212 when former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was forced out of the fight with a broken orbital bone suffered in training. Many fans clamored for exciting veteran Cub Swanson to finally get his first crack at a UFC title, but in the end, there was no one else but Aldo who could replace Edgar, due to the simple he is arguably still the most decorated featherweight in MMA history.
The deserving MMA legend had a jaw-dropping undefeated streak from May 2006 to December 2015 spanning over nine-and-a-half years as he won the WEC title, defending it twice before the promotion was absorbed by the UFC and he defended that title an unprecedented seven times before losing it to Conor McGregor via shocking 13-second knockout at December 2015’s UFC 194.
Aldo then won the interim title by defeating Edgar by decision for a second time at UFC 200, and that title once again became the official belt when McGregor was stripped of it shortly after winning the lightweight title at 2016’s UFC 205. In his first defense, he lost to the clear future at featherweight in his first meeting with Holloway.
Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports
This is obviously the way of the fight game, as young, talented top-level prospects eventually rise up and take out the once-great champions in every division. It is always merely a matter of time.
The ultra-impressive ‘Blessed’ has shown an uncanny ability to adapt and demolish during his unbelievable 11-fight win streak, something that was never before apparent when he clearly lost the first round to Aldo at UFC 212, may have lost the second by a much closer margin, and then stopped the arguable G.O.A.T. There’s now a strong case to be made that the budding Hawaiian star is now the strongest pick for that specific barnyard animal, however.
That’s what makes this fight so pivotal for Aldo because Holoway is his biggest rival. If he loses to the champion twice in a year, it’s going to be next to impossible for Aldo to get a third crack at “Blessed;” it just doesn’t really happen at the top level of pro-MMA all too much.
Nova Uniao’s star student isn’t necessarily old at 31, but he does have a ton of tread on his tires from repeated injuries that have forced him to pull out of multiple title fights. He’s also admitted to coasting to victory in during his long streak of defense in order to keep the cash rolling, yet he has nothing even close to that luxury tonight.
Lose and he could always pick his long-rumored move up to lightweight as his next move, but it’s almost as difficult to envision him getting a title shot anytime soon there, mostly due to the fact that McGregor is champion and a rematch with Aldo wouldn’t be an easy sell with two consecutive losses to the champ a weight class below. McGregor could unify the titles with interim champ Tony Ferguson, or he could face Nate Diaz, and then there are contenders like the winner of December 30’s Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Edson Barboza match-up who would all be ahead of Aldo in the crowded 155-pound rankings.
It makes the UFC 218 main event a must-win bout for the once-indestructible featherweight from Rio de Janeiro, who grew up on the streets with little to eat and is truly one of MMA’s great rags-to-riches tales. He’s shown he can damage Holloway, and even if he wins, a trilogy will most likely be imminent. With two knockout losses in his last three fights, the road back to supremacy is indeed a long one for Jose Aldo, but his time at the top will almost assuredly be over if he doesn’t win at UFC 218.
He will always be one of the sport’s greats, nothing will change that.
The wait is over for Max Holloway’s first UFC featherweight title defense. 