Evening all,
All the focus was on Saudi Arabia last night and we went 2/3 on the picks and would have bee a full house had the judges scored the Nick Ball fight correctly…
BOXING STRIKES AGAIN…
With that now in the rear view, we move swiftly on to Miami for UFC 299 with another unbelievable card for us to enjoy.
O’MALLEY VS VERA
Sean O’Malley is now firmly one of the biggest stars in combat sports and will draw a massive crowd every time he fights but by taking on the only man who has ever beat him in the UFC this weekend, the interest has gone up a notch.
Regardless of how O’Malley spins it, that first defeat to Chito was legit.
He will always say the defeat wasn’t ‘real’ because of the injury to his leg which allowed Vera to take mount and batter him with elbows but Vera caused the injury with leg kicks.
Whether O’Malley think’s that is lucky or not.
Vera caused damaged and then finished the fight.
It’s a legit win.
A lot has happened since then, ‘Suga’ has gone 5-0 and become champion.
Vera has gone 5-2 and although he has registered some decent wins, he has struggled at times and that will give O’Malley confidence.
Harsh words from both sides have turned this into a bitter rivalry but I think the fight will end up being quite methodical.
For all the superstar antics, O’Malley is an intelligent, calm fighter and he won’t be dragged into a fight he is not comfortable with like he did the first time.
Vera is the same.
There is a reason he has never been stopped in the UFC.
He weighs up danger exceptionally well.
I expect Vera to revert to the leg kicks which will naturally make O’Malley more defensive but that’s where he does his best work.
I think this will be very close and go all the way but the champion will do enough to keep his belt and close this chapter of his career.
If you want to be safe, I wouldn’t put anyone off the over plays in this one. Over 2.5/3.5 and 4.5.
Official Pick: Sean O’Malley to win by decision
THE SUPPORT CAST.
The UFC always delivers on these big cards and this weekend is no different.
The co-main event between Dustin Porier and Benoit Saint-Denis is a special piece of matchmaking.
Although these two are at different stages of their careers, they are cut from the same cloth.
Poirier is a future hall of famer and fights only one way.
Win or lose, he comes forward and that won’t change here.
BSD is only six fights into his UFC career but he has quickly climbed the ranks and with three stoppages in his last three fights, he is building some serious momentum.
With each passing fight, BSD is growing and looking more and more like a future title contender but this is an enormous step-up.
Poirier may be coming off a loss to Gaethje but he has been operating at the top of this sport for a very long time and he has been put into these positions before, against the likes of Dan Hooker and he makes young prospects pay when they are matched with him.
For me, this is the front-runner to win FOTN.
Neither man will give an inch and that’s good news for us fans.
I don’t know who will win this, so I will just sit and enjoy but I will be shocked if a bonus isn’t allocated to one (or both) of these men.
Gilbert Burns vs Jack Della Maddalena is another fight on this card that matches an experienced contender with a prospect.
Burns has seen it all in the UFC and although he fell short at title level, he has always been highly competitive against every one else.
For all the positives around Gilbert Burns, the reality of where he is at in his career leaves him looking slightly vulnerable this weekend.
He has got 21 UFC fights under his belt now and last time out against Belal Muhammad he looked a step behind.
Belal is a solid fighter. but he isn’t someone you would expect Burns to lose to and although he got injured in that fight, he still didn’t look himself.
Is that miles on the clock? or just a bad night?
I guess we wont find out until the bell goes but watching that tape will have filled JDM will confidence.
The Australian is at the opposite end of his career with only 6 UFC fights under his belt but he looks like future title contender.
He blew his first four opponents away but has only managed to split decision wins in his last two but that’s not a negative for me.
He is inexperienced at this level so banking distance fights like that will only improve him.
JDM is not the finished article but I guarantee he is a better fighter this weekend after going three rounds with someone like Kevin Holland last time out.
This is a huge step up for him but one that I think he is ready for.
Burns is so tough and skilled that he will force JDM so show another side to his game and I believe he is capable of that.
I think this will be close but the Australian has big power and I believe that will keep Burns at arms length.
Official Pick: JDM to win by decision.
The final two fights on the main card are both interesting in their own right.
Firstly at bantamweight, Petr Yan is looking to break a three fight skid against Song Yadong.
It’s amazing that we find ourselves in a position where Yan is on a three fight skid.
At one point, he looked like the future of this division and when he got his hands on a belt for a short while, I believed he could dominate for a long time.
But it just hasn’t happened.
For whatever reason, he has just struggled to get over the line in fights and when I watch Yan, I don’t really understand why.
To add to his problems, I think this is another hard fight.
Yadong has been a work in progress in the UFC but he is coming into his own and this is his moment to announce himself properly.
His last two wins against Simon and Gutierrez were both really impressive and this is a natural step up for him.
This will essentially be a boxing fight but it will be very entertaining and I just lean towards Yadong with him having the momentum at this moment.
Official Pick: Song Yadong to win.
Michael Venom Page against Kevin Holland is another fight that has the potential to win a bonus.
MVP is making his long awaited UFC debut after dominating in lesser promotions but this is a big jump for his debut and although I really like him, I make Kevin Holland a pretty strong favourite.
MVP is 36 now and logic would say his best days are behind him.
He should have been in the UFC a long time ago but I believe he has taken too long and although Kevin Holland sometimes makes jokes at his own expense, he is a very good fighter.
He has been fighting at the top for a long time and I think we will see levels tonight.
No price worth a bet but I see Holland as a strong favourite.
The rest of the card is really solid.
I could go through every single fight.
Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida is an obvious one, the winner probably fights Tom Aspinall.
Also keep an eye on Robelis Despaigne making his UFC debut.
The Cuban is a mountain of a man and a freak athlete.
In his late 30’s but someone who could make a quick splash in the UFC.
It’s been a massive weekend for combat sport and we have managed to find a few winners.
Let’s hope that continues tonight.
Enjoy the fights!!