🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[YuginKadoya]

Here are the results of my Bet and Predictions for the UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker

Magomed Ankalaev VS Johnny Walker - ROUND 2 KO/TKO - WIN

Amazing Knockout for Magomed Ankalaev and 1 punch is all he needs to bring down Johnny Walker I have said that Ankalaev's power with his strikes is really there and Walker even with that Capoeira style Ankalaev has already seen those weird style of Walker was on the 1st round that the Magomed Ankalaev was just waiting for an opportunity to switch stance for an Orthodox and give Johnny Walker a beating, that he needed, it was feints Ankalaev was just raising his feat to catch Walker and in that 1 mistake on Johnny Walker's part Ankalaev have caught him, and instantly that straight punch and the hook that finish him,

Jim Miller VS Gabriel Benítez ROUND 3 SUBMISSION - LOST

Now Jim Miller was surprisingly still able to throw takedowns more often I thought that he never did that but in this fight, Jim Miller threw 2 takedowns and both were successful the sad part is that Gabriel Benitez doesn't have a good takedown defense or is not able to defend those fast takedowns of Jim Miller because Miller has the speed than Benitez and with that 3rd round Miller has successfully get those grappling into action and gotten the rear naked choke on Gabriel Benitez that led him to tap,

Marcus McGhee VS Gaston Bolaños ROUND 2 KO/TKO - WIN

Marcus McGhee's striking was superb for sure if he can not get this into the stand-up he still has other options and he has said in the interview he will wrestle and get this fight to the ground for sure the level of performance of McGhee is just incredible and for sure he deserves a fight that will raise him above the top 10 contenders, for sure that is his next plan in his next fight and Gaston Bolaños stand no chance against Marcus McGhee, in this fight he has shown that and what he is capable of,

[owengtam09]

I wouldn't call that a black streak but more of a weird streak. Overall, that 'no contest' first fight against Walker turned to work fine for him after all. He got paid twice and got his win anyway.
Walker was quite entertaining, but he looked afraid of Ankalaev, like he was throwing all those stunt moves in an act of desperation, to keep Ankalaev away or something. It didn't look like a well-thought-through strategy.

Does anybody have any update on Hill? Has he fully recovered from whatever injury he had suffered? If so, he should be the one fighting Pereira next and Ankalaev could face a winner of Prohazka Vs Rakic, and whoever wins gets the next title shot.

Ankalaev Vs Walker 2 highlights (only 5 mins):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KXTWuxRLl4

Yup! I agree Johnny Walker was really desperate to get those moves over Anklaev and instead of getting distracted Magomed Ankalev was really focused into the fight, that Capoeira move was really hilarious while Johnny Walker was doing it, and for sure it was really stylistic in doing the moves but for damaging Ankalaev it was zero effect on him, so why do such thing,

I think Hill is still not available so Magomed Ankalaev's next opponent should be Alex Pereira, if Jamal Hill still is not available,


I got a lot more wins than losses but still, I got a loss my pick is 2 out of 3 so it was not really that bad, so here is the result of my picks for today's UFC Fight Night Ankalaev vs. Walker

Magomed Ankalaev (1.19) VS Johnny Walker (4.80) - WIN


2nd Round was all Ankalaev needed to defeat Walker, well actually 1 round is what Ankalaev needed because, in the 1st round, Magomed Ankalaev had a slow start and a slow pace for this fight Ankalaev is just looking for an opening and seeing how Walker moved, and surely pressuring Johnny Walker and Walker backing out from that feint, and that low blow to Johnny was not that hard but for sure it is still painful to Johnny's part and for sure  Johnny got the rest he needed, and Magomed need to be careful but in the round 2 it was really in favor for Magomed and he keeps on pressuring Walker and as Johnny Walker moves closer Magomed Ankalaev got that opening shot and 1 mistake from Johhny and the fight was all finish as Ankalaev does have knockout power,

Jim Miller (1.67) VS Gabriel Benitez (2.21) - WIN


Actually, Gabriel Benitez has a great strategy for keeping his distance while getting those strikes and kicks but Jim Miller is returning those shots with devastating force, and for sure Miller is getting these takedowns Benitez doesn't know what he was doing while pin on the ground, not a great fight for Gabriel Benitez because now that Miller knew that his opponent can be taken to the ground and doesn't have a takedown defense, and so the 3rd round was for Jim Miller and for this fight, it was clear that Jim Miller won it with a submission,

Ricky Simon (1.55) VS Mario Bautista (2.48) - LOST


What a performance for these two and they have shown that both of them have the potential to improve for sure in this fight Mario Bautista shot 13 takedowns but 2 were the only successful ones, while Ricky Simon really has a good takedown defense from that he has had a good volume of strikes to win this fight and for sure he is doing really great, while Simon has good striking for sure for all that striking and accuracy he has given to Ricky Simon, for sure the damage prevails from this fight and those takedown doesn't have any score at all but with those striking Mario Bautista is a clear winner,

[notblox1]

I had a feeling Ankalaev was going to win quickly against Johnny Walker, and now I think his next match is going to be against Alex Pereira.
He improved a lot in last few years but I dont think he is on the same level with Pereira yet, so maybe Dana pairs him with winner of Prochazka vs Rakic first.

[pawel7777]

that Capoeira move was really hilarious while Johnny Walker was doing it, and for sure it was really stylistic in doing the moves but for damaging Ankalaev it was zero effect on him, so why do such thing,

It looked like he tried to copy his tactic from their first fight, but he overdid feints and Ankalaev started checking calf kicks, so Walker was out of ideas and decided to be at least entertaining and memorable.
That capoeira move had zero chances of landing, absolutely anyone could see it from a mile away. But at least it was funny.

I think Hill is still not available so Magomed Ankalaev's next opponent should be Alex Pereira, if Jamal Hill still is not available,

This would make a lot of sense sport-wise, but I doubt Pereira would be very excited about such a fight. If Pereira is going for the money, his best move would be to go back down to the middleweight and fight the winner of Strickland Vs DuPlessis, or fight Adesanya again (in the middleweight) if rumors of Adesanya wanting to come back are true.

[Hirose UK]

I had a feeling Ankalaev was going to win quickly against Johnny Walker, and now I think his next match is going to be against Alex Pereira.

Magomed Ankalaev is undefeated in his last 12 fights and in yesterday fight against Johnny Walker he managed to get KO victory in just two rounds.
This victory makes Ankalaev even more enthusiastic and can have the opportunity to fight for the light heavyweight title again.

He improved a lot in last few years but I dont think he is on the same level with Pereira yet, so maybe Dana pairs him with winner of Prochazka vs Rakic first.

Dana has not yet made an official statement as to who Ankalaev will fight in his next fight, but Ankalaev himself has stated that he really wants to fight Alex Pereira.
Ankalaev himself believes he can beat Pereira like he beat Johnny Walker but I think it still too early with confidence and self-confidence to be able to beat Pereira by KO and fight for the championship belt.
There has been no decision or approval from Dana regarding the challenge that Ankalaev has attached to Pereira because Pereira opponent was supposed to be Jamahal Hill but it had to be postponed because he was injured.

[YuginKadoya]

I had a feeling Ankalaev was going to win quickly against Johnny Walker, and now I think his next match is going to be against Alex Pereira.
He improved a lot in last few years but I dont think he is on the same level with Pereira yet, so maybe Dana pairs him with winner of Prochazka vs Rakic first.

If we could see it fast enough it was like Johnny Walker was hesitating in his move even imitating the Capoeira move which is just a distraction but sure that move can easily be predicted by Magomed Ankalaev, for it was a desperate move for Johnny Walker and we can hear that his corner also said to him that he is doing well in the 1st round which is the opposite of what I have seen, it was really a cruel world for Johnny Walker he is the fan favorite and while doing those sick moves the crowd was shouting his name but because of that feint and technicality of the stand-up of Magomed Ankalaev, this was an easy feat for Ankalaev.

It looked like he tried to copy his tactic from their first fight, but he overdid feints and Ankalaev started checking calf kicks, so Walker was out of ideas and decided to be at least entertaining and memorable.
That capoeira move had zero chances of landing, absolutely anyone could see it from a mile away. But at least it was funny.

It was not really meant for fighting that is, for me, it was purposedly like dancing rather than fighting, so yeah it was hilarious while doing it in an actual fight, maybe Johnny Walker was thinking that Ankalaev would laugh and might destroy his focus because of that moves, but Magomed Ankalaev remained focus that is why yeah it was really not that great but it was really funny seeing something like this and as we know Johnny Walker really wants to entertain everybody.

Dana has not yet made an official statement as to who Ankalaev will fight in his next fight, but Ankalaev himself has stated that he really wants to fight Alex Pereira.
Ankalaev himself believes he can beat Pereira like he beat Johnny Walker but I think it still too early with confidence and self-confidence to be able to beat Pereira by KO and fight for the championship belt.
There has been no decision or approval from Dana regarding the challenge that Ankalaev has attached to Pereira because Pereira opponent was supposed to be Jamahal Hill but it had to be postponed because he was injured.

For sure the UFC may want to see another fight than the Ankalaev VS Pereira fight, that is for sure, but if the people want to see it that fight will surely push through, Alex Pereira will not evade anyone who wants to fight him, that is how Pereira is so for sure all we can do is wait for it to happen as Alex Pereira will not be moving into another division or return to the Middleweight because he needs a win in this division for the title defense.

[TopTort777]

Does anybody have any update on Hill? Has he fully recovered from whatever injury he had suffered? If so, he should be the one fighting Pereira next and Ankalaev could face a winner of Prohazka Vs Rakic, and whoever wins gets the next title shot.

The last thing I have heard about him that only in early 2024 he will get back to fully training MMA. His injury was torn achilles, and for normal person it takes half a year for a total recovery. For a professional athlete it will take quicker, but I cant imagine how long it will take to get back to previous results. Dont know how much it is gonna take Hill to recover. He is a puncher, but footwork is also important for him. If he was a kicker, then I think we would have to wait longer. I have checked his Instagram, and he is no way close to gym

[owengtam09]

It looked like he tried to copy his tactic from their first fight, but he overdid feints and Ankalaev started checking calf kicks, so Walker was out of ideas and decided to be at least entertaining and memorable.
That capoeira move had zero chances of landing, absolutely anyone could see it from a mile away. But at least it was funny.

He has copied his latest move set, which is why Magomed Ankalaev is used to Johnny Walker's movement a bit, and looking into Ankalaev that Feint when he raised his feet, was superb in kicking Ankalaev in the Groin it also an effect that made Walker defend that for sure Johnny Walker is really great and fast, but Magomed Akalaev feint thinking, and switching to Orthodox was the real thing that made Walker take a mistake,

This would make a lot of sense sport-wise, but I doubt Pereira would be very excited about such a fight. If Pereira is going for the money, his best move would be to go back down to the middleweight and fight the winner of Strickland Vs DuPlessis, or fight Adesanya again (in the middleweight) if rumors of Adesanya wanting to come back are true.

For sure Dana White will give it to him after what he did against Jiri Prochazka and his back-to-back fight against Israel Adeanya for sure that is a big money and because Alex Pereira is a big money for the UFC they will give him the fight he wants and if Pereira can attain 2 belts he will be a bigger start and a walking money for all the challenges he took,

[tokeweed]

So who do you guys got for the main event for 297?    As Strickland likes to pressure his opponents and DDP is like this immovable object, I think it's going to be somewhat like a car crash of a fight with DDP emerging and getting the W.  He's just way too strong which makes up for his lack of skill.  Not saying he's not a good fighter but compared to Strickland, DDP has less skill...

My pick will be DDP.  I think he KO's strickland before R3.  :/

Here's a couple of their latest fights.  Enjoy.

UFC Free Fight:  Strickland vs Adesanya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYr44CqDls0

UFC Free Fight:  DDP vs Whittaker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcVyA7-D-Gw

[Tony116]

Does anybody have any update on Hill? Has he fully recovered from whatever injury he had suffered? If so, he should be the one fighting Pereira next and Ankalaev could face a winner of Prohazka Vs Rakic, and whoever wins gets the next title shot.

The last thing I have heard about him that only in early 2024 he will get back to fully training MMA. His injury was torn achilles, and for normal person it takes half a year for a total recovery. For a professional athlete it will take quicker, but I cant imagine how long it will take to get back to previous results. Dont know how much it is gonna take Hill to recover. He is a puncher, but footwork is also important for him. If he was a kicker, then I think we would have to wait longer. I have checked his Instagram, and he is no way close to gym

I am expecting him to return to the octagon towards May/June of 2024. But the thing is, I think he should take as much rest as he needs out of any fight because it is going to be hard for him to actually be good in the long run. He will also not be able to be very good in the octagon if he is not 100 percent healthy.

I believe he better not be anywhere close to the gym right now. That's for his own good in the long run.

I think it is not a big question if he is a kicker or not. He should be healthy 100 percent before any fight anyway.

[TopTort777]

Four days till fun and freaky Sean Strickland vs DDP fight and we barely have a discussion here While we previously had a hot discussion when Strickland all of a sudden became a champ What are your prediction right now? Will Strickland be able to make at least one title defence, or has got that belt by luck (or gonna lose it because he is such a reckless guy). Imho DDP is going to knock him out this weekend. I close my eyes and see it is going to be something similar to what Pereira did, also a punch.

Also I am curious who would be able to knock DDP out among current middle weight fighters. Seems that he has sold his chin to devil in exchange to having it like rock for 10-15 fights (but then it is gonna turn into glass).

[Hanadawa]

I had a feeling Ankalaev was going to win quickly against Johnny Walker, and now I think his next match is going to be against Alex Pereira.
He improved a lot in last few years but I dont think he is on the same level with Pereira yet, so maybe Dana pairs him with winner of Prochazka vs Rakic first.

I saw at the press conference after the fight and Ankalaev challenged Pereira to fight for the belt. I think it's natural that Ankalaev would want a title shot as he is currently on a 12 win streak, being the longest winstreak of any active fighter in LHW currently. And he said that he would fight standing and that reminded me of what Blachowiz said when he fought Adesanya before where Jan said he would fight standing but in the end when he saw Adesanya's striking ability he chose to use his wrestling. I think Ankalaev is worthy of a title shot in his next fight.

[yazher]

I had a feeling Ankalaev was going to win quickly against Johnny Walker, and now I think his next match is going to be against Alex Pereira.
He improved a lot in last few years but I dont think he is on the same level with Pereira yet, so maybe Dana pairs him with winner of Prochazka vs Rakic first.

One more tune-up fight before Alex Pereira seems right and it will be one of the best fights we will ever have this time because both are strong fighters and we won't know who will gonna win. I hope they will gonna see each other inside the Octagon soon this year since they are the face of UFC nowadays after winning their last fights flawlessly. If only they could actually make it as fast as they can like before, we won't gonna wait for too long for that to happen but they are now following the Boxing way of resting their fighters and giving them enough time to recover and get ready for their next opponent.

[tokeweed]

Here's a replay of the UFC's '2024 Season Press Conference' in case some of you don't know how exciting the main event is.  And there are vids all over YT showing how Strickland and DDP got into a brawl in UFC 296.  It was funny...

UFC 2024 Season Press Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVtJoje20vM

Here the first episode of Embedded for 297...  And I could say that this one's a tad more entertaining knowing that there's some drama behind Strickland and DDP. 

UFC 297:  Emdedded - Episode 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8VB9SvTxw

And finally here's what everybody is waiting for...  jeremypwr's Multi Master.

UFC 297:  Multi Master Challenge
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5481679.0

GL to all your picks.

[Smack That Ace]

Four days till fun and freaky Sean Strickland vs DDP fight and we barely have a discussion here While we previously had a hot discussion when Strickland all of a sudden became a champ What are your prediction right now? Will Strickland be able to make at least one title defence, or has got that belt by luck (or gonna lose it because he is such a reckless guy). Imho DDP is going to knock him out this weekend. I close my eyes and see it is going to be something similar to what Pereira did, also a punch.

Also I am curious who would be able to knock DDP out among current middle weight fighters. Seems that he has sold his chin to devil in exchange to having it like rock for 10-15 fights (but then it is gonna turn into glass).

I didn't think he got lucky. I think he actually did the hard work and he was able to earn the belt. Now there is a catch. People will tell me that if he actually earned the belt, he should be able to defend the belt successfully, but I think it is going to be hard for him for sure.

I don't know if DDP will knock him out or not. But I think this is a hard fight for Strickland and I won't be surprised if he actually gets knocked out by Du Plessis. But it is also not going to be a surprise for me if Strickland can actually win this fight.

What I am trying to say is that this fight is going to be 50-50 for both of the fighters. And I also think that in this fight, timing is going to be everything.

Duke Khan

[pawel7777]

The last thing I have heard about him that only in early 2024 he will get back to fully training MMA. His injury was torn achilles, and for normal person it takes half a year for a total recovery. For a professional athlete it will take quicker, but I cant imagine how long it will take to get back to previous results. Dont know how much it is gonna take Hill to recover. He is a puncher, but footwork is also important for him. If he was a kicker, then I think we would have to wait longer. I have checked his Instagram, and he is no way close to gym

The last thing I heard about him was something about him assaulting his brother, or something like that.
Yeah, that's the problem, recovering from an injury is one thing and getting back to the previous shape is another. Many fighters fail to ever go back to their previous form after serious injuries. And on top of that, whoever he's going to fight next, it won't be an easy fight, so getting a lot of proper sparring sessions will be a key for him.

Four days till fun and freaky Sean Strickland vs DDP fight and we barely have a discussion here While we previously had a hot discussion when Strickland all of a sudden became a champ What are your prediction right now? Will Strickland be able to make at least one title defence, or has got that belt by luck (or gonna lose it because he is such a reckless guy). Imho DDP is going to knock him out this weekend. I close my eyes and see it is going to be something similar to what Pereira did, also a punch.

For what it's worth, I have a feeling Du Plessis will be taking the belt from Sean. But from more logical approach, Sean's defence is pretty solid when he stays focussed and has a better cardio, so that's a slight advantage. The problem is both like to be the aggressive ones who keep pressing forward. If that happens, the risk of brawl increases, which benefits Du Plessis more. So the question is: will Sean be able to stay on the outside and play the long game?

[YuginKadoya]

The last thing I have heard about him that only in early 2024 he will get back to fully training MMA. His injury was torn achilles, and for normal person it takes half a year for a total recovery. For a professional athlete it will take quicker, but I cant imagine how long it will take to get back to previous results. Dont know how much it is gonna take Hill to recover. He is a puncher, but footwork is also important for him. If he was a kicker, then I think we would have to wait longer. I have checked his Instagram, and he is no way close to gym

For sure he is doing fine, and currently chilling in his podcast right now and getting his reaction on the current event for the UFC, his latest Podcast was about the Sean Strickland altercation against Dricus Du Plessis, in the crowd on UFC 296, it was action inside the octagon and action outside the octagon, so yeah returning to Jamahal Hill he is still healing up those injuries for sure,

One more tune-up fight before Alex Pereira seems right and it will be one of the best fights we will ever have this time because both are strong fighters and we won't know who will gonna win. I hope they will gonna see each other inside the Octagon soon this year since they are the face of UFC nowadays after winning their last fights flawlessly. If only they could actually make it as fast as they can like before, we won't gonna wait for too long for that to happen but they are now following the Boxing way of resting their fighters and giving them enough time to recover and get ready for their next opponent.

For sure that is what may happen in the next fight for Magomed Ankalaev, the UFC will not give them the title match right now but instead, they will give him another higher rank fight, and those 2 fighter I think Jamahal Hill will be easy for Ankalaev, but Jiří Procházka may be difficult because of his ground game but against a Glover Texeira that is now old a 31 Ankalaev is definitely much stronger than the recent Texeira, so yeah maybe 1 of these two will be the opponent of Magomed Ankalaev next,

I didn't think he got lucky. I think he actually did the hard work and he was able to earn the belt. Now there is a catch. People will tell me that if he actually earned the belt, he should be able to defend the belt successfully, but I think it is going to be hard for him for sure.

I don't know if DDP will knock him out or not. But I think this is a hard fight for Strickland and I won't be surprised if he actually gets knocked out by Du Plessis. But it is also not going to be a surprise for me if Strickland can actually win this fight.

What I am trying to say is that this fight is going to be 50-50 for both of the fighters. And I also think that in this fight, timing is going to be everything.

Duke Khan

We can not blame others who think Sean Strickland got that belt because of luck as many here are fans of Israel Adesanya and because Alex Pereira defeated Strickland in the past and Adesanya made a comeback for his belt and won a great battle against Alex Pereira you can not blame them if they think that Adesanya can beat Strickland easily, as that Trash talking has got into him for sure Sean Strickland will still need to prove his worth, for sure that defense of Strickland really is effective against Adesanya for sure he is still enhancing that defense of him,

[pawel7777]

We can not blame others who think Sean Strickland got that belt because of luck as many here are fans of Israel Adesanya and because Alex Pereira defeated Strickland in the past and Adesanya made a comeback for his belt and won a great battle against Alex Pereira you can not blame them if they think that Adesanya can beat Strickland easily, as that Trash talking has got into him for sure Sean Strickland will still need to prove his worth, for sure that defense of Strickland really is effective against Adesanya for sure he is still enhancing that defense of him,

I don't understand how can anyone claim that Strickland won the belt due to luck. You could say that if he had won by a lucky punch etc, but they fought a full distance and he dominated Adesanya in 4 out of 5 rounds (iirc).
In his last 11 fights he lost only to Pereira who, since then, proved he's a real deal by winning the middleweight belt and then the lightweight belt.
There's no real shame in losing to a champion of a higher weight class. Plus, Sean probably improved a lot since that fight, also by having Alex as his sparring partner.

[owengtam09]

I saw at the press conference after the fight and Ankalaev challenged Pereira to fight for the belt. I think it's natural that Ankalaev would want a title shot as he is currently on a 12 win streak, being the longest winstreak of any active fighter in LHW currently. And he said that he would fight standing and that reminded me of what Blachowiz said when he fought Adesanya before where Jan said he would fight standing but in the end when he saw Adesanya's striking ability he chose to use his wrestling. I think Ankalaev is worthy of a title shot in his next fight.

His camp and even Ankalaev would surely want a shot at the belt they want now but for sure Dana White and the UFC have some plans for Alex Pereira, this is what I think, Alex Pereira has been the cash cow right now because Israel Adesanya unexpectedly lost to Sean Strickland which is not in the plan for the UFC, because the real Cash cow was Adesanya and now it is Pereira, they are making Pereira big, and for sure 1 more fight for Ankalaev and then the UFC will promise the title shot,

I didn't think he got lucky. I think he actually did the hard work and he was able to earn the belt. Now there is a catch. People will tell me that if he actually earned the belt, he should be able to defend the belt successfully, but I think it is going to be hard for him for sure.

I don't know if DDP will knock him out or not. But I think this is a hard fight for Strickland and I won't be surprised if he actually gets knocked out by Du Plessis. But it is also not going to be a surprise for me if Strickland can actually win this fight.

What I am trying to say is that this fight is going to be 50-50 for both of the fighters. And I also think that in this fight, timing is going to be everything.

Duke Khan

Du Plessis is ginormous if you look at him and compare him to Strickland he looks like a buffer, but for sure Sean Strickland's defense is unparallel It is really effective against Adesanya, and for sure Israel Adesanya will be on long hiatus because of that lost, Sean Strickland really did get into his head from all those trash talks he has said to Adesanya while in the fight Adesanya can not do a thing he was really frustrated on what has happened he was really pissed in himself and for sure he doesn't really know why his punch isn't making through to Strickland, for sure Strickland's trash talking works in pissing Izzy, for sure right now he is enjoying his time Vlogging in his channel,

[TopTort777]

We can not blame others who think Sean Strickland got that belt because of luck as many here are fans of Israel Adesanya and because Alex Pereira defeated Strickland in the past and Adesanya made a comeback for his belt and won a great battle against Alex Pereira you can not blame them if they think that Adesanya can beat Strickland easily, as that Trash talking has got into him for sure Sean Strickland will still need to prove his worth, for sure that defense of Strickland really is effective against Adesanya for sure he is still enhancing that defense of him,

I don't understand how can anyone claim that Strickland won the belt due to luck. You could say that if he had won by a lucky punch etc, but they fought a full distance and he dominated Adesanya in 4 out of 5 rounds (iirc).
In his last 11 fights he lost only to Pereira who, since then, proved he's a real deal by winning the middleweight belt and then the lightweight belt.
There's no real shame in losing to a champion of a higher weight class. Plus, Sean probably improved a lot since that fight, also by having Alex as his sparring partner.

Isnt this can be called luck, as he managed to dominate Adesanya for 4 rounds? I just typed "best ufc striker", and among many tops, Adesaya was often among top5. Isnt it luck, if you beat best striker with simple shell defence? Isnt it luck to have a title fight when the last opponent you have beat was unranked guy with 1-1 record in UFC? Isnt it luck that Adesanya was not Adesanya and had mental problems (that is imho) that day? Of course Strickland improved, is a good fighter and no doubt he deserved that belt. But there were so many "little things" with Strickland and that belt, so I have called it luck.