UFC 251

[Andicis]

Well, it's one of the most stacked UFC cards I've seen. Who's watching?

3 title fights, Holloway vs Volkanovski, Yan vs Aldo and Masvidal vs Usman. Should be an amazing event! 

I'd love to see Masvidal upset Usman and call out Conor for the WW title, but if Masvidal can win on one weeks notice he deserves serious credit. Usman probably wrestle ducks him though. If Yan wins it sets up the fight with Aljamain Sterling, which is the real title fight since Aldo is only in there on name value. Holloway got banged last time but is also an elite fighter who I back to bounce back. 

[Jourdan]

I used to watch the fights religiously. But I can’t remember the last time I tuned in.

Requiring a BT Sport subscription makes it difficult.

I still follow the sport, mind you, and watch clips and highlights from time to time and regularly read MMA forums and websites.

On paper, Saturday looks like a night of decisions.

Usman, Volkanovski, Yan, Andrade would be my picks.

[Andicis]

1 minute ago, Jourdan said:

I used to watch the fights religiously. But I can’t remember the last time I tuned in.

Requiring a BT Sport subscription makes it difficult.

I still follow the sport, mind you, and watch clips and highlights from time to time and regularly read MMA forums and websites.

On paper, Saturday looks like a night of decisions.

Usman, Volkanovski, Yan, Andrade would be my picks.

Sensible picks but where is the adventure! I do agree, looking at it by the book means it'll be a lot of wrestling and the winner will win on a comfortable decision, that being said there is so much potential for knockout. Masvidal and Holloway are no slouches, they can challenge the champions. Andrade will almost certainly win though. You should give it a watch this weekend!

[Jourdan]

37 minutes ago, Andicis said:

Sensible picks but where is the adventure! I do agree, looking at it by the book means it'll be a lot of wrestling and the winner will win on a comfortable decision, that being said there is so much potential for knockout. Masvidal and Holloway are no slouches, they can challenge the champions. Andrade will almost certainly win though. You should give it a watch this weekend!

I don’t really like Usman. Every interview and video clip I’ve seen of him paints him as unlikable and arrogant in the extreme. But his grappling advantage makes it his fight to lose. 

I would love Masvidal to knock him out but I am struggling to see it, especially on a week’s notice. Usman would have to be really sloppy or complacent.

With Holloway v Volkanovski, I am less sure. If this was two years ago, I’d actually pick Max. He looked untouchable in 2017-18. But two years is a long time in this sport and there are new hungry guys coming up all of the time.

I am tempted to go with Volkanovski  purely because of momentum. AV has won 18 fights in a row and he is hungry and still feels he has a point to prove.

Whereas I am not sure what headspace Max is in with two tough losses in the recent past and there are questions over whether he has been taking his training seriously. Shades of BJ Penn.

I am not even sure Aldo should be fighting. I think he should have retired after the last Holloway fight. But here we are.

Rose v Andrade is probably the toughest fight to call, I’d say. 

 

[Andicis]

4 minutes ago, Jourdan said:

I don’t really like Usman. Every interview and video clip I’ve seen of him paints him as unlikable and arrogant in the extreme. But his grappling advantage makes it his fight to lose. 

I would love Masvidal to knock him out but I am struggling to see it, especially on a week’s notice. Usman would have to be really sloppy or complacent.

With Holloway v Volkanovski, I am less sure. If this was two years ago, I’d actually pick Max. He looked untouchable in 2017-18. But two years is a long time in this sport and there are new hungry guys coming up all of the time.

I am tempted to go with Volkanovski  purely because of momentum. AV has won 18 fights in a row and he is hungry and still feels he has a point to prove.

Whereas I am not sure what headspace Max is in with two tough losses in the recent past and there are questions over whether he has been taking his training seriously. Shades of BJ Penn.

I am not even sure Aldo should be fighting. I think he should have retired after the last Holloway fight. But here we are.

Rose v Andrade is probably the toughest fight to call, I’d say. 

 

Usman is cringey. He's just the typical unlikable fighter. Masvidal has a much better brand, but is an objectively worse fighter. Masvidal likes to stand up and fight though, it makes the whole event more exciting. With a weeks notice you'd be shocked, but Bisping did it before so maybe it's possible!? 

Holloway you'd struggle to bet against. He lost the last fight but if he gets to form he surely wins. It's super tough to call. 

Yan vs Aldo is a joke. Yan smashes him, Aldo is only there for name. That is the easiest title fight to call. Aldo shouldn't be in the ring as you say. He should have retired.

Andrade is good, but every time she fights a title fight she loses. You'd think she'd win from experience but who knows really!? 

[Jourdan]

5 minutes ago, Andicis said:

Usman is cringey. He's just the typical unlikable fighter. Masvidal has a much better brand, but is an objectively worse fighter. Masvidal likes to stand up and fight though, it makes the whole event more exciting. With a weeks notice you'd be shocked, but Bisping did it before so maybe it's possible!? 

Holloway you'd struggle to bet against. He lost the last fight but if he gets to form he surely wins. It's super tough to call. 

Yan vs Aldo is a joke. Yan smashes him, Aldo is only there for name. That is the easiest title fight to call. Aldo shouldn't be in the ring as you say. He should have retired.

Andrade is good, but every time she fights a title fight she loses. You'd think she'd win from experience but who knows really!? 

I think the women’s fights are harder to call because there’s less exposure and also because female fighters tend to be very flaky. The only fighter with any consistency over recent years has been Amanda Nunes.

With Usman and Masvidal, I just think the old cliche styles make fights applies here. Usman is a bad match up for Masvidal if Usman plays to his own strengths. He has Khabib vibes. Painfully effective. The only way I see Masvidal getting the edge is if he can talk his way into a stand up fight. But surely Usman will be too smart for that.

The Holloway fight will probably be the most competitive of all of them, I agree. But I am still sticking with Volkanovski.

[Andicis]

On 09/07/2020 at 02:51, Jourdan said:

I think the women’s fights are harder to call because there’s less exposure and also because female fighters tend to be very flaky. The only fighter with any consistency over recent years has been Amanda Nunes.

With Usman and Masvidal, I just think the old cliche styles make fights applies here. Usman is a bad match up for Masvidal if Usman plays to his own strengths. He has Khabib vibes. Painfully effective. The only way I see Masvidal getting the edge is if he can talk his way into a stand up fight. But surely Usman will be too smart for that.

The Holloway fight will probably be the most competitive of all of them, I agree. But I am still sticking with Volkanovski.

I just hope Masvidal manages to win a big fight for once.

[Jourdan]

7 hours ago, Andicis said:

I just hope Masvidal manages to win a big fight for once.

To be honest, Masvidal hasn’t built up enough momentum during his career to be in that many big fights. 

This is only the second title fight in his career. He has had 48 fights and his first fight was in 2003.

He has some good wins on his record - Diaz, Cerrone, Ellenberger, Askren, Till - but it’s only in the past 12-18 months that he has gained traction amongst the masses and earned a big fight.

I think this is his last chance at gold and quite possibly the worst timing and preparation possible.

I think for a match up of this magnitude and for an opponent like Usman, he needs a full camp and proper training with a properly managed weight cut. I’ll be stunned if he looks in good nick tomorrow.

But the UFC will have paid him handsomely, and there will still be fun and lucrative fights out there for him whatever happens tonight.

The UFC will be desperate to make Masvidal v Diaz 2 or Masvidal v McGregor like you said.