UFC 280 Preview

The UFC 280 card is absolutely stacked but we’ve picked some key fights for you to tune into and maybe put some wagers on. The first fight we’re really excited for is a matchup between a wrestler in Belal Muhammad and Undefeated Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Contender Sean Brady. The Next fight we’re really excited for is a matchup between Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan. This is an odd matchup with many fans and trolls alike wondering what the outcome will be when the American faces off the Russian Striking sensation. The final matchup we are super excited for is a the Main event where Charles Oliveira will face off against Khabib’s pupil Islam Makhachev.

Sean Brady has been undefeated in his MMA career so far. Although some call his game one dimensional we find his fighting style to be very fun to watch and unique. Brady who is a Black Belt under Professor Daniel Gracie has submission skills that could neutralize Huhamads wrestling. In his last three fights he’s had two submission victories and in his last performance he went to a decision against Michael Chiesa . I have to say Belal Muhammad wins a lot of his fights but they way he does it is quite boring how he just smothers people and waits for each round to pass and he controls his opponent to get a decision. Effective, but boring.

The Next matchup we’re really excited for is matchup between Sean O’Malley and striking wizard Petr Yan. It appears that Dana White is done giving the Suga show easy fights to grow his and is throwing the young American to the wolves when he matches up with Petr Yan. The former champ is scary good and opened as a heavy favorite on the sportsbook. Yan should make quick work of O’Malley. We don’t see this one going the distance in any way, but we are looking forward to seeing how it goes down.

The champion has a name and it’s Charles Oliveira. Oliveira put on a great performance recently when he faced off against Former interim Champion Justin Gaethje with a quick round one submission victory where he outclassed his opponent and every way. What should of been a title defense for Oliveira was not so this will be interesting to see If Oliveira regains his belt. Across the cage from him will be islam Makhachev who is the best combat Sambo fighter out of Dagestan not named Khabib. Makhachev has vicious sambo skills which would scare even the most talented Grapplers as he can control you and pummel you with strikes and eventually get the submission.

The UFC 280 card is a banger Dana White shows why he is the best promoter in combat sports history with fights like these. What an amazing lineup You can catch this card on ESPN+ PPV.

What’s Next For Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera After UFC San Diego

Marlon “Chito” Vera put on one hell of a show when he faced off against Dominic Cruz in the UFC Octagon at UFC San Diego over the former champion with a vicious Knockout of the former Bantamweight champion. Vera has many options at 135 in our opinion. In this piece we’re going over the matchups that make sense for the rising Bantamweight. It all depends on who wins matchups at the top of the division in coming months.

The first fight I think that makes sense for Vera is the winner of the matchup between Petr Yan & Sean O’Malley. Yan is a striking master with a background in Boxing and Muay Thai the former Champion has been training hard since his title bout that he lost against current champ Aljamain Sterling. The Yan O’Malley matchup doesn’t really make sense but a matchup between Vera and Yan would definitely make more sense. As would a rematch between Vera and O’Malley the pair definitely have unfinished business.

Jose Aldo faces off against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. I think the winner of that matchup would also make sense for Vera. Aldo is one of the best fighters in the lower weight classes in UFC history with 7 title defenses of his 145 pound belt. Vera could be an interesting matchup for Aldo because they both can Grapple, but both have striking games so it’d be interesting to see where the fight would end up. Dvalishvili is a black belt in Judo, but the majority of his wins come from the Judges so it would be cool to see Vera try to Submit or Knockout the Georgian.

One matchup I really like for vera is Cory Sandhagen. Sandhagen has an impressive 14-4 I think Sandhagens striking and grappling would be put to the test with Vera. as Chito can go toe to toe and I think the grappling exchanges would go in Vera’s direction I want to see this matchup. But it all depends on Sandhagen’s next performance when he faces off against Song Yadong who is a really tough matchup for the 135er but I think Vera vs Sandhagen is really the fight to make if the matchups above don’t work out.

I’m super excited to see who Vera takes on next as he is definitely on his way to a title fight.

What’s Next For Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera?

Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera and Massachusetts native Rob Font Gave UFC fans an amazing performance on Saturday when they faced off against each other in the UFC Octagon. We think that there are some clear fights that make sense for Vera. One fight I think makes a lot of Sense is a bout with Cory Sandhagen. Another matchup that makes sense for Chito is with Russian Striking ace Petr Yan would also make sense as Yan. A matchup I think the fans would love to see would be a rematch between Vera and Jose Aldo. The Bantamweight Division is full of interesting matchups.

Sandhagen Is coming off a loss to Petr Yan for the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 267 which won him Fight of the Night honors. Sandhagen is a striker but also holds a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I think this matchup makes sense for Chito as he’d be able to bring it to the ground and hopefully get a submission as he is a grappler and 8 of his 19 mins have come from his submission game.

Petr Yan is a very good matchup for Vera. Yan looked very uncomfortable on the ground in his rematch Championship bout against current Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling. Chito holds the advantage in the grappling department, but on the feet Yan could make things interesting, all MMA fights start on the feet. Seven of Yans victories come by way of Knockout making this one of those striker vs. grappler matchups that the UFC loves to make, it’s one of the most entertaining fights I think makes sense.

Two fights that I think fans would like to see, and matchups that Vera has called for. One is a rematch with former Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo. The other is with former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. Aldo is an interesting matchup for Vera as they both have already met in the Octagon so they know each other well. Both have amazing submission skills so this may actually stay on the feet. The matchup with Dominick Cruz actually makes more sense for Vera in my opinion, Vera has a huge advantage on the ground with years of grappling experience.

It’ll be interesting to see what is next for Vera. We think he is climbing his way to the top of this stacked division.

UFC 273 Preview

UFC 273 is coming up on April ninth. The UFC packed the main card with some amazing fights with some of MMA’s biggest names and rising stars. Fight Fans are going to love this amazing card after some of the more mediocre cards at the beginning of the year. The first bout of note is between women’s Strawweight fighters in a classic Grappler vs Striker matchup between Mackenzie Dern and Tecia Torres. The next fight of note will be between Russian born Wrestler Khamzat Chimaev and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Gilbert Burns. The card will be topped off by two title fights.

Dern vs. Torres is the first fight fans will like on the main card. Dern is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt who sports an impressive 11-2 record in the Strawweight division. In her last outing she didn’t come away with a win against Marina Rodriguez, but before that was riding a four fight win streak with wins against Randa Markos, Virna Jandiroba, and Nina Nunes. She hopes to get back into the win Column when she faces off against striking expert Torres. Torres is a Black Belt in Karate and Jhoon-Rhee Taekwondo. She is riding a three fight win streak with wins over Brianna Van Buren, Sam Hughes, and Angela Hill. This is an awesome matchup I think fans will enjoy.

Chamiev has been taking the MMA world by storm. The Undefeated Russian born fighter has both striking and wrestling skills and has been compared to greats like Khabib Nurmogamedov and Jon Jones. He will really be tested when he faces off against Gilbert Burns who is one of the best Welterweights in the world who’s grappling is through the roof. Burns has an impressive 20-4 record with a win in his last outing when he fought against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Burn’s only loss in the last four years was to current Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. This is a fight I think fans will love.

The card will be topped off by two title fights; the first one is a matchup between Russian Bantamweight Petr Yan and American grappling ace Aljamain Sterling. These two met last year and Sterling walked away with the title after Yan landed an illegal knee that lead to a disqualification. The pair don’t like each other and have been trading verbal barbs online. The final title fight will be between Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and The Korean Zombie. Volkanovski is coming off a win against Brian Ortega and is riding a 20 fight win streak including two successful title defenses. The Korean Zombie is coming off a win against Dan Ige and was a fill in for Featherweight legend Max Holloway.

UFC 273 is an awesome card with some amazing fights. The PPV will be available for purchase on ESPN+

Fighter Profile: Petr Yan

Yan receives his belt from Dana White. Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

UFC Interim Bantamweight Champion Petr “No Mercy” Yan is one of the most lethal strikers in UFC history. The 29 year old Russian will return to the Octagon in April at UFC 273 in a title Unification bout rematch with Aljamain Sterling. These two 135 pounders do not like each other so it’ll be good to see them fight it out in this classic striker vs grappler matchup that the whole UFC was based on. This fight is going to be great and it’s on a great PPV card which also features a title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung. We can’t wait to see this fight go down.

Yan was born February 11, 1993 in Dudinka, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. He is of Chinese and Russian Descent. Yan started his Martial Arts Journey in sixth grade ITF Taekwon-do. He was in a lot of street fights growing up which led Yan’s family tp try to move around to different areas to try to deter this type of behavior. After his brother started boxing Yan would take up the sport too, even though his brother didn’t approve of him doing so. Yan would train in Boxing for eight years and would become Master of Sport in Boxing.

Yan would later turn his focus to MMA he’d make his professional debut against Murad Bakiev winning by Knockout in March of 2013. Renato Velame would be next for Yan and he’d win the bout via Unanimous decision. He’d then go on to face Haron Orzumiev in May of 2015 winning by Submission (Guillotine Choke.) Artur Mirzakhanyan would be next for Yan and Yan would win by TKO (Punches.) He’d win his next fight before losing a fight to Magomed Magomedov. Yan would win his next three fights before getting a UFC contract.

Yan would make his UFC debut against Teruto Ishihara in June of 2018 winning by TKO (Punches.) Jin Soo Son would be his next fight in the promotion. The fight would be at catchweight because Yan’s Opponent didn’t make weight. He’d win the fight by Unanimous Decision. He’d go on to face Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC 232 Yan would get the victory by TKO (corner stoppage.) Yan would win his next three fights including a bout with WEC and UFC veteran Urijah Faber. Yan would fight José Aldo for the vacant Bantamweight title and would win via TKO (punches.) He’d then face Aljamain Sterling and would lose the bout and the belt by disqualification when he threw an illegal knee. He’d then face Cory Sandhagen for an Interim Bantamweight title winning by Unanimous Decision.

Yan will face Sterling again, and we will see who ultimately is the better fighter. Yan was winning the first fight. We will see who comes out on top soon.

Predicting The UFC’s Champions at the End of 2022

Valentina Shevchenko: Amanda Nunes Knows 'She Was Gifted The Victory' In Second Fight | MiddleEasy

Before the UFC’s beginning of 2022 kickoff on Saturday we decided to take a look at what divisions we think will have new champions come the End of 2022 and which divisions will likely have the same champion by the end of this year. We think that this might be a controversial list, but I think that there are some things that definitely need to be said.

Men’s Bantamweight: Petr Yan

Current Champion Aljamain Sterling won his belt due to an illegal knee. It truly was “The Illegal Knee Heard Around the World” and Petr Yan was winning that fight before that happened. Many people thought Sterling was faking it, but under current Unified Rules that was a valid way for Sterling to win a belt and one of the wildest ways I think a UFC title has ever been won. Yan is currently the interim champion of the Bantamweight division after fighting Cory Sandhagen for an interim title after Sterling pulled out of the Rematch. Before facing Sterling, Yan was riding a ten fight win streak and was the Bantamweight Champion and we think he will have UFC gold by the end of 2022.

Women’s Bantamweight: Valentina Schevchenko

Julianna Peña shocked the world at UFC 269 When she beat Amanda Nunes and won the Bantamweight title, a title Nunes had held since 2016 at UFC 200 when she choked out Miesha Tate. We think that Peña won’t hold UFC gold for long and will eventually lose it to either Amanda Nunes or Valentina Schevchenko We’re going to go out on a limb here and say that Schevchenko moves back to Bantamweight and goes after Champ Champ status Schevchenko literally has cleaned out the Flyweight division and the only real challenger that might come her way is former Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate who is moving down to Flyweight. But we think Schevchenko will be Champ Champ by the end of 2022.

Men’s Heavyweight: Jon Jones

Arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time, we predict Jon Jones will be Heavyweight Champion by the end of 2022. Jones, who was putting on weight to fight at 265 pounds before his most recent legal trouble. He has not fought since February 2020 when he defended the Light Heavyweight title. Jones who has been M.I.A. throughout the whole pandemic and was in talks to fight Francis Ngannou after Ngannou won the title against Stipe Miocic in March. We hope that Jones fights the winner of Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane when the pair fight their unification bout later this month at UFC 270.

Champions we think will stay the same in 2022:

Women Strawweight: Rose Namajunas

Women’s Flyweight: Valentina Schevchenko

Men’s Flyweight: Brandon Moreno

Men’s Featherweight: Alexander Volkanovski

Women’s Featherweight: Amanda Nunes

Men’s Lightweight: Charles Oliveira

Men’s Welterweight: Kamaru Usman

Men’s Middleweight: Israel Adesanya

Light Heavyweight: Glover Teixeira

UFC 267 Preview

UFC 259: Blachowicz v Adesanya — Reigning Light Heavyweight Champion Polish powerhouse house Jan Blachowicz Photo Courtesy of Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

UFC 267 is fast approaching, the UFC numbered event will be the first free card offered to United States based ESPN+ subscribers. UFC 267 will also be the first card to be not on Pay Per View since UFC 139 in 2011. And this card is stacked and the price is right with two title fights and three, three round bouts.

The first bout of note will be between Lightweight’s Islam Makachev and Dan Hooker. Number five ranked UFC Lightweight Makachev was set to face Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 26, but former Lightweight Champion Dos Anjos has been forced to pull out of the fight due to injury. On Thursday September 30th Dana White announced that number six ranked UFC Lightweight Dan Hooker would be stepping into fight Makachev. Both Makachev and Hooker are coming off victories in their last fights, with Makachev securing a victory against Thiago Moises by Submission (rear-naked choke.) Hooker pulled off an impressive victory at UFC 266 against Nasrat Haqparast. The win by decision was even more spectacular considering that Hooker had arrived in the country less than 48 hours before the fight

The first title fight that will take place at UFC 267 will be an interim title fight between number one ranked Bantamweight Petr Yan and number three ranked Bantamweight Corey Sandhagen. Yan is coming off a loss at UFC 259 in march where he lost his belt to Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling due to an Disqualification (illegal knee.) Yan who has only lost once before UFC 259 looks to win the interim title and hopefully win a unification bout against Aljamain Sterling to become the new UFC Bantamweight champion. Corey Sandhagen who took this fight short notice is coming off a loss to number 2 ranked Bantamweight, TJ Dillishaw.

The second title fight of the night will be between Light Heavyweight king Jan Błachowicz and number one ranked Light Heavyweight Glover Teixeira. Błachowicz is coming off his first successful title defense with a win over Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. Błachowicz is of Polish descent and only the second Polish champion in the promotion’s history. Błachowicz will be facing a tough Teixeira who has won his last five fights. This will be Teixeira’s second title shot. Tiexiera’s first title shot was against Jon Jones who won via unanimous Decision at UFC 172 in April of 2014. It’s sure to be a great fight between these two MMA veterans.

This UFC card is absolutely stacked and the price is right with two title fights and three, three round bouts how could you go wrong. Tune in live on ESPN+ on October 30th at 2pm.

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