UFC 216: Ferguson vs Lee Info and Prediction Thread

[tokeweed]

Date: Saturday, October 7th
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass): 22:30 BCT / 3:30pm PST / 6:30pm EST
Preliminary Card (FXX): 00:00 BCT / 5pm PST / 8pm EST
Main Card (PPV): 2:00 BCT / 7pm PST / 10pm EST
Live Streams: http://firstrowus1.eu/




Main Card (PPV)

Tony Ferguson (22-3) vs. Kevin Lee (16-2) (Interim Lightweight Championship)
Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1) vs. Ray Borg (11-2) (Flyweight Championship)
Fabricio Werdum (21-7-1) vs. Derrick Lewis (18-5) (Heavyweight)
Beneil Dariush (14-3) vs. Evan Dunham (18-6) (Lightweight)

Preliminary Card (FXX)

Tom Duquesnoy (15-1) vs. Cody Stamann (14-1) (Featherweight)
Will Brooks (18-3) vs. Nik Lentz (27-8-2) (Lightweight)
Bobby Green (23-8) vs. Lando Vannata (9-2) (Lightweight)
Pearl Gonzalez (6-2) vs. Poliana Botelho (5-1) (Women's Strawweight)

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

Walt Harris (10-5) vs. Mark Godbeer (12-3) (Heavyweight)
John Moraga (17-6) vs. Magomed Bibulatov (14-0) (Flyweight)
Thales Leites (27-7) vs. Brad Tavares (15-4) (Middleweight)
Matt Schnell (9-4) vs. Marco Beltran (8-5) (Flyweight)

Other

- Abel Trujillo was expected to face Lando Vannata at the event. However, Trujillo was removed from the card on August 14 for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Bobby Green on August 14.

- A women's flyweight bout between promotional newcomers Andrea Lee and Kalindra Faria was expected to be a late addition to this event, as it was announced on September 28. However a few hours later, it was revealed that Lee was pulled from the contest as she didn't go through the USADA testing pool for six months. Usually short notice fights do not need to follow such rule, but since she has failed a drug test in the past, Lee must fulfill that requirement. Faria is expected to remain on the event as of now.

Thanks to the Puertorican for letting me use this content.

[Kemarit]

Thanks for opening again @tokeweed

Tony Ferguson vs Kevin Lee winner could face Conor Mcgregor. On paper its looks like no one has the advantage, and both of them are in a winning streak. But I consider Ferguson all the tools and complete fighter against Kevin Lee. This is a exciting fight and could turn out to be a fight of the year candidate if the two will slug it out like they typically do in their previous fight. I really like Kevin Lee but he is no match with Tony here, its gonna be close but Tony will become the victor in the score cards. UD for him.

[peter0425]

So finally we are going to see Johnson vs Borg. And D. Johnson is aiming for a record 11th title defense. However, I don't see anything that Borg can offer against Johnson. The champion has successful defended his title that he has shown a lot of fighter and can readily adjust to them. Easy pick here. But as far as the main event is concern. I still think the Kevin Lee can beat Tony Ferguson, if he was able to grapple and take Tony down. That's the best strategy to beat a massive LW like Tony. Take him and wear him down.

[lincolnmad]

good cards,and yeah borg is back.

[npredtorch]

This is one hell of a good match up to watch. IMO, it will be a real hard battle for Kevin Lee. I've already watched a few fights and highlights from Ferguson and I can say that he is a real puncher and he display a good solid frontal kicks. If only Kevin could reach and take down Ferguson on the early stages of the fight, he will have greater chance to defeat him. He'll just need to protect himself from those hard punches and win the fight.

[pereira4]

Thanks for opening again @tokeweed

Tony Ferguson vs Kevin Lee winner could face Conor Mcgregor. On paper its looks like no one has the advantage, and both of them are in a winning streak. But I consider Ferguson all the tools and complete fighter against Kevin Lee. This is a exciting fight and could turn out to be a fight of the year candidate if the two will slug it out like they typically do in their previous fight. I really like Kevin Lee but he is no match with Tony here, its gonna be close but Tony will become the victor in the score cards. UD for him.

Im not sure about that. Conor McGregor said he wanted to fight again this year. He told to Dana White that he wanted Khabib on Russia after the Mayweather fight. Im not sure if he was serious or not, I guess hew as knowing how he is never scared to fight anyone, but what I doubt is Dana White letting him fight Khabib in Russia risking a fatal loss. Khabib is a beast, but you can never count Conor McGregor out.

Ferguson vs Lee will be one of the best fights of the years nonetheless, unless of course, something happens and once again another big main card gets ruined. That would be the nail in the coffin for the UFC. This year has been so bad.

[TravelMug]

Thanks for opening again @tokeweed

Tony Ferguson vs Kevin Lee winner could face Conor Mcgregor. On paper its looks like no one has the advantage, and both of them are in a winning streak. But I consider Ferguson all the tools and complete fighter against Kevin Lee. This is a exciting fight and could turn out to be a fight of the year candidate if the two will slug it out like they typically do in their previous fight. I really like Kevin Lee but he is no match with Tony here, its gonna be close but Tony will become the victor in the score cards. UD for him.

Im not sure about that. Conor McGregor said he wanted to fight again this year. He told to Dana White that he wanted Khabib on Russia after the Mayweather fight. Im not sure if he was serious or not, I guess hew as knowing how he is never scared to fight anyone, but what I doubt is Dana White letting him fight Khabib in Russia risking a fatal loss. Khabib is a beast, but you can never count Conor McGregor out.

Ferguson vs Lee will be one of the best fights of the years nonetheless, unless of course, something happens and once again another big main card gets ruined. That would be the nail in the coffin for the UFC. This year has been so bad.

Nah, I don't think Conor will fight Khabib in Russia very risky. But the fight I wanted him to do is with either Ferguson or Khabib. Don't like him doing a fight with Diaz again.

Pretty stack up card I might say. Ferguson vs Lee is a dream match. Really hard to say who has the edge, or if someone has, it will quickly negate by the other side. But I'm slightly favoring Ferguson simply because he is the better attacker between the two although has a better percentage on submissions. I'm seeing a KO win for Tony here.

[Hydrogen]

Some notes on this event.

-Fabricio Werdum and Jessica Eye could have injuries that haven't 100% healed. I think Werdum's injury was his back and Jessica Eye might have hurt her neck.

-This will be both Jessica Eye and Paige Van Zant's first fights @ 125 lbs. Jessica Eye fought at 135 lbs and PVZ fought at 115 lbs. Will be interesting to see if that makes a difference.

-Pearl Gonzalez had troubled being cleared to fight in new york due to her breast implants. At one point her fight was canceled before it was given final approval. Hopefully she won't have issues with that this time around.

-Paige Van Zant said she would pass out unconscious trying to make the 115 pound weight limit. She also might have been too small to fight at 135 pounds. Maybe the 125 lb class will be the right fit.

-This could be Paige Van Zant's first fight not training 100% at team alpha male. PVZ moved out to oregen to be closer to her family and is training more with Chael Sonnen and whatever the MMA gym in that area is, might be formerly Team Quest.

-Kevin Lee was one of Floyd Mayweather's sparring partners in preparation for Floyd's recent fight with Conor McGregor.

[bbc.reporter]

So finally we are going to see Johnson vs Borg. And D. Johnson is aiming for a record 11th title defense. However, I don't see anything that Borg can offer against Johnson. The champion has successful defended his title that he has shown a lot of fighter and can readily adjust to them. Easy pick here. But as far as the main event is concern. I still think the Kevin Lee can beat Tony Ferguson, if he was able to grapple and take Tony down. That's the best strategy to beat a massive LW like Tony. Take him and wear him down.

It would not be easy for Kevin Lee to take Tony down. He has an 81% in takedown defense and he is one of he most durable fighters in the UFC.  Grapplers also fell victim to his d'arce choke in some of his fights.

Tony will win and I reckon he will go after Conor next.

[Kemarit]

So finally we are going to see Johnson vs Borg. And D. Johnson is aiming for a record 11th title defense. However, I don't see anything that Borg can offer against Johnson. The champion has successful defended his title that he has shown a lot of fighter and can readily adjust to them. Easy pick here. But as far as the main event is concern. I still think the Kevin Lee can beat Tony Ferguson, if he was able to grapple and take Tony down. That's the best strategy to beat a massive LW like Tony. Take him and wear him down.

It would not be easy for Kevin Lee to take Tony down. He has an 81% in takedown defense and he is one of he most durable fighters in the UFC.  Grapplers also fell victim to his d'arce choke in some of his fights.

Tony will win and I reckon he will go after Conor next.

Exactly, Tony has one of the best take down defense and if Kevin's strategy is too take him down, then it will take him a lot of effort because not only with the take down defense, but Tony is also big. So weight + good defense will not be good. He should fight stand up and look for angles. But again, Tony is also good standing up, with his powerful kicks as well. So its gonna be a uphill battle if Kevin wants to really win this fight.

On a side note: Why does Paige Van Zant still fight? She should be a model and not ruin that beautiful face and body  . LOL

[tokeweed]

Here's a little teaser for you guys.  I can't wait to see Ferguson in the octagon again.  He's so fun too watch with his weird style.  Anyway...  Do you guys know or have any news on why this isn't a fight vs Khabib for Ferguson?  The interim LW championship should be fought between those two, right? 

Enjoy the video. 

UFC 216: Ferguson vs Lee - Extended Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkFKiRud2SE

[Kemarit]

Here's a little teaser for you guys.  I can't wait to see Ferguson in the octagon again.  He's so fun too watch with his weird style.  Anyway...  Do you guys know or have any news on why this isn't a fight vs Khabib for Ferguson?  The interim LW championship should be fought between those two, right?  

Enjoy the video.  

UFC 216: Ferguson vs Lee - Extended Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkFKiRud2SE

They are actually scheduled to face one another at UFC 209 for the Interim title. However, Khabib was having issues cutting weight, which landed him at the hospital. And even after he was released, he was not medically cleared by doctors to fight on, so the fight was totally scraped. And that's why the fight was cancelled and instead its re-scheduled but this time its between Tony and Kevin. For sure the winner between the two will call out Khabib to see the best LW right now.

[Baofeng]

Here's a little teaser for you guys.  I can't wait to see Ferguson in the octagon again.  He's so fun too watch with his weird style.  Anyway...  Do you guys know or have any news on why this isn't a fight vs Khabib for Ferguson?  The interim LW championship should be fought between those two, right?  

Enjoy the video.  

UFC 216: Ferguson vs Lee - Extended Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkFKiRud2SE

They are actually scheduled to face one another at UFC 209 for the Interim title. However, Khabib was having issues cutting weight, which landed him at the hospital. And even after he was released, he was not medically cleared by doctors to fight on, so the fight was totally scraped. And that's why the fight was cancelled and instead its re-scheduled but this time its between Tony and Kevin. For sure the winner between the two will call out Khabib to see the best LW right now.

The fight already started even if the two hasn't really fought in the ring. Its in the twitter sphere. If you have followed those two, they are going at it for months now before the actual scheduled fight. Unfortunately, because of the weight cut issues of Nurmagomedov, the fight is off. Let's see if this 3 gonna beat the hell out of each other before facing Connor, who is sitting with his millions now.

[tokeweed]

^ I don't even think Mcgregor is gonna defend his LW championship anymore.  I know about the story of McGregor telling Dana White about fighting Khabib in Russia, but I think McGregor has moved on.  A third fight vs Nate Diaz is more likely.  And I hope it's in the boxing ring. 

[shintosai]

^ I don't even think Mcgregor is gonna defend his LW championship anymore.  I know about the story of McGregor telling Dana White about fighting Khabib in Russia, but I think McGregor has moved on.  A third fight vs Nate Diaz is more likely.  And I hope it's in the boxing ring. 

after that Mayweather fight I think he's going to look for more money instead of more popularity, he already gain a lots of millions so
why he will fight without any big cash behind, unless UFC promoters will tie up with big mafia outside the ring and offer big money
for him to fight.

[yugyug]

Over 5 rounds i strongly favour Ferg. I have two issues with Lee:
-Hes chinny he gets dropped every bloody fight and i think he only shoots doubles.
-He also has pretty bad standup. Trinaldo was stuffing his doubles pretty easily.
 Now over five rounds theres gonna come a point where Ferg stuffs a few especially if hes all over Lee standing and Lee starts shooting desperate doubles. Once that happens welcome to snap down city.
Ferg for UD !

[bbc.reporter]

@yugyug. If Kevin Lee only shoots double legs then another good side bet would be a Tony victory by submission. He has good timing on his d'arce choke and he has won many of his fights with it. He is also known for it I reckon.

[tokeweed]

Hey guys, here are two videos of each of Ferguson and Lee's past fights just for you to see what these two are capable of.  I don't know much about Lee but is he a hard hitter?  If not then this is gonna be Ferguson all day since he doesn't mind taking shots when he goes forward for the kill.

UFC 216 Free Fight: Tony Ferguson vs Abel Trujillo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IISfZLphhpo

UFC 216 Free Fight: Kevin Lee vs Jake Matthews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I39SauqeDRU

Oh and rumor has it that McGregor will fight Diaz at UFC 219.  That would be around December, I think.

[Hydrogen]

Paige Van Zant pulled out of her fight with Jessica Eye on a back injury.

Kevin Lee was hurt by punches in his fights with Leonardo Santos and Francisco Trinaldo. Don't know if Kevin Lee's gameplan will be to kickbox with Tony Ferguson. Kevin Lee hasn't had a lot of success with his striking of late. I have a feeling Kevin Lee might go for the takedown and try to out-wrestle El Cucuy. That could be his only chance to win the fight.

BTW guys did Derrick Lewis say he had some type of severe injury & that was the reason he had trouble in his fight with Mark Hunt?

[btc_angela]

Paige Van Zant pulled out of her fight with Jessica Eye on a back injury.

Kevin Lee was hurt by punches in his fights with Leonardo Santos and Francisco Trinaldo. Don't know if Kevin Lee's gameplan will be to kickbox with Tony Ferguson. Kevin Lee hasn't had a lot of success with his striking of late. I have a feeling Kevin Lee might go for the takedown and try to out-wrestle El Cucuy. That could be his only chance to win the fight.

BTW guys did Derrick Lewis say he had some type of severe injury & that was the reason he had trouble in his fight with Mark Hunt?

As far as I can remember he said that he re-injured his back that why he perform poorly in their fight with Mark Hunt.

Yeah, too bad we are not going to see Paige Van Zant because of a herniated disc, but its good to her that she needed surgery. Ample rest is enough, so we might see her back by the end of the year.

I really don't know what's Kevin strategy here, if he kickbox Tony, one way or another he will be caught and be submitted. If he goes striking, I think Tony has advantage on it, so that strategy would backfire on him.