Final Word - #14
Fridays Final Word...on Saturday - UFC 293!
Morning all,
Apologies this week’s newsletter is late, I am away so have had to push the deadlines back.
But here we are…and it’s UFC we focus on this week as we have no boxing (AT ALL) to enjoy.
UFC 293
The octagon returns to Sydney for the first time post pandemic and although we the card has had some stick, I am excited about several fights which I don’t think are getting much credit.
The main event is probably the fight nobody asked for but it’s intriguing in it’s own right.
In an ideal world, the man standing across the octagon from ‘Izzy’ this weekend would have been Dricuss Du Plessis and there new found hate for each other would have given us some narrative to get excited about but that wasn’t mean to be and we have Sean Strickland, who has made himself at home down under!
I have really enjoyed fight week and found Strickland (and Manel Kape…) quite funny but as a fight, I don’t think it’s very competitive, especially as we get to rounds 3-5.
It’s the easiest comparison in the world to make but a perfect gage for how this fight will go is to look at how Alex Pereira vs Sean Strickland played out…and that doesn’t end well for Sean.
For all his funny one liners in press conferences, I think the harsh reality is that Strickland falls short at elite level.
Obviously, there is no shame in that. He is a fighter than can compete with some of the best athletes in the world but I think there is a huge difference between fighting the likes of Abus Magomedov vs Israel Adesanya.
I expect this to be intense in the early rounds but as things settle, Adesanya will have too much creativity for Strickland to deal with.
Official Pick: Israel Adesanya by KO/TKO
The Support Cast
In the co-main, local favourite Tai Tuivasa will get the chance to break his two fight skid in front of his home crowd but it looks to be a tough ask against Alexander Volkov.
Volkov, who is 10-4 in the UFC, will never be the champion but he is the ultimate gatekeeper and unless you are a fighter with title credentials, you will find it hard to get past the big Russian.
Tai is so likeable and I would love for him to win this one but he will need a lot to go right for him to do that.
The tactics are clear, he can’t outsmart Volkov so he will have to outfight him and to his credit, he is very good at imposing his will on fighters that are more technically gifted than he is.
It’s hard to predict a winner and I don’t have a pick here but I don’t think it goes long…for what that is worth.
Manel Kape stole a bit of thunder at the press conference this week and he is in a really tricky fight against an unknown commodity, Felipe Dos Santos.
Obviously, this should have been Kape against Kara-France but with injury ruling Kara-France out, Dos Santos gets an opportunity to announce himself to the world.
I have to be honest, I had no idea Manel Kape had a personality or that he was the type of guy to start picking fights with the middleweight champion at a press conference but I guess we are always learning in this game and I enjoyed it!
People are definitely talking about this fight now so credit to Kape but he is in such dangerous territory.
Dos Santos trains at ChuteBoxe, the same place as Charles Oliveria, and when these guys send fighters into the UFC, it’s usually wise to pay attention.
His record is very limited, which I think will be his downfall, but I don’t think this is the last time we will see Felipe Dos Santos.
Also on the card, local favourite Tyson Pedro gets a chance to fight in front of his home crowd and he takes on Anton Turkalj, who is 0-2 since joining the promotion.
To his credit, Turkalj has been matched harshly in his early UFC career and a return to calmer waters here could allow him to perform better. Pedro, who’s father John Pedro introduced Australia to MMA, is having a tough time living up to his name but he always brings 100% to the octagon and he has a good chance of registering a victory here.
Official Pick: Tyson Pedro to win by decision
The main card is rounded out by a heavyweight rematch between Austen Lane and Justin Tafa.
The first fight between these two ended with one of the most horrendous eye pokes you will ever see so it will be good to get a decisive winner here.
Prelim Banger
This fight nearly qualified for the one to watch but believe it or not, there is a better scrap a bit further down.
But…Carlos Ulberg is always fun to watch and he takes on his toughest test this weekend against Da Un Jung.
Ulberg is on a tear right now, with three knockouts on the spin and I expect him to continue that trend here.
Da Un Jung will ask questions, he always does, but I really like how Ulberg is trending and I think a lot more people will be speaking about him come Sunday morning.
Official Pick: Ulberg by KO/TKO
A Fight To Keep An Eye On
This fight really excites me and it has flown completely under the radar.
Jack Jenkins vs Chepe Mariscal.
If anybody watched Mariscal’s debut against Trevor Peek, you will understand the chaos this man brings and Jenkins won’t back down an inch which will make this one an unbelievable watch.
Jenkins has been really impressive in his early UFC career (2-0) but this is a real test and he will need to prove he can handle a different type of pressure than he has ever felt.
Mariscal has a brilliant chin and a brilliant engine and he will look to break the will of Jenkins, like he did Trevor Peek.
I really rate Jenkins and expect him to win but this fight will get a bonus of some sort regardless!
Official Pick: Jack Jenkins to win by decision
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A slightly shorter edition this week as we have no boxing but enjoy UFC 293, I think it will live up to expectations and we will be back next week.