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For the first time since BJ Penn clashed with Georges St-Pierre for the second time in 2009, two champions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with real defensive title s & # 39; This Saturday (7 July 2018) Stipe Miocic, the heavyweight heavyweight, welcomes Daniel Cormier, Light Heavyweight heavyweight goalkeeper. Meanwhile, 120 pound farther, Max Holloway, featherweight champion, will face Brian Ortega in the UFC 226 co-tournament card, while Derrick Lewis will receive his long-awaited grudge match with Francis Ngannou.
We have seven "Preliminary" sub-card matches that will first stage T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with three on Fight Pass and the rest on FOX Sports 1. Because 39th is a double combat week – The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27 Finale takes place the night before – we've all piled them in a pole.
185 lbs.: Paulo Costa vs. Uriah Hall
Paulo Costa (11-0) – the martial artist formerly known as "Borrachinha" – rebounded from an unsuccessful TUF: "Brazil" 2 ran to win and defend the Jungle Fight Middleweight title. He was so successful in the UFC, crushing Garreth McLellan, Oluwale Bamgbose and Johny Hendricks in his 2017 campaign.
He never spent 1:23 on the second round as a professional, eliminating 10 opponents and submitting another.
The ridiculous reversal of Uriah Hall (13-8) against Gegard Mousasi has given way to three consecutive defeats, including the first-round knockout (technical) against Brunson and the aforementioned Mousasi in the rematch. On the cards and with his back against the wall, "Primetime" knocked out Krzysztof Jotko to win "Performance of the Night" and keep his octagon career afloat.
These two men were originally scheduled to fight in April before Costa suffered a biceps injury.
We all know what's going on right now. Hall has the potential to eliminate anyone in the division at any time, but it is beyond the temerity to trust his ability to run against a competent middleweight competition. . It's a guy who lost to Josh Howard and who was then eliminated by Mousasi, a feat that several world champions and quality heavyweights have failed to accomplish.
Costa is young, huge, incredibly powerful and seems to have a good cardio. two trips to the second round. The obvious result allows him to lobby Hall against the cage and blow it up with hooks for the finish, as did Chris Weidman and Brunson. Except another Hall miracle, that's my call.
Prediction: Costa by first-round technical knockout
170 lbs .: Paul Felder vs. Mike Perry
Paul Felder (15 -3) is 5-1 since losses consecutive to Edson Barboza and Ross Peason, getting three consecutive wins (technical). Originally, he had to fight James Vick in Boise, Idaho, but he answered the call when Vick was called to face Justin Gaethje and Yancy Medeiros broke a rib.
"The Irish Dragon" eliminated 10 opponents and sent another.
The knockouts of Mike Perry (11-3) of Jake Ellenberger and Alex Reyes put him out of contention, only for Santiago Ponzinibbio. to sack him in an exhausting affair. He returned two months later against Max Griffin in what appeared to be a rebound fight, but "Max Pain" challenged considerable chances to choose Perry aside and obtain a decision.
Seven of his 11 knockout wins came in the first round
Perry has all the tools to be a truly remarkable Welterweight, with power, speed and physicality worthy, but his technique does not progress from the same way. should. If the losses of Alan Jouban and Santiago Ponzinibbio are understandable, Griffin is someone he should have destroyed. Felder is durable enough, adaptable enough, and versatile enough on the feet to recreate Griffin's winning effort.
There is Felder's concern of being unable to withstand the power of a true Welterweight, but he has absorbed blows like Edson Barboza and Daron Cruickshank without flinching. I have confidence in his ability to avoid Perry's bombs and take him apart for a decisive victory
Prediction: Felder by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Raphael Assuncao vs. Rob Font [19659025] It Raphael Assuncao (26-5) is 10-1 since losing to Erik Koch, defeating TJ Dillashaw, Bryan Caraway, Aljamain Sterling and Marlon Moraes, among others. His last win was the most eye-catching to date, a brutal knockout by Matthew Lopez who earned Brazil his first post-fight bonus since 2013.
He's three inches smaller than Rob Font (15-3) and
Font scored brutal goals in four of his first five appearances at the UFC and seemed ready for another win in October 2017, but succumbed to the infamous guillotine of Pedro Munhoz in late first round. Against another dangerous enemy of Thomas Almeida, Font survived a competitive first round to stop and stop "Thominhas" in Boston.
Seven stunned opponents and four others.
Well, if there is anyone outside Cody Garbrandt and John Lineker who could shoot a big fight out of Assuncao, that 's it. Dangerously powerful and aggressive, it's all you want in a young fighter. Despite all this destructive potential, I am not convinced that he is sharp enough to take the Brazilian out of his comfort zone. Assuncao's counter-striker is among the division's best – only Dillashaw and Moraes, incredibly adaptive, managed to snatch it without ever taking more in return. Based on what I've seen, he can slow down this fight and constantly punish Font's aggression.
I shoot at Font because it is exponentially more entertaining, but I say that Assuncao takes it seriously enough to make a controversy.
Prediction: Assuncao by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Max Griffin versus Curtis Millender (15-3)
Max Griffin (14-4) – After sharing battles with Colby Covington and Erick Montano – battled Elizeu Zaleski at UFC Fight Night 119, earning a $ 50,000 bonus for his troubles. Four months later, "Max Pain" made a totally unexpected decision about Mike Perry, which he outclassed on the feet.
Half of his career wins were won by KO.
The start of the 1-3 streak for Curtis Millender (15-3) did not stop him from winning six straight victories, including solid victories in the LFA. His debut in the Octagon was against Thiago Alves, whom he caught with a vicious knee in the last minute of the second round.
"Curtious" is four inches taller than Griffin at 6 # 3. "
Griffin impressed just about everyone against Perry, so it would not surprise me to see him close" Curtious ", but that sounds like a rough match for him." In addition to the big disadvantage, Griffin is easy enough to hit and has been knocked down more than once against Zaleski.It is also worth noting that his arsenal does not highlight kicks or low kicks, which are the main weaknesses of Millender. 19659040] Without the tools to penetrate inside Millender or make him hesitate on those long shots, Griffin's heavy hands to bear in. Millender finds the mark with a whim midway through the second lap.
Prediction: Millender via KO in the second round
155 lbs.: Gilbert Burns against Dan Hooker
Gilbert Burns & # 39; (13-2) The Brazilian pedigree of jiu-jitsu got him a lot of attention when he rejoined UFC and he experienced the hype with his victories in his first three octagon appearances. A 1-2 sequence slowed his throw, but he regained the lead with overwhelming knockouts from Jason Saggo and Dan Moret
Burns featured seven professional foes, four by armbar, and eliminated five more. [19659047] After an inconsistent featherweight race, Dan Hooker (16-7) is reinvented as a lightweight competitor with three impressive finishes. He opened his 155-pound race with a Ross Rossson knockout, introduced Marc Diakiese shortly thereafter, and returned to base with another wild knee against Jim Miller.
It will be two inches tall, four inches in reach, and three inches of leg reach on "Durinho".
Hooker looked like a new man at 155 pounds, getting rid of his face-first fight in favor of a varied and delicate offense. Burns also looks fierce, but I'm not sure that the energy-hungry head hunt is the best approach against Iron Jaw Kiwi. Hooker is notoriously durable and has been eliminated from grapplers under Ace as Hatsu Hioki in the past.
If he had shown a better jab and a more mixed fight, I was going to take Burns over most of the division. In fact, while it will have a lot of heightened finishes, the stylistic match is not in its favor – Hooker is just too hard to get rid of and too sharp with his game planning. The Heavy Knees and forehands keep the Burns in full charge for about fifteen minutes
Prediction: Hooker by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Lando Vannata vs. Drakkar Klose
Lando Vannata (9-2) opened his career at the UFC with an opponent close to Tony Ferguson, giving up "El Cucuy" at a whim before finally shooting an Arce starter. His career in the Octagon was fickle but entertaining, as he went 1-1-1 and gained three post-fight bonuses.
He knocked out and submitted four professional opponents each.
Drakkar Klose (8-1-1) – Fighting against the MMA Lab – defeated the product "Lookin 'for a Fight" Devin Powell in his Octagon debut before using powerful kicks for annoy Marc Diakiese. He had less success against David Teymur, who stopped his fight and took him apart within range.
It will drop an inch in height and 2.5 inches of reach to the "Groovy".
Vannata is a match for anyone in the first round division. The reason he sits on a losing UFC record despite his obvious skills is his inability to train. That said, he has always given David Teymur a tougher fight than Klose and his slickster hairstyles seem well equipped to stop Klose's direct attack.
Klose will have trouble keeping Vannata on the palisade, is not a sufficiently powerful wrestler to get him down to the center of the cage, and does not have the power to put him in the position. gap. Vannata goes on at least two rounds with great long-range strikes before fainting enough for Klose to start connecting
Prediction: Vannata by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Emily Whitmire [19659004] vs. Jamie Moyle
Representing the Justin Gaethje team on 26 UFC, Emily Whitmire (2-2) featured Christina Marks in 40 seconds before falling to Roxanne Modafferi in the quarterfinals. His troubles continued in the Final, which saw him shoot Gillian Robertson in just over two minutes.
She is five inches taller than Jamie Moyle (4-2), but she will give up two inches of reach
Moyle also had 1-1 in her TUF race, beating Alyssa Krahn in the round of 39. Elimination of TUF 23 before falling to the finalist Amanda Cooper. Things were similar in the Octagon, beating Kailin Curran in his Octagon debut and losing to Viviane Pereira six months later.
This will be his first fight in 13 months because of an injury.
Whitmire's two professional victories were won by opponents who were 0-0 and 2-7. She was a Strawweight before moving to 125 pounds for TUF, so she should not have much weight advantage. She was submitted twice as a professional and was pounded in the dust on TUF
That said, you can see why I do not take her for a capable wrestler.
competition and has the stylistic advantage to overcome the disadvantage of height. She precedes, crushes and faces Whitmire for 15 minutes
Prediction: Moyle by a unanimous decision
UFC 226 will feature two incredible world title fights, a grudge match and the return of Gokhan Saki. If it's not worth your money, I do not know what it is. See you Saturday, Maniacs!
Also remember that MMAmania.com will deliver live round-by-round coverage of the entire UFC 226 combat card, starting with the "Prelims" of Fight Pass online, which must start at 18:30 ET, and then the remaining sub-card balance on FOX Sports 1 to 20 hours. AND, before the start time of the main PPV card at 22:00. AND.
Prediction Record of the UFC "Preliminary" for 2018: 86-40
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