🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[erep]

That's exactly why Dana White is not banning Russian fighters. He knows very well that if he bans them and Eagle Fighting Championship will sign them, 

Dana White has not signed the rules banning Russian fighters so far, but sanctions on several countries have barred tourists from Russia. Dana white is looking for alternatives to get Volkov to the country sooner to avoid possible sanctions ahead of his fight on March 19 at the O2 Arena.

https://www.sportbible.com/mma/dana-white-gives-update-on-status-of-russian-fighters-20220302

The Eagle FC is going to be really big because these Russian fighters make up a lot of the revenues that are generated in the UFC. And then Dana White is going to have a potential opponent to think about in my opinion. I am quite sure that Khabib Nurmagomedov has the ability to afford the fighters a lot of money.

Eagle FC is an alternative choice for the popular stage if Russian fighters have been banned from the UFC, Eagle FC will be even more jarring when many former Russian fighters will grace the Eagle FC octagon facing off against the EFC champions fighters.

[1714326786]

1714326786

[YuginKadoya]

Masvidal vs Ben Askren is obviously a memorable knockout. But I think Masvidal was always some steps ahead of Ben Askren. Masvidal is a lot stronger and Ben Askren only had a little wrestling in him. I think the KO was really unexpected even for Masvidal. And Masvidal is not going to improve because a person who is not dedicated and goes to parties and clubs at 5:00 a.m. in the morning when he has a fight next week obviously is not going to improve as a fighter.

I also think the same, Ben Askren is just weak than Masvidal, I really never expected much from Jorge Masvidal especially when he's doing crazy things in life, and expecting that he's going to win a fight without hard work is pretty much obvious he's not getting to his game anymore, and without dedication in what he does, and no progress at all, and pretty much Covington is very well rounded when it comes to striking, and wrestling, and from what I see on Masvidal performance and all those lost, I really think that he will lose against Covington,

-snip-

I'm a fan of Thiago, but I do think its time he potentially hangs up the gloves. He's always dangerous because of his power, however the days of him being in entertaining fights is largely gone. Now we only see little bursts of excitement from him. Although, I must say I think he did well against an opponent who is held in high regard.

I also think that Thiago Santos is not that too Excited about what and he surely needs a retirement but his good against Ankalaev but not that great a 38 years old against 29 years old is something that we need to see here, Santos will surely not do much against fighter much younger than him anymore but he surely withstand Ankalaev very much, with Thiago Santos performance from the past against Jon Jones, Glover Teixeira, Aleksandar Rakić, and this fight it is all not that much explosion for Santos, and with his win against Johnny Walker I really think Johnny Walker could win it if Walker decided to go his own path, but he listens to his coach that is how good of a listener Johnny Walker is, but for a Thiago Santos fight I think he would win it if he shows much explosion than Santos.

[tokeweed]

Now that the UFC Fight Night: Santos VS Ankalev has finally settled, I didn't make a bet or watch the event yet, because I was bored and busy, but another event has emerged and this is

UFC Fight Night Volkov vs. Aspinall

March 19, 2022, The O2 Arena in London, England.



Main Card

Heavyweight   Alexander Volkov   vs.   Tom Aspinall
Featherweight   Arnold Allen   vs.   Dan Hooker
Lightweight   Paddy Pimblett   vs.   Rodrigo Vargas
Heavyweight   Shamil Abdurakhimov   vs.   Sergei Pavlovich
Light Heavyweight   Nikita Krylov   vs.   Paul Craig
Welterweight   Gunnar Nelson   vs.   Takashi Sato

Preliminary Card

Lightweight   Jai Herbert   vs.   Ilia Topuria
Flyweight   Muhammad Mokaev   vs.   Cody Durden
Featherweight   Mike Grundy   vs.   Makwan Amirkhani   
Women's Flyweight   Molly McCann   vs.   Luana Carolina
Bantamweight   Jack Shore   vs.   Timur Valiev
Women's Strawweight   Cory McKenna   vs.   Elise Reed
Bantamweight   Nathaniel Wood   vs.   Vince Morales

All Information was from WIKI

These are all pretty good match ups with most of them close to 50/50 on paper and some of them could even see the dogs winning imho.  Match ups like Jack Shore vs Timur Valiev should be closer imho.  So is Krylov vs Paul Craig...  And I know the roster was made months prior to the date of the even but man it looks like there could be 5 matches either canceled or with those Russian fighters replaced on short notice.  Sucks if so because this is a banger of a card.  Fighter to watch is Topuria and of course Aspinall.  Aspinall could challenge for the HW title in a year or so.

Edit:  Another fighter to watch is Dan Hooker who moved down to 145 for this event.

[7788bitcoin]

~
Edit:  Another fighter to watch is Dan Hooker who moved down to 145 for this event.

So Dan Hooker moved down to 145 pounds and with his long reach and frame, he could really bully the division if he could cut the weight healthy and able to hydrate back and not compromise himself.

The fight cards right now is hard to predict, Paddy Pimblett is talking well and making a lot of noise and if he could perform at the same level then it would be great and since you mentioned Dan Hooker moved down to 145 pound division, i might place a bet on him and finally Gunnar Nelson is back and i am not sure what kind of performance can be expected from him.

[teddybear]

I don't think the UFC is going to ban Russian fighters because they generate a large amount of money for the UFC.

And I am not sure what to say about the Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos situation because I have no idea who is speaking the truth here. But I think Islam Makhachev is not someone who will run from any fight.

That hasn't exactly stopped others from banning them. It's quite clear my position on it, I think it's absolutely disgraceful that there are even talks about banning Russian athletes, although I do have a little more faith in MMA organisations as they aren't typically the people that just bend under political pressure.

Sounds like more talk to me. I'd favour Makhachev in that fight though, so I don't think it's because he's a afraid or anything of the other rumours that are circulating.

UFC never gets into politics and the "ban" stuff is all about politics. Sometimes I feel UFC as an organization is genuinely a lot more inclusive than the places/orgs that pretend to be .

[YuginKadoya]

These are all pretty good match ups with most of them close to 50/50 on paper and some of them could even see the dogs winning imho.  Match ups like Jack Shore vs Timur Valiev should be closer imho.  So is Krylov vs Paul Craig...  And I know the roster was made months prior to the date of the even but man it looks like there could be 5 matches either canceled or with those Russian fighters replaced on short notice.  Sucks if so because this is a banger of a card.  Fighter to watch is Topuria and of course Aspinall.  Aspinall could challenge for the HW title in a year or so.

Edit:  Another fighter to watch is Dan Hooker who moved down to 145 for this event.

It is, there are many good matches, and yes the Jack Shore VS Timur Valiev could be an interesting match to watch, but what I like in this event is the Short notice Ilia Topuria fighting Jai Herbert, in my opinion this is an easy win for Topuria, Gunner Nelson taking the short notice Takashi Sato, Arnold Allen VS Dan Hooker, and after this event the next event will be the UFC Fight Night: Blaydes VS Daukaus, unfortunately the Jan Blachowicz VS Aleksander Rakic and Michelle Waterson VS Amanda Ribas got canceled but I will surely put my eyes on some fights and that is the Neil Magny VS Max Griffin, Tucker Lutz VS Choi Seung Woo, then the UFC 273, these are the events I am most excited of,

UFC never gets into politics and the "ban" stuff is all about politics. Sometimes I feel UFC as an organization is genuinely a lot more inclusive than the places/orgs that pretend to be .

It's a breath of fresh air when I hear this, and come on there is no good effect in banning fighters that is Russian, it will just cause another negativity, and will not surely stop the war, I really think that Dana White is doing great in not jumping into a political views, certainly there are many organization that wants the banning of Russian players and fighters all over the world and they want us to participates but just like I said it will just cause some negativity for the people, and may cause racism, in some people, so I surely not agree with it as well.

[erep]

It's a breath of fresh air when I hear this, and come on there is no good effect in banning fighters that is Russian, it will just cause another negativity, and will not surely stop the war, I really think that Dana White is doing great in not jumping into a political views, certainly there are many organization that wants the banning of Russian players and fighters all over the world and they want us to participates but just like I said it will just cause some negativity for the people, and may cause racism, in some people, so I surely not agree with it as well.

Dana White is not subject to political factors but all activities will run according to the sanctions regulations set by the government and there will be no dispensation if the organization/government has signed the ban on Russian fighters. So, will Volkov be able to fight on the main card on March 19 and without the intervention of sanctions for Russian fighters?

[YuginKadoya]

It's a breath of fresh air when I hear this, and come on there is no good effect in banning fighters that is Russian, it will just cause another negativity, and will not surely stop the war, I really think that Dana White is doing great in not jumping into a political views, certainly there are many organization that wants the banning of Russian players and fighters all over the world and they want us to participates but just like I said it will just cause some negativity for the people, and may cause racism, in some people, so I surely not agree with it as well.

Dana White is not subject to political factors but all activities will run according to the sanctions regulations set by the government and there will be no dispensation if the organization/government has signed the ban on Russian fighters. So, will Volkov be able to fight on the main card on March 19 and without the intervention of sanctions for Russian fighters?

If the Sanction is legalize then Dana White will need to subjects to it, but in this case it is not legalize and just a recommendation, to banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, so Dana White's action to not ban Russian and Belarusian athletes on UFC is surely legal, or still legal, I really think that Dana White knows what he is doing, The IOC or The International Olympic Committee's are acting that they are protecting the integrity of global sports competitions, and a safety for all participants, and that they are acting with a heavy heart, I don't really know if what they are saying is genuine and really has a heavy heart in putting this up, all I can think of is that they have some hidden agenda in doing such things, it will end up in political views than with the safety of all participants, and I think UFC is out of the Picture on what the ICO is suggesting.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Dana White is not subject to political factors but all activities will run according to the sanctions regulations set by the government and there will be no dispensation if the organization/government has signed the ban on Russian fighters. So, will Volkov be able to fight on the main card on March 19 and without the intervention of sanctions for Russian fighters?

If the Sanction is legalize then Dana White will need to subjects to it, but in this case it is not legalize and just a recommendation, to banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, so Dana White's action to not ban Russian and Belarusian athletes on UFC is surely legal, or still legal, I really think that Dana White knows what he is doing, The IOC or The International Olympic Committee's are acting that they are protecting the integrity of global sports competitions, and a safety for all participants, and that they are acting with a heavy heart, I don't really know if what they are saying is genuine and really has a heavy heart in putting this up, all I can think of is that they have some hidden agenda in doing such things, it will end up in political views than with the safety of all participants, and I think UFC is out of the Picture on what the ICO is suggesting.

The ICO thing is just some bunch of bull shit in my opinion. They are not protecting or doing anything like that. So that always they have some type of agenda behind this. I am really happy to see that UFC did not ban the Russian fighters. I actually think that they cannot under such circumstances where the Russian fighters are the most popular ones right now.

[tokeweed]

~
Edit:  Another fighter to watch is Dan Hooker who moved down to 145 for this event.

So Dan Hooker moved down to 145 pounds and with his long reach and frame, he could really bully the division if he could cut the weight healthy and able to hydrate back and not compromise himself.

The fight cards right now is hard to predict, Paddy Pimblett is talking well and making a lot of noise and if he could perform at the same level then it would be great and since you mentioned Dan Hooker moved down to 145 pound division, i might place a bet on him and finally Gunnar Nelson is back and i am not sure what kind of performance can be expected from him.

Hooker was actually fighting at 145 around 5 - 6 years ago but had some tough weight cuts that forced him to move up at 155.  And even then I think he had a couple of somewhat tough weight cuts at the higher weight class.

And Arnold Allen is no slouch.  He should be a tough match up for Hooker imho.  I think I have more confidence in putting some action for Paul Craig as the underdog than betting on Hooker as a coin flip.  There are questions for Hooker in moving back down.  I'm pretty sure that flight from NZ to London wouldn't help either if he decides to fly somewhat late.

These are all pretty good match ups with most of them close to 50/50 on paper and some of them could even see the dogs winning imho.  Match ups like Jack Shore vs Timur Valiev should be closer imho.  So is Krylov vs Paul Craig...  And I know the roster was made months prior to the date of the even but man it looks like there could be 5 matches either canceled or with those Russian fighters replaced on short notice.  Sucks if so because this is a banger of a card.  Fighter to watch is Topuria and of course Aspinall.  Aspinall could challenge for the HW title in a year or so.

Edit:  Another fighter to watch is Dan Hooker who moved down to 145 for this event.

It is, there are many good matches, and yes the Jack Shore VS Timur Valiev could be an interesting match to watch, but what I like in this event is the Short notice Ilia Topuria fighting Jai Herbert, in my opinion this is an easy win for Topuria, Gunner Nelson taking the short notice Takashi Sato, Arnold Allen VS Dan Hooker, and after this event the next event will be the UFC Fight Night: Blaydes VS Daukaus, unfortunately the Jan Blachowicz VS Aleksander Rakic and Michelle Waterson VS Amanda Ribas got canceled but I will surely put my eyes on some fights and that is the Neil Magny VS Max Griffin, Tucker Lutz VS Choi Seung Woo, then the UFC 273, these are the events I am most excited of,

Yup.  I have Topuria high in my parlays and there's a couple others..  I hope the sanction thingy won't spoil this whole event as there are 5 Russians in it.

[Maidak]

If UFC fires Russian fighters, EFC league, that belongs to Khabib Nurmagomedov will sign them with open hands. I think Dana White understands that and dont want to lose that piece of his industry. I am pretty much sure that Khabib can offer them good salary, as I think he can get support from his UAE friends.

That's exactly why Dana White is not banning Russian fighters. He knows very well that if he bans them and Eagle Fighting Championship will sign them, 
The Eagle FC is going to be really big because these Russian fighters make up a lot of the revenues that are generated in the UFC. And then Dana White is going to have a potential opponent to think about in my opinion. I am quite sure that Khabib Nurmagomedov has the ability to afford the fighters a lot of money.

Eagle FC will need more sponsors to pay for bigger fighters. The ones they can afford recently are the ones that are actaully out of the game. It is however acceptable for the Russian MMA fighters to fight under Eagle than having no fights at all if they are all banned because of the politics in sports today. FIFA and UEFA suspend Russian teams, it's not a pretty story but I wouldn't scratch out the possibility that it will also happen in any sports if this war prolongs.

I think the UFC is surely going to get pressured by certain parties to ban the Russian fighters. UFC must be in a big dilemma right now. If they ban Russian fighters, they lose the support of the Russian people and some great fighters also. If they don't Ban the Russian fighters, Ukrainian supporters will be lost by them. I think it's time for them to be a bad ASS and not ban the Russian fighters.

That's exactly why Dana White is not banning Russian fighters. He knows very well that if he bans them and Eagle Fighting Championship will sign them, 

-snip
Eagle FC is an alternative choice for the popular stage if Russian fighters have been banned from the UFC, Eagle FC will be even more jarring when many former Russian fighters will grace the Eagle FC octagon facing off against the EFC champions fighters.

I actually cannot agree with you because I think Eagle FC will not be ""jarring"" if the Russian fighters do decide to go to Eagle FC. But I  agree that Eagle FC will always be the second option for them because no one pays like the UFC.

[YuginKadoya]

The ICO thing is just some bunch of bull shit in my opinion. They are not protecting or doing anything like that. So that always they have some type of agenda behind this. I am really happy to see that UFC did not ban the Russian fighters. I actually think that they cannot under such circumstances where the Russian fighters are the most popular ones right now.

I totally agree with you, they are saying such stuff because I think they want sympathy in not taking Russian Athletes because of the war that is happening right now, or they just want to be relevant in what is happening right now, and I am thankful that UFC is not getting affected with such things, and you are right Russian fighters are most popular at the moment and they can not do something about it,

Yup.  I have Topuria high in my parlays and there's a couple others..  I hope the sanction thingy won't spoil this whole event as there are 5 Russians in it.

For now, I am very solid with Ilia Topuria moment the other fights that I am currently looking at I am still getting some research and looking even further for any bet to happen, for now I can be sure in Ilia Topuria at the moment, his wellcounded with both stand-up and the ground, and fighting his opponent with smart decision inside the octagon, his recent match was against Ryan Hall, which he didn't showcase anything in my opinion, he doesn't show any of his cards, they will not spoil the any of the event I guess Dana White doesn't listen to anyone at all.

[notblox1]

Magomed Ankalaev is seriously going up in rankings after winning against Thiago Santos who lost four from his last five fights.
Light Heavyweight is getting more interesting and I think Ankalaev that is currently ranked in six position must fight with one of the top five fighters next.
If Thiago Santos continues to lose he could soon be removed from UFC roster.
 

[Welsh]

Early picks for the next event, of course I'm going to go with the Welshies. So, Jack Shore, and Cory Mckenna are going to absolutely smash it, and Jack Shore being the underdog is very good value in my opinion. He's a solid fighter, as a bit of everything. Outside of that, the clear pick for a almost guarantee win for me would be Ilia Topuria. Although, I'm still upset about what happened to Ryan Hall.
 

Magomed Ankalaev is seriously going up in rankings after winning against Thiago Santos who lost four from his last five fights.
Light Heavyweight is getting more interesting and I think Ankalaev that is currently ranked in six position must fight with one of the top five fighters next.
If Thiago Santos continues to lose he could soon be removed from UFC roster.
 

There was a lot of hype going in to the fight with Thiago, with a lot of fans predicting a finish or at the very least a dominant performance. That's not what we got, and quite frankly I think his hype has taken a hit as a result. Thiago isn't exactly the Thiago that was fighting a few years ago, while still dangerous, he lacks movement, but Magomed was very gun shy for someone being the overwhelming favour going in to the fight, and he didn't even really try or do that much wrestling. I feel like if Thiago just did a little more he would have won the fight.

[TheNineClub]

Now that the UFC Fight Night: Santos VS Ankalev has finally settled, I didn't make a bet or watch the event yet, because I was bored and busy, but another event has emerged and this is

UFC Fight Night Volkov vs. Aspinall

March 19, 2022, The O2 Arena in London, England.

Main Card

Heavyweight   Alexander Volkov   vs.   Tom Aspinall
Featherweight   Arnold Allen   vs.   Dan Hooker
Lightweight   Paddy Pimblett   vs.   Rodrigo Vargas
Heavyweight   Shamil Abdurakhimov   vs.   Sergei Pavlovich
Light Heavyweight   Nikita Krylov   vs.   Paul Craig
Welterweight   Gunnar Nelson   vs.   Takashi Sato

Preliminary Card

Lightweight   Jai Herbert   vs.   Ilia Topuria
Flyweight   Muhammad Mokaev   vs.   Cody Durden
Featherweight   Mike Grundy   vs.   Makwan Amirkhani   
Women's Flyweight   Molly McCann   vs.   Luana Carolina
Bantamweight   Jack Shore   vs.   Timur Valiev
Women's Strawweight   Cory McKenna   vs.   Elise Reed
Bantamweight   Nathaniel Wood   vs.   Vince Morales

All Information was from WIKI

These are all pretty good match ups with most of them close to 50/50 on paper and some of them could even see the dogs winning imho.  Match ups like Jack Shore vs Timur Valiev should be closer imho.  So is Krylov vs Paul Craig...  And I know the roster was made months prior to the date of the even but man it looks like there could be 5 matches either canceled or with those Russian fighters replaced on short notice.  Sucks if so because this is a banger of a card.  Fighter to watch is Topuria and of course Aspinall.  Aspinall could challenge for the HW title in a year or so.

Edit:  Another fighter to watch is Dan Hooker who moved down to 145 for this event.

Also, Gunnar Nelson is back. He's been inactive from 2019 onwards and is coming from two losses in a row. I mean, he could very well take Sato for a grappling ride, however, he's also been training in SBG Ireland, and he may very well think he's a boxer. All of Sato's losses came from submissions, so maybe Nelson could take advantage of that if SBG hasn't completely ruined him. Either way, I am interested in a possible grappling match from both of them.

[TopTort777]

Magomed Ankalaev is seriously going up in rankings after winning against Thiago Santos who lost four from his last five fights.
Light Heavyweight is getting more interesting and I think Ankalaev that is currently ranked in six position must fight with one of the top five fighters next.
If Thiago Santos continues to lose he could soon be removed from UFC roster.
 

The things are going in a way he will be released soon, or if he looses next fight. Since his fight against Jon Jones (I think that was the peak moment of Santos), his career showed downtrend. I see two scenarios - either he will be released after next loss (and will be picked up by Khabibs EFC ), or he will be like Andrei Arlovski - someone average, that is always ready to fight, and people would come to see him fighting. He will be left as a fighter to fill the space in card, and released as soon as new prospects appear.

[tokeweed]

Yup.  I have Topuria high in my parlays and there's a couple others..  I hope the sanction thingy won't spoil this whole event as there are 5 Russians in it.

For now, I am very solid with Ilia Topuria moment the other fights that I am currently looking at I am still getting some research and looking even further for any bet to happen, for now I can be sure in Ilia Topuria at the moment, his wellcounded with both stand-up and the ground, and fighting his opponent with smart decision inside the octagon, his recent match was against Ryan Hall, which he didn't showcase anything in my opinion, he doesn't show any of his cards, they will not spoil the any of the event I guess Dana White doesn't listen to anyone at all.

The pick is def Topuria but know that he went into this match up on short notice and in a weight class above his usual one.  And notice the height and reach advantage of Jai Herbert.  It's an 8 inch reach advantage for Herbert.  But I'm not too worried as Topuria will prolly take it to the ground and negate the reach advantage.  Herbert's TD defense in the UFC is low.  I think around 30%.

https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/bouts/636328-ufc-fight-night-jai-the-black-country-banger-herbert-vs-ilia-el-matador-topuria

I'll post my full card parlay in a couple of days once I figure it out.

Some vids...

UFC Free Fight:  Aspinall vs Arlovski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMFNvSKbeak

UFC Free Fight:  Volkov vs Overeem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIp9OBegqgY

[fiulpro]

Magomed Ankalaev is seriously going up in rankings after winning against Thiago Santos who lost four from his last five fights.
Light Heavyweight is getting more interesting and I think Ankalaev that is currently ranked in six position must fight with one of the top five fighters next.
If Thiago Santos continues to lose he could soon be removed from UFC roster.
 

The things are going in a way he will be released soon, or if he looses next fight. Since his fight against Jon Jones (I think that was the peak moment of Santos), his career showed downtrend. I see two scenarios - either he will be released after next loss (and will be picked up by Khabibs EFC ), or he will be like Andrei Arlovski - someone average, that is always ready to fight, and people would come to see him fighting. He will be left as a fighter to fill the space in card, and released as soon as new prospects appear.

Yeah this weekend's main event was a bit of a let down. Santos has constantly been disappointing since Jon Jones which some have argued he won. GLOVER TEIXEIRA may be champion but with his age and on top of the way he won the belt, could easily be taken off him.
I think at the moment Jan the polish power or the Czech jiri will be challenging for the belt soon enough.ankalaev I feel falls into the category of the likes of Anthony Smith, Johnny Walker and even Ryan span. Excited at times but nothing for yhe

[notblox1]

There was a lot of hype going in to the fight with Thiago, with a lot of fans predicting a finish or at the very least a dominant performance. That's not what we got, and quite frankly I think his hype has taken a hit as a result. Thiago isn't exactly the Thiago that was fighting a few years ago, while still dangerous, he lacks movement, but Magomed was very gun shy for someone being the overwhelming favour going in to the fight, and he didn't even really try or do that much wrestling. I feel like if Thiago just did a little more he would have won the fight.

Before this fight I said there are two scenarios fight could go and I know most people expected quick finish but not me, because Thiago Santos did have some long boring fights before.
It takes two to tango and I remember Santos losing from both Glover Teixeira and Rakic in long fights without much action, some would say boring fights.
Let's face it, Thiago is getting older with 38 years and he can't always perform like people expect from him.

[bbc.reporter]

It appears Dana's new pet Paddy the Baddy is doing a similar strategy of hype like Dana's other pet Conor McGregor. Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria almost went into a fight in the hotel where the fighters were staying hehe. The video appeared to be Paddy throwing a box with food some inside, however, the article mentioned that it was Topuria who punched Paddy.

This feud began when Paddy tweeted that people from Georgia are stupid. I reckon this implies Paddy wants to fight Topuria after Rodrigo Vargas hehehe. The tweets and video are in the article.



UFC fighters Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria may not be fighting each other this weekend at UFC London, but that didn’t stop them at the fighter hotel.

Source https://www.mmanews.com/2022/03/paddy-pimblett-ilia-topuria-altercation/