The UFC celebrates International Fight Week with a blockbuster card scheduled for UFC 226 on July 7, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena is Las Vegas, Nevada.
The International Fight Week is the biggest event in the UFC’s annual calendar with several events leading to the big one on Saturday night. On Friday, the UFC Fan Experience will give the fans the opportunity to meet and greet their favorite fighters. The event culminates with a pool party hosted by the UFC at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Rehab Beach Club. In between both big events though is the biggest, with some of the biggest names in the promotion fighting at UFC 226.
Aside from two title bouts that will headline the event, UFC 226 also features plenty of exciting match-ups involving high profile fighters. For any UFC fan, it is truly a can’t miss event and we have its best fights covered for you.
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will make the 4th defense of his world title against reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in a super fight that will headline UFC 226 on July 7, 2018, during the celebration of the International Fight Week.
Miocic is considered one of the best heavyweight champions of all-time if not the best. Since knocking out Fabricio Werdum to win the heavyweight title at UFC 198 on May 14, 2016, the Ohio native has successfully defended the title three times, the most by any UFC heavyweight champion in the promotion’s history.
Known as the current baddest man on the planet, Miocic has a record of 18-2 with 13 knockouts. His coming off a tough five-round war with Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 last January 20, 2018. Prior to that, Miocic knocked out Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, Werdum, Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos in succession. Miocic hasn’t dropped a bout since losing to Werdum in 2014.
Current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has seen everything in his MMA career but without doubt, this is the biggest fight of his MMA career. Cormier is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament winner but moved to light heavyweight in 2014 so that he won’t fight then champion and good friend Cain Velasquez.
Cormier lost the light heavyweight title via KO to rival Jon Jones at UFC 214 but that was overturned into a no-contest after Jones failed a drug test and was suspended. Now DC finally gets the opportunity to step out of Jones’ shadow by attempting to be the fourth fighter in UFC history to win two titles in different weight classes and only the second ( after Conor MCGregor ) to hold two world titles simultaneously. Against Miocic though, it won’t be easy.
Miocic is averages 4.75 significant strikes landed per minute at a high 51% accuracy. But not only does he land in volume and with accuracy, he also has otherworldly punching power. Miocic has produced a knockout in six of his last seven wins with four of his last five bouts ending in round one.
But being a striking machine is just one part of his game. Miocic is also a polished wrestler who has produced 13 takedowns in his last six bouts. In his last bout alone, Miocic took down powerhouse Francis Ngannou a total of six times during their five-round title fight. In fact, during that fight, Miocic didn’t land just 6 takedowns, he also connected on 200 total strikes.
When you look at Daniel Cormier, you’re looking at perhaps the fighter with the best wrestling background. Cormier averages 1.89 takedowns per 15 minutes at an accuracy of 42%. DC also has an excellent 80% takedown defense which makes him a true elite on the canvass.
Cormier always believes that he has the advantage on the ground because of his deep wrestling background. Three of his last victories have been by rear naked choke so not only can he wrestle on the ground, he has excellent submission skills too. While it’s his wrestling that makes him elite, Cormier is a balanced fighter who knows how to win.
Because he’s been at the top of the 205 division, it’s not often that you see Daniel Cormier as an underdog. In fact, he’s 2-1-1 in his last four bouts as a dog. We know DC can fight heavyweights but Miocic may be too young and too big for him. The champ has an 8 inch reach advantage, a 5 inch height advantage and is 3 years younger. It’s hard to bring down a man much bigger and yes, Cormier is getting up there in age at 39.
Miocic is one of the most underestimated champions of all-time. But after defeating Ngannou, he proved he is tough to bet against. I won’t blame you if you take the plus money and go with Daniel Cormier but we’re going with the champ here. He’s the real deal and he showed in his last fight that he can fight five rounds. The longer this goes, the more trouble it will be for Cormier. It’s either a quick knockout or a brutal late round stoppage for Stipe Miocic.
UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will defend his belt for the second time as he faces the unbeaten Brian Ortega in the co-main event of UFC 226 on July 7, 208 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
Holloway is having a chaotic year as he was forced to withdraw from a title defense against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222 after suffering a knee injury. While targeting a July return, Holloway got an opportunity to face UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 but was pulled out from the event after being declared medically unfit to fight due to significant weight cutting.
Now Holloway returns to his weight class to defend his title and protect his claim as the best featherweight in the planet. Holloway earned that tag when he unified the featherweight division with a three-round knockout of former champion Jose Aldo at UFC 212.
Holloway asserted his mastery of Aldo by knocking out the Brazilian again in their rematch five months later at UFC 218. He has won 12 fights in a row and has not lost since dropping a decision to Conor McGregor in 2013. Holloway is ranked as the 6th best pound for pound fighter in the planet and was the 2017 Fighter of the Year in most award-giving bodies.
The 27-year-old Ortega earned his title shot after Holloway pulled out from UFC 222. He stepped in and dealt Frankie Edgar the first knockout loss of his career. Prior to that bout, Ortega submitted Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 123. With back to back wins over Top 5 fighters, T-City is getting his first crack at UFC gold.
Ortega is undefeated in 14 bouts with 3 knockouts and 7 submissions. The only blot in his record was a no-contest against Mike De La Torre in 2014 which was supposed to be a submission win for Ortega but he tested positive for a banned substance. Since then, he’s recorded six consecutive wins by stoppage.
Max Holloway is a volume striker who lands accurately and is tough to read because of his length and athleticism. Holloway averages an astounding 6.20 significant strikes landed per minute at a 43% accuracy. When we talk about Holloway’s striking, it’s not just his punches because when he gets going, Blessed becomes very creative with his leg kicks.
Holloway is also one of the best in defending takedowns with his 83% takedown defense and has not been taken down in his last 9 bouts. Holloway just forces his opponent to fight his kind of fight and he just dominates from there with his fearless mentality. When you talk about Max Holloway, he’s always a very difficult match-up.
Brian Ortega has been a very busy fighter as this is his fourth bout since 2017 and he is coming off a flawless March 2018 win over Frankie Edgar, his second straight Performance of The Night winner. He has won half of his bouts via submission and with a deep Brazilian jiu-jitsu background, he doesn’t need much of an opening to finish his fights.
He is most dangerous when he is on the ground as he can get very creative with his legs. Including his no-contest against De La Torre, Ortega has finished his last seven fights and three of his last five wins have been by submission. Surprisingly though, he has not recorded a takedown since his bout with De La Torre.
As in the Miocic vs Cormier fight, it’s hard to ignore the plus money on Ortega because he is and unbeaten and proven fighter. We’re talking about a fighter here who has impressive finishing rate (10/14) and with a high fight IQ. But on the other end of the octagon is a man whose winning streak has no equal.
Holloway has looked unstoppable since losing to McGregor and he has definitely grown better after every fight. He fights on his feet where Ortega isn’t elite with his hands. Unless Ortega secures a takedown, and that’s going to be hard to do, Holloway is just going to pepper him with punches and kicks. It’s going to be an exciting fight and probably a close one. But we’re picking Max Holloway to come up with the victory here.
The highly anticipated showdown between two of the UFC’s top heavyweights is on as Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis takes on Francis “Predator” Ngannou in a three-round bout which is expected bring in fireworks.
Weighing a combined 510 pounds, the pair of Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou are literally two of the biggest fighters in the UFC’s roster. Lewis has been calling out Ngannou several times, the last of which was after his knockout win over Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 125 last February.
The fight will be the 14th for Lewis in the UFC since 2014 and that’s the most by any heavyweight on the promotion’s current roster. The Black Beast has a record of 29-5 with one no contest, 17 knockouts, and 1 submission. The former Legacy FC heavyweight champion was fast rising in the rankings when he suffered a 4th round knockout loss to Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 110 in New Zealand.
After briefly retiring following the loss, Lewis came back and was supposed to fight former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 216 but was forced to withdraw on the day of the fight because of a back injury. Lewis bounced back with a Performance of the Night stoppage of Tybura and is looking to get back in title contention with a win over the high profile Ngannou.
Ngannou enters this matchup looking to rebound. After starting his UFC career with six straight wins on six stoppages, the Predator earned a title shot against champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 220. While he was heavily favored, Ngannou got exposed by the crafty Miocic and was soundly beaten in a five-round affair.
Ngannou says he has learned a lot from his loss to Miocic and is ready to return to the title picture. His first order of business isn’t an easy one. Like him, Derrick Lewis is one big and nasty dude so Ngannou must bring his A-game here. With Miocic fighting in the main event, this is an opportunity for both to make their claim for the next title shot.
There is no secret to Derrick Lewis’ game. He is a heavy hitter who has boxing background and has produced 15 knockouts in his last 16 victories. Against Lewis, all you have to watch out for are those big bombs. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done when he’s in front of you.
Lewis has a 79-inch reach and comes at you with vicious haymakers, looking to chop off your head. What makes him dangerous is his aggression as he doesn’t care if he eats some to be able to land some. As a pure striker, only few can hang with the Black Beast on his feet.
Ngannou is a physical freak. He is well built and is pure muscle. He’s longer at 83 inches in reach and has very fast and powerful hands. Before he was unmasked by Miocic, he looked like a monster inside the Octagon, knocking out the likes of Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski and Curtis Blaydes.
All of his 11 victories have come via stoppage and none of the opponents he defeated were able to go beyond the second round. Like Lewis, he isn’t a fan of takedowns. In fact, Ngannou has zero takedowns in his UFC career. Like Lewis too, he doesn’t need to land too many punches to put the lights out of his opponents.
In a fight where neither fighter wants to take the fight to the ground, anything can happen. This is the heavyweight division where one punch can end it all and given that we have two of the heaviest hitters in the promotion, it’s almost a guarantee that this fight isn’t going the distance.
Both Lewis and Ngannou are questionable when it comes to stamina and cardio but in a fight like this, you might not even need five minutes to determine the outcome. Both are capable of knocking out the other. But if you look back at their last fights, Lewis looked in better shape, whatever that better is. The Black Beast has proven his durability while Ngannou has not. It’s not about the muscles here, it’s about who gets to land the big one first. Given the plus money, I’d take Derrick Lewis here. We’re picking Derrick Lewis to knock out Francis Ngannou.
Anthony Pettis and Michael Chiesa look to keep their respective careers going as they clash in a crucial lightweight bout that will leave only one of them with a Top 10 ranking.
This bout was supposed to go down at UFC 223 but it was rescheduled after Chiesa could not fight after suffering facial lacerations in the aftermath of the now infamous bus attack by Conor McGregor.
Michael Chiesa has been in the UFC since 2008 but hasn’t really gotten a big break since winning the Ultimate Fighter: Live tournament. That’s because he’s failed in every big fight the UFC has given him so far. Chiesa lost to Jorge Masvidal, Joe Lauzon and most recently Kevin Lee all by stoppage.
But prior to his loss to Lee, Chiesa was on a nice three-fight winning streak, with wins over Mitch Clark, Jim Miller, and Beneil Dariush. His last two wins were by submission and both earned post-fight bonuses. With Pettis on his plate, Chiesa hopes he can finally add a big name to his resume and move up in the rankings.
While Chiesa is still yearning for the limelight, Anthony Pettis had everything going for him in 2013 when he won the UFC lightweight title from Benson Henderson. Known as Showtime, Pettis was one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC’s roster but since losing the belt to Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 185, it has been downhill for Anthony Pettis.
Showtime has only won twice in his post-championship era. During that period, Pettis attempted moving down to featherweight, even fighting for the interim featherweight title. But he was unsuccessful there, beaten badly by Max Holloway at UFC 206. He’s since returned to lightweight and hopes that he will find success again.
Michael Chiesa is a quality wrestler and a good takedown artist who is at his best when his opponent is on the ground. He is a dangerous grappler who overpowers his opponents with size and technique on the canvass. Nine of his last 11 victories have come via submission.
Chiesa is a good scambler and takes backs pretty well. He loves fighting in the clinch and favors to fight on the ground given his physical attributes. What Pettis doesn’t want to happen is having Chiesa on top of him. Maverick has never lost back to back fights so it’s interesting what happens here.
Anthony Pettis made a name for himself as one of the best strikers of his generation. Out in the open, Pettis is a dangerous kickboxer who has good Brazilian jiu-jitsu background. He’s a highly athletic fighter who can attack in different ways. He’s got fast hands and quick leg kicks.
Pettis is such a creative fighter that he’s produced finishes in 16 of his 20 wins. He can land a strike from various angles or he can flip you to the ground and lock you with a sneaky submission move. He may be on a skid but he isn’t a shot fighter yet. Pettis remains one of the more dangerous fighters in the lightweight division.
To win here, Pettis must circle around Chiesa and fight at a distance. He wouldn’t want to be caught in a clinch, much more taken to the ground. That isn’t where he’s good at. If Pettis can set the distance and land his strikes, he’s going to party all night like this is showtime all over again.
Chiesa looked bad against Lee but Pettis has been very inconsistent in the last three years. If we base it on recent form, we can make a good argument for Michael Chiesa here. But if you look closely, the stakes are higher for Pettis here as a loss could signal the end of his time as a title contender. This one’s a pick ‘em fight really and either can win this for real. We like Chiesa but the plus money on Pettis is appealing. We’re picking Anthony Pettis to win here.
Middleweight contenders Uriah Hall and Paulo Costa will finally face off at UFC 226 on July 7, 2018 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
These two were supposed to meet at UFC Fight Night 128 but Costa pulled out of the fight after suffering a bicep tear while training. Hall meanwhile, returns to action after suffering a medical scare due to weight cutting ahead of the weigh-ins for his aborted UFC Fight Night 125 bout with Vitor Belfort.
Known as Primetime, Uriah Hall is one of the most explosive middleweights in the UFC. He rose to prominence after becoming the runner-up in The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs Team Sonnen tournament where he lost to Kelvin Gastelum in the finals. The former ROC middleweight champion though has found little success since that defeat.
Hall’s UFC career has been an up and down one. He’s only 6-6 in the promotion and although he’s had big wins over Chris Leben, Thiago Santos and Gegard Mousasi. But not only has he won just once in his last three fights, he’s fought sporadically since having five bouts in 2015.
Costa is new in the UFC, arriving on the scene just last year. But he’s been busy, having fought thrice in 2017 including a high profile bout against Johny Hendricks. Borrachinha was a participant in the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 as a member of Wanderlei Silva’s team but he was eliminated in his second fight.
Interestingly, he worked in real estate to pay for his training expenses when he was still starting as an MMA fighter in Brazil. Now that he’s in the UFC, he is certainly making the most out of his opportunity by taking on a second straight high profile opponent in just his fourth UFC bout.
Uriah Hall is a pure striker who has powerful hands with one-punch knockout power. He also isn’t just very good with his hands, he also utilizes his kicks and knees better than most fighters. Primetime is very athletic and has a very good striking IQ. Because of that, he can be creative with his strikes and catch his opponents off guard.
Although he is averaging just 1 takedown per 15 minutes on 43% accuracy, Uriah Hall is an underrated grappler. He only has two wins by submission but he can definitely hold his own on the ground. If he gets on top of his opponent, he’s dangerous from the ground and pound position.
Paulo Costa is a very high rate striker. He averages 8.28 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy of 53%. He’s fought only three times under the UFC banner but he’s slowly built a reputation as a knockout artist. He is unbeaten in 11 fights and all of his wins have been finishes.
Costa has fought mostly in Brazil and this is only his second fight outside his home country. His cardio and stamina haven’t been tested yet as only two of his fights have seen round two. He isn’t as athletic as Uriah Hall but has good technique and is also dangerous on the mount.
There are plenty of things going for Uriah Hall here. On top of that list is his 7-inch reach advantage which could be the key to this fight if this becomes an exclusive striking affair. Hall also has more experience than Costa, has fought better opposition and is, without doubt, the better grappler.
On the other side though, Costa is seven years younger and is more accurate with his strikes. Although he hasn’t fought the kind of people Hall has, he impressed against former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. With his knockout power, Hall has to be careful. You might like the plus money on Hall but personally, it’s hard to bet against a guy who is 3-0 with 3 finishes. We’re going with Paulo Costa to beat Uriah Hall in this bout.
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