MAX Holloway was forced to pull out of his long-anticipated featherweight fight against Brian Ortega, but a stacked card still awaits Fighting fans at UFC 226.
Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic At the head of the show In parallel, Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis face each other in the same weight category at the co-principal event.
Paul Felder's welterweight battle against Mike Perry should also provide a lot of strengths.
Fight card
Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier face each other before their fight. Source: AP
Abstract card
Heavyweights
Stipe Miocic (18-2) vs. Daniel Cormier (20-1)
Heavy Trucks
Francis Ngannou (11-2) vs Derrick Lewis (19-5)
Welterweight [1] 9459019]
Paul Felder (15-3) vs. Mike Perry (11-3)
Lightweight
Michael Chiesa (14-3) against Anthony Pettis (20-7) [19659002] Light Heavy Duty
Gokhan Saki (1 -1) vs Khalil Rountree Jr (7-3)
Preliminaries
Average weight [19659002] Uriah Hall (14-8) vs Paulo Costa (11-0) [19659002] Seashells
Raphael Assuncao (26-5) vs Rob Font (15-3)
Lightweight
Lando Vannata (9-2-1) vs Drakkar Klose (8-1-1)
Welterweight
Curtis Millender (15-3) vs. Max Griffin (14-4) [1 9659028] Ngannou prepares to unleash hell
The UFC likes to overload International Week of Combat with irresistible fights and this year is no different. Starting with the showcase of Israel Adesanya on Saturday in the main event of the final of UFC 226 The Ultimate Fighter and ending with the layering between lightweight Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic for Miocic's heavyweight belt at UFC 226 to show his incomparable depth of talent.
There is still much to be hoped for, even though featherweight champion Max Holloway was removed from his title defense against Brian Ortega due to concussion problems.
Here are three untitled fights keep an eye on UFC 226:
No. Francis Ngannou (11-2) and Derrick Lewis (19-5) – Heavyweight [19659033FrancisNgannouhasachancetoshine” src=”https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/a47eeb8619705685ff1b3ef391723e8b” width=”650″ height=”488″/>
Francis Ngannou has a chance to shine. Source: Getty Images
It was Ngannou's year in 2017. Like a gigantic caterpillar turning into a very violent moth, Cameroonian metamorphosed into 39, a mountainous intriguer in a terrifying artist with a punch that had a whiff of Mike Tyson about it. Then Ngannou entered the cage with Miocic and was taken to school in five rounds. This fight against Lewis is the first opportunity for Ngannou to show that he has the mentality of coming back from a defeat that has revealed a huge hole in his game, namely, his fight. Lewis, on the other hand, has quietly prepared a championship resume – he has won seven of his last eight games and has earned performance bonuses in his last three fights. Whoever wins this one has a clear line to Miocic if the champion retains his title.
No. Paul Felder (15-3) against Mike Perry (11-3), middleweight
When Holloway vs. Ortega fell from the pay-per-view card, this fight was caught up. The UFC knows what it does. Gathered at the last minute because Felder's original opponent, James Vick, was moved to another card, these two are likely to stand up and bump, unless Felder goes to his bag incredibly deep. A wolf in sheep outfit, Felder is incredibly balanced and never has the respect that he deserves. He has won his last three fights, all in an incredibly impressive way, and is extremely well rounded. Perry, on the other hand, has a style that guarantees almost excitement. He fights as he likes: an old MMA brawler. Against the inferior competition that style was effective and for a brief period, he was in the "keep an eye on" discussion with middleweight welterweight champion Colby Covington. They even had a memorable wave of Twitter. Unfortunately, Perry is not at Covington's level, but he will be the biggest when he fights Felder, who is normally a lightweight, so you never know. Perry's power is very, very real.
No. Uriah Hall, 9th in the standings (14-8-0) against Paulo Costa (11-0) – middleweight
Uriah Hall is still a threat at 33 [19659007] Source: Getty Images
The middleweight division was the land of monsters. The GOAT, Anderson Silva, reigned supreme; Dan Henderson jumped his head from time to time; and Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and a young Chris Weidman made their way to the top. These days are long gone, but Paulo Costa, 27, is part of a group of young challengers who are fighting for the belt. Costa appears to have been carved into granite, hit like a Mack truck and got a knockout / knockout in all three UFC fights. He has not, however, fought anybody as good as Hall who, at age 33, has installed himself in the role of Warden of the Division. If Costa overtakes him, the Brazilian will probably finish the weekend with a top-five finish.
