Pre UFC 225 Thoughts

It’s Fight WEEK!!!!! And what a stacked card UFC 225 is.  Majority of the prelim fights are worthy of a PPV slot and likely would have been had they been booked on a show not called UFC 225.  Actually, add UFC 226 to the list too as it’s shaping up to be equally as good.  Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, and let’s focus on this week’s event.

I literally don’t know where to start.  Usually, there are a handful of fights where I haven’t even heard of the combatants as they are young, up and coming prospects or the fighters are ranked outside the top 15 so the result is largely non-consequential for the division.  This is different.  I feel like this card has been booked really well.  All the fights matter and the result will have a big impact on what’s next for the winners and losers.

Unfortunately, as I have a day job, I don’t really have the time to research styles of fighters and how they match-up with one another enabling me to give you meaningful predictions.  So rather than breaking down the entire card, I thought I’d share my opinion on the fights that intrigue me the most.

The Old Guard

The veterans Arlovski and Overeem have been booked against younger opponents that are yet to hit their peak.  A loss will provide the biggest name on the résumés of Tuivasa and Blaydes.  It will also continue the trend started by Volkov’s victory over Werdum with new names and faces moving closer to the title picture pushing the older guys out.  Arlovski and Overeem will want to prove worthy of their current standings by winning.

I like the fight for both Arlovski and Tuivasa.  Both men prefer to strike so it’s the kind of fight where Arlovski can deploy his stand-up skills without having to worry too much about defending takedown attempts.  Arlovski also provides Tuivasa with exactly the kind of step-up he needs to see how far he’s come along in his short career.  Having finished all his previous opponents in the first round, I think Arlovski will test Bam Bam in ways he hasn’t been previously.  I’m interested to see if the hype is real.

Overeem Vs Blaydes is a fight that has more relevance to the heavyweight title.  I was a little surprised to see Blaydes is a heavy favourite with the bookies.  I haven’t seen a lot of him, but from what I have seen, I can’t see him outstriking Overeem.  Blaydes strength is his wrestling.  The question is, will he be able to successfully negotiate The Reem’s takedown defence?  I’m not so sure, which is why I’ve had a cheeky punt on Overeem winning.

One of my all-time favourites Rashad Evans is back at 205lbs.  he looked horrible during his 185lb experiment so I’m glad he has chosen to come back to the division where he made his name.  Let’s face it, Anthony Smith is a decent test but he’s someone that has never operated to the level we’ve seen Evans perform.  I really hope Evans wins and promptly calls it a day.

CM Punk

I was a fan of CM Punk in his WWE days.  I thought it was absurd when he randomly popped up in a really nice suit during a UFC event to announce he had signed to the organisation.  I was disappointed with his debut fight and surprised when he was given a second chance.  I suppose his fight with Mike Jackson interests me because we got to see so little of what Punk can do during his fight will Gall.  I know nothing about Jackson apart from the fact he has some kickboxing and boxing experience.  Conventional logic suggests Jackson should win, but I’m curious to see what (if any) improvements Punk has made.

The Title Fights   

I really enjoyed the first fight between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero and I think this will be more of the same.  Whittaker displayed amazing takedown defence in the first fight so I think Romero will have made adjustments to the game plan he tried to implement.  A couple of things to take into account – Whittaker fought the majority of the first fight with a knee injury so you’d have to say if he’s fully fit, he should perform at a higher level than previously.  Also, Romero is a big guy who cuts a lot of weight to make the 185lbs limit.  He failed to make weight in his previous fight which suggests it’s not something he is able to do easily.  As Romero gets older, the cutting process may be taking more out of him which may then have an impact on his cardio and strength on fight night.

The fight I’m looking forward to the most is the Welterweight Interim Title bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington.  Let’s ignore the fact it makes zero sense they are fighting for an interim title.  I look at this as a fight between two legitimate fighters for the number one contender spot.

Covington has been talking a load of shit over the last year or so and to be fair to him, it’s worked.  Although he had a decent record, his name was nowhere near title challenger conversations before he revealed this new persona of his.  I wasn’t ever too impressed with him but that changed when I saw the way he performed against Demian Maia.  Like it or lump it, Covington is a legit contender.

RDA, on the other hand, has beaten some big names since his move up in weight.  What’s impressed me is he’s been able to carry his strength into the heavier division whilst maintaining his speed.  Having said this, I do feel the opponents he’s had at 170lbs so far suit his style well.  None of them are the strongest of grapplers, something RDA relies heavily on.

I’m really interested to see if RDA can deliver a dominant performance against Covington.  I see this as a genuine 50/50 fight so I’m surprised to see so many people picking RDA for the win.  I feel like both men have similar styles so whoever is able to impose their will during grappling exchanges will make it a very long night for his opponent.

It should be a really exciting night of fights and I cannot wait!!