UFC 225: Whittaker vs Romero 2 Info and Prediction Thread

[tokeweed]

Date: Saturday, June 9th
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass): 22:15 BCT / 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1): 00:00 BCT / 5pm PST / 8pm EST
Main Card (PPV): 2:00 BCT / 7pm PST / 10pm EST
Live Streams: http://www.fìrstrow.eu/




Main Card (PPV)

Robert Whittaker (19-4) vs. Yoel Romero (13-2) (Middleweight)
Rafael dos Anjos (28-9) vs. Colby Covington (13-1) (Welterweight)
Holly Holm (11-4) vs. Megan Anderson (8-2) (Women's Featherweight)
Andrei Arlovski (27-15) vs. Tai Tuivasa (7-0) (Heavyweight)
CM Punk (0-1) vs. Mike Jackson (0-1) (Welterweight)

Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)

Alistair Overeem (43-16) vs. Curtis Blaydes (9-1) (Heavyweight)
Claudia Gadelha (15-3) vs. Carla Esparza (13-4) (Women's Strawweight)
Ricardo Lamas (18-6) vs. Mirsad Bektic (12-1) (Featherweight)
Rashad Coulter (8-3) vs. Chris de la Rocha (4-2) (Heavyweight)

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

Rashad Evans (19-7-1) vs. Anthony Smith (28-13) (Light Heavyweight)
Joseph Benavidez (25-4) vs. Sergio Pettis (16-3) (Flyweight)
Clay Guida (34-17) vs. Charles Oliveira (22-8) (Lightweight)
Mike Santiago (20-11) vs. Dan Ige (8-2) (Featherweight)

Other

- Rashad Coulter was scheduled to face Allen Crowder at the event. However, on May 12, 2018, it was announced that Chris de la Rocha has replaced Crowder for undisclosed reasons.

- Bobby Green was scheduled to face Clay Guida at the event. However, on May 29, 2018, it was announced that Charles Oliveira has replaced Green for unspecific reasons.

Thanks to the Puertorican for letting me use this content.

[tokeweed]

No love for this 'kinda stacked' event?  Lol.

But yeah...  I think the main card could bring down a couple of fights and bring up Overeem vs Blaydes and Gadelha vs Esparza.  I'm not really too excited about CM Punk and Arlovski.

Anyway here are some of videos to get you guys interested (somehow)...  Lol.

UFC 225:  Countdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4UbOwulfm4

UFC 225:  Inside The Octagon - Whitaker vs Romero 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S33__g1WbNU

UFC 225:  Vlog Series 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZXQhl9t1qk

UFC 225:  Vlog Series 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UnPIeo0jKk

[Hydrogen]

Notes.

-I hope CM Punk wins his fight.     Smart move by the UFC giving him a second chance, imo.

-Charles Oliveira could be a favorite over Clay Guida due to Guida circling in the wrong direction (defending the submission incorrectly) when Thiago Tavares had him caught in a guillotine back in 2015. 47% of Guida's losses are via submission and Oliveira is known to have a good sub game. Not certain whether Clay Guida moving to team alpha male will help his sub defense. Lots of grey areas there.

-Rashad Evans losing streak began shortly after USADA's random PED testing program went into effect. Not certain if that's a coincidence or not.

-Benavidez has been out on a torn ACL. Not certain what the success rate of ACL reconstructions will be in mixed martial arts. Its an intereting topic from a rehab perspective. I think NFL athletes only have a 60% or so success rate with athletes who undergo ACL reconstruction returning to their former glory. Could be interesting to see if Benavidez' rehab is as successful as Dominick Cruz was.

-Tai Tuivasa trains/spars with Mark Hunt. Its been said by Hunt that Tuivasa hits harder than anyone Mark Hunt has fought in his career. Not certain whether that's true or Hunt trying to hype up his teammate but it could mean Tuivasa has some potential.

[bbc.reporter]

@Hydrogen. About Rashad. It is hehehe.

@tokeweed. Dana already did one. He decided to move Holly versus Megan to the main card 2 weeks ago. I reckon this is Megan's time in the UFC. She is very underrated and might win versus Holly, who is already becoming irrelevant.

[nydiacaskey01]

-I hope CM Punk wins his fight.     Smart move by the UFC giving him a second chance, imo.

Dana White is just banking on CM Punk's popularity in WWE, but looking at his previous fight, I think its kinda too late for him to shift to MMA. His opponents are younger than him. Jackson is 6 years younger than him but fight stats are identical to CM Punk. His last opponent Mikey Gall is 13 years younger than him. At his age those who started early with MMA they are slowing down now, but CMs is just starting.

[tokeweed]

^  Meh.  I don't care much about that match.  And it shouldn't be in the main card imo, considering how both fought vs Mickey Gall.  Dana White could do a better job finding a fighter from McGregor's camp fight a fighter from Khabib's camp and hype that.  

Anyway I feel Romero could KO Whitaker...  I feel it!

Edit:  Where are the rest of the UFC regs?

[gowobonyok]

romero will beat whittaker, so prepare a big gamble for romero. but maybe I did not go into it, especially because I'm not really interested in the ufc match.

[Hydrogen]

-I hope CM Punk wins his fight.    Smart move by the UFC giving him a second chance, imo.

Dana White is just banking on CM Punk's popularity in WWE, but looking at his previous fight, I think its kinda too late for him to shift to MMA. His opponents are younger than him. Jackson is 6 years younger than him but fight stats are identical to CM Punk. His last opponent Mikey Gall is 13 years younger than him. At his age those who started early with MMA they are slowing down now, but CMs is just starting.

MMA fighters like Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Ronda Rousey have gone from being in the UFC to pro wrestling in WWE. CM Punk and Brock Lesnar doing the opposite in terms of moving from the WWE to UFC isn't so different imo. I think its good for both sports. Both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts benefit from cross promotion.

CM Punk fighting on the main pay per view card could mean there will be people watching who wouldn't normally tune in. It gives UFC fighters more exposure than they would normally have with someone else fighting. It could mean UFC fighters will gain more fans and a larger following. The reverse is also true with UFC fighters moving to the WWE. I think its a good business decision for both.

Not certain how well CM Punk will do. They say it becomes harder to learn as a person grows older. CM Punk's athleticism hasn't looked great in the past. Those bags under his eyes seem to say he might not be eating right or healthy atm. That said I like CM Punk and anybody like him who is willing to work hard and sacrifice to achieve their goals. CM Punk will make weight while many "professional" MMA fighters seem unable to. I like CM Punk and hope he wins.

[btc_angela]

@Hydrogen. About Rashad. It is hehehe.

@tokeweed. Dana already did one. He decided to move Holly versus Megan to the main card 2 weeks ago. I reckon this is Megan's time in the UFC. She is very underrated and might win versus Holly, who is already becoming irrelevant.

Rashad is already done, IMHO.

I'm also not excited at this card. I'm seeing the same results with Whitaker vs Romero here. I don't see Romero KO'ing him though, Romero will still go with his bread and butter here. Which is to take down Whitaker and try to test the knee if its fully healed or not. So I can see Whitaker winning a 5 round unanimous decision.

[bbc.reporter]

@btc_angela. Agreed. That is the safest way to win. Take the fight to the 4th and 5th rounds then increase the aggression versus a gassed fighter.

Also bet on Megan Anderson. Her size contrasted to Holly will surprise everyone. She walks 6'0 ft and weighs 175 lbs on her normal days hehehe.

[akishang]

I want Romero to win this one. He does weird stuff in the ring but its very effective. He is explosive and unorthodox at the same time. His overall game is just worth our money.  I have placed my bet under his name.  Win or lose, its worth watching. I know he lost on the first fight, he will get the title this time.

I hope CM Punk wins. More money for Dana White again.CM punk will be more popular if he wins. WWE fans will surely support him.

[tokeweed]

Watch this and wait til the face off between CM Punk and his opponent then tell me your reaction.

UFC 225:  Media Day Face Offs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ZFO9I24FI&t

Did you guys see it?  How did you react?

Mine was:  'Hey bro, you don't belong there bro!'.  Rofl.  CM Punk just doesn't belong there...  IMHO.

/Rant.  

[Hydrogen]

Watch this and wait til the face off between CM Punk and his opponent then tell me your reaction.

UFC 225:  Media Day Face Offs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ZFO9I24FI&t

Did you guys see it?  How did you react?

Mine was:  'Hey bro, you don't belong there bro!'.  Rofl.  CM Punk just doesn't belong there...  IMHO.

/Rant.  

CM Punk said he has anxiety.

From a betting perspective that might seem like a tell or a valid indication that betting on the other fighter is a good move.

From experience I can say there are fights where one person looks confident and the other looks scared or nervous where the person that looks visibly frightened wins. Rose Namajunas looked visibly shaken after the incident where Conor McGregor threw things through the window of the bus Khabib and Rose were riding in. Rose went on to win that fight despite looking a bit rattled while walking to the cage and also nervous during weigh ins(if I remember right).

Angela Overkill Hill is another fighter I can remember seeing look nervous before a fight she went on to win. Uriah Hall might be another one who has to gradually overcome his fear. He doesn't do well in the early parts of a fight but as he gets more comfortable he does better.

[tokeweed]

So Romero didn't make weight again, making the main event a none title bout...  Sucks since there isn't much at stake anymore.  But the good news is the Romero line is going up.  Not sure what that means tho...  Does that mean he won't be fighting at peak performance?  Did he get an extended wait cut before the weigh in?

Anyway, the RDA line is fading too.  He's now the underdog and I'm not sure what that means too.  Lol.  I'll prolly just make small bets on the underdogs of the top fights in the main card (Romero, RDA and Anderson) just to make things entertaining.

UFC 225:  Weigh Ins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4XZtNbyDhU

Robert Whittaker (185) vs. Yoel Romero (185.2*)
Rafael dos Anjos (169) vs. Colby Covington (169)
Holly Holm (146) vs. Megan Anderson (146)
Andrei Arlovski (249) vs. Tai Tuivasa (261)
CM Punk (169) vs. Mike Jackson (170.5)
Alistair Overeem (244) vs. Curtis Blaydes (254)
Claudia Gadelha (116) vs. Carla Esparza (116)
Ricardo Lamas (145) vs. Mirsad Bektic (146)
Rashad Coulter (247) vs. Chris de la Rocha (261)
Rashad Evans (205) vs. Anthony Smith (206)
Joseph Benavidez (125.5) vs. Sergio Pettis (126)
Charles Oliveira (155) vs. Clay Guida (154)
Mike Santiago (145) vs. Dan Ige (146)

[tokeweed]

F*ck me.  Lol. 

[lemipawa]

Please allow me to re-use the post of tokeweed and add the results of the fight up to CM Punk only

Robert Whittaker (winner via Decision) vs. Yoel Romero
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington (winner via Decision)
Holly Holm (winner via Decision) vs. Megan Anderson
Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa (winner via Decision)
CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson (winner via Decision)

Judges are all busy scoring the fight till the last round  . At least for CM Punk lasted 5 rounds this time unlike his debut.

[bbc.reporter]

@lemipawa. Robert Whitaker vs Yoel was a split decision. I reckon the judges gave it to the champion because it might look bad for Whitaker if Yoel won but does not win the belt. It might make Whitaker look like a fake champion.

In any case, it was a good fight. Both of them were warriors. I hope to see another one hehehe.

[tokeweed]

^  Yup...  I honestly had Romero winning that match.  But yeah, I think it would look really bad for the UFC to parade Whitaker with the belt around the octagon if he lost.  Lol.

Edit:  Surprising was RDA vs Covington...  I really thought RDA was taking Covington to school.

[Hydrogen]

As far as UFC title picture for the welterweight division goes awhile ago, Tyron Woodley got mad @ Dana White and threatened to go public with things that happened which are embarrassing to the UFC. Colby Covington posted on twitter and told Dana White if Woodley exposes the UFC, Colby would expose things which are embarrassing to Tyron Woodley.

If anyone knows who War Machine aka Jon Koppenhaver is. Colby Covington said Tyron Woodley has "more skeletons in his closet" than that guy. As a result of that and other things Colby said, Woodley hates him.

On tuesday june 12th, there is another UFC MMA event: "Dana White's Contender:

[bbc.reporter]

@Hydrogen. Nothing but more drama conjured from Dana's storyboard for the UFC weltherweight championship that might happen on the end of 2018. I reckon the UFC will include it in the same fight that has Conor versus Khabib.