🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[rdbase]

Well I cant say that I am excited about upcoming UFC main event but I want to see few other fights in this fight card.
I am preparing to watch big Jun 15 event in White House, this could be one of the best events this year with amazing fights in so many categories.

Same reaction from me when it comes to the UFC lately. Once they announced this White House card nothing else before it has been comparable. So those slowly slip into the recesses of your brain until the time comes when this huge event in less than two weeks time occurs.
Didn't even know they were having a UFC fight night this weekend and would of thought they will give the fans a rest and keep hyping up UFC 250.
There was some news that coming out yesterday that Strickland is banned from attending the White house card due to comments he had made recently. No surprise his mouth got him in trouble yet again prior to a big event.

[eaLiTy]

~
Didn't even know they were having a UFC fight night this weekend and would of thought they will give the fans a rest and keep hyping up UFC 250.
There was some news that coming out yesterday that Strickland is banned from attending the White house card due to comments he had made recently. No surprise his mouth got him in trouble yet again prior to a big event.

UFC 250 was headlined by Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer in 2020  . This is a special card named UFC: Freedom 250, celebrating America's 250th anniversary and somehow it is coinciding with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. It has only 7 fights, and there is no Preliminary or early Preliminary card like the usual PPV cards.
 

Since this is a special event, Crypto.com would spend a US$1 million cryptocurrency bonus for the top fighters.

Source : UFC® and Crypto.com are partnering for a historic White House event, UFC Freedom 250, which will be co-presented by Crypto.com.

About the Strickland situation, he was a big supporter of Trump earlier, not sure what happened after that. Since this is a special card, held at the White House, they have the authority to decide on who gets to see the event live. Otherwise, Dana White usually do not hold anyone responsible for simply running their mouth. 

[trendcoin]

Baraniewski

He has won all 8 fights in his professional career by finishing them in the first round. He hasn’t had a serious fight in the UFC yet, but I expect him to challenge the top contenders.

Muhammad

Muhammad Belal is the favorite in the main event, but he’s 37 years old now. His best skill is his cardio. In my opinion, a man’s cardio at 37 always raises some questions.

Chandler

Michael Chandler, oh no, my eyes immediately went to Michael Chandler.

[notblox1]

Yup...  That one is gonna be reeeaallyy good.    And watch this match between Gaethje and Pimblett.  If Gaethje tries this sht against Topuria, Gaethje is gonna get totally starched and sent to the shadow realm.  Lolol.

I am more excited to watch Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane fight, and I think this is Pereira first fight in heavyweight division.
There are not so many fights in this Freedom fight card, but they are all interesting to watch.
I just dont watch to watch Trump fooling around and I am sure he is going to do something stupid 

[tiCeR]

...

You might be correct on Conor and his financial situation, however, the comparison of this with Ronaldo and Messi is headshaking. These are different people who do not sniff cocaine heheheh! Also, they have not retired and became very careless with their lifestyle.

In any case, it was only a speculation and I might be wrong. However, there is certainly an argument that Conor is low on liquid cash.

The comparison is not that bad when you consider it from relative proportions. Ronaldo is extending his contract with Al Nassr and everyone could say or ask why he does that. If Ronaldo now has $1.5 billion net worth and he can add $250 million per year, that is 1/6th he can add to his bank account for playing football in the Saudi Pro League. It's different because McGregor must be willing to get his face destroyed in a worst case, but everyone knows what people are willing to accept when looking back to the Jake Paul - Joshua fight. Most of us would accept tens of millions to get our jaws broken.

As bbc.reporter says, McGregor is a different kind. It is possible that he needs the liquidity. Liquid cash is the important word here. He would never admit it like Mike Tyson, he was fully transparent and said "I needed the money, therefore I took the fight". Now of course it was staged... But those millionaires living a wild lifestyle, cash becomes an issue for them much faster than the normal guy would think.

[trendcoin]

Doping, drugs and rape... It’s almost impossible to understand why a man with such a cursed career is being hyped up so much.

Plus, his recent fights have been terrible. What could he possibly offer the audience now?

The only thing he can do is spew hatred. And he won’t be able to do that against Holoway. Why didn’t the UFC put him up against a poor, strange immigrant who can’t speak English?

[TopTort777]

I am more excited to watch Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane fight, and I think this is Pereira first fight in heavyweight division.

How would you evaluate Pereira chances of beating Gane? Will we see new version of Pereira - slow Pereira, because he has gained weigh? Or his new version would be Pereira the submitter? Bones easily submitted Gane. Pereira trains with Texeira who is a huge master of bjj. Should we expect new tactics (like Ngannou tricked Gane by more wrestling than striking) or Pereira will be the same guy with heavy left hand? Gane is also master of striking, and due that, to outstrike striker in his weight division is a risky gameplan.

[chinhar]

That a wrong comparison. Football and UFC/MMA should not be equally compared. Biggest reason is fan base. If we do not count how much Conor and Ronaldo have earned from their sport contracts, then have a look how much they possibly earn with their business. Conor and his Proper 12 (he has sold his share) and Ronaldo and his CR7 parfum and clothes. There are more football fans than drinkers Not to mention how much Nike contract pay Ronaldo annually.

This comparison should never be made, especially since soccer players are paid significantly more than wrestlers. Just think of contracts of ?190-?200 million for players, while for top-level wrestlers, it's ?10-?15 million per match. The average number of matches a wrestler does per year is around two-quarters if he's very active and doesn't suffer serious injuries or surgeries. So there's really no comparison.

[TopTort777]

That a wrong comparison. Football and UFC/MMA should not be equally compared. Biggest reason is fan base. If we do not count how much Conor and Ronaldo have earned from their sport contracts, then have a look how much they possibly earn with their business. Conor and his Proper 12 (he has sold his share) and Ronaldo and his CR7 parfum and clothes. There are more football fans than drinkers Not to mention how much Nike contract pay Ronaldo annually.

This comparison should never be made, especially since soccer players are paid significantly more than wrestlers. Just think of contracts of ?190-?200 million for players, while for top-level wrestlers, it's ?10-?15 million per match. The average number of matches a wrestler does per year is around two-quarters if he's very active and doesn't suffer serious injuries or surgeries. So there's really no comparison.

Wrestlers? Wtf ? Dude, you are so wrong right now. UFC fighters have 1-3 fighters per year. Some individuals are able to have 4+ fights, but that is very exhausting and expensive. Top fighters earn today probably couple of millions per year + sponsor contracts. Previously they received % from number of pay-per-view translations sold. But year, its very wrong to compare football and UFC. These two kind of sport dont have anything in common.

[tokeweed]

Anyway, any suggestions or pick for the event this weekend?

Ok, lets take a look on your picks. I am kinda busy (lazy tbh:D) checking fights where there are obvious underdog and huge favorite, and women, so lets skip them.

Mitchel vs Luna. Chairez vs Silva. These fights have close chances of winning their fights.

Picking Luna looks tempting, 8-0 and 7 of them are finishes. But he is super young. Only 21. Mitchel on the other hand is more experienced, but has zebra record in last fights. However he has way more experience. Lost only to Topuria, Silva and Emmett (but Mitchel came as replacement, maybe he wasnt prepared well). I agree with your Mitchel Pick. Next lineup. I think you took Chairez because he has less losses recently than Silva Only logic that works in this prediction. Hard to make right prediction here because they are flyweight. They can do anything, land million strikes and still not be able to knockout will their pillow. Submission is only option. But then Silva is a favorite, as he has got a black belt in bjj

Yeah I just went with my first picks and clicked the bet button.  Lol.  The odds aren't really that good for a degen parlay tho.  10 bucks wins a tad over 1k USD.  I mean it's not bad but degen parlays are supposed to win higher than that...

Anyway, some vids to watch before watching the event.

UFC Free Fight:  Muhammad vs Brady
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O8jKxpLd0s

UFC Free Fight:  Bonfim vs Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOxT8ASzDSY

Enjoy...

[chinhar]

...

You might be correct on Conor and his financial situation, however, the comparison of this with Ronaldo and Messi is headshaking. These are different people who do not sniff cocaine heheheh! Also, they have not retired and became very careless with their lifestyle.

In any case, it was only a speculation and I might be wrong. However, there is certainly an argument that Conor is low on liquid cash.

The comparison is not that bad when you consider it from relative proportions. Ronaldo is extending his contract with Al Nassr and everyone could say or ask why he does that. If Ronaldo now has $1.5 billion net worth and he can add $250 million per year, that is 1/6th he can add to his bank account for playing football in the Saudi Pro League. It's different because McGregor must be willing to get his face destroyed in a worst case, but everyone knows what people are willing to accept when looking back to the Jake Paul - Joshua fight. Most of us would accept tens of millions to get our jaws broken.

As bbc.reporter says, McGregor is a different kind. It is possible that he needs the liquidity. Liquid cash is the important word here. He would never admit it like Mike Tyson, he was fully transparent and said "I needed the money, therefore I took the fight". Now of course it was staged... But those millionaires living a wild lifestyle, cash becomes an issue for them much faster than the normal guy would think.

The point is that the earnings between footballers, boxing, and the UFC are different, and even disproportionately so! You can't compare a footballer to a fighter. If Cristiano Ronaldo makes 250 million a year, it takes McGregor four years of fights alone to make those figures. Just look at Ngannou against AJ. Ngannou is an undisputed champion in the UFC and made around 200,000 a fight, while against AJ he made 20 million in a single fight. Even AJ against Jake Paul. AJ made 90 million for that fight, and even Mike Tyson made 20 million for the fight with Jake. So you absolutely can't compare these things; they're totally different leagues. That's why McGregor also agreed to fight Floyd because he knew the money was there. Just look at how no boxer ever agrees to go to a UFC fight because there's no money there.

[eaLiTy]

~
The only thing he can do is spew hatred. And he won’t be able to do that against Holoway. Why didn’t the UFC put him up against a poor, strange immigrant who can’t speak English?

Any interesting names you have in mind  

~
The point is that the earnings between footballers, boxing, and the UFC are different, and even disproportionately so! You can't compare a footballer to a fighter. If Cristiano Ronaldo makes 250 million a year, it takes McGregor four years of fights alone to make those figures.

Just a spoiler, Conor McGregor was the highest paid athlete during 2021, according to Forbes, he was ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Just look at Ngannou against AJ. Ngannou is an undisputed champion in the UFC and made around 200,000 a fight, while against AJ he made 20 million in a single fight. Even AJ against Jake Paul. AJ made 90 million for that fight, and even Mike Tyson made 20 million for the fight with Jake. So you absolutely can't compare these things; they're totally different leagues. That's why McGregor also agreed to fight Floyd because he knew the money was there. Just look at how no boxer ever agrees to go to a UFC fight because there's no money there.

The fact is, boxers will not last a round inside the MMA cage. James Tony tried out against Randy Couture and he could not last 2 minutes. The main event in boxing gets the money, what about the rest of the boxers in the card, are they receiving the same amount?

UFC 229 was the most successful event and Conor McGregor took home around $50 million to $57 million for that fight. In boxing Floyd Mayweather took home $250 million against Manny Pacquiao and it was the most successful boxing event. The second best boxing event, in terms of revenue generation, was when Conor McGregor crossed over to boxing.

Since you took the name of Francis Ngannou, if he tried to become a professional boxer, he will not make the same amount of money he earned now. He will not be even facing championship level boxers. He got the opportunity because he got the name and recognition through MMA and the UFC. He had 2 professional boxing events, lost both and do you think there will be another big opportunity for him in boxing ?.

[notblox1]

Guys if you are planning to bet on UFC Freedom event I would suggest doing it on Jackpotter casino because they have 100% refund for up to $100.
Before making any bets first read the rules and be ready for some special wager terms, but it is still better than having no refund in case you lose your bet.
I am really surprised to see such low odds for Topuria and Josh Hokit.
https://jackpotter.com/promotions/back-your-fighter-of-the-event-at-ufc-freedom-250-get-100-refund

[pawel7777]

Baraniewski

He has won all 8 fights in his professional career by finishing them in the first round. He hasn’t had a serious fight in the UFC yet, but I expect him to challenge the top contenders.
(...)

Baraniewski was meant to be fighting Billy Elakana, and it was meant to be his most challenging opponent to date. I'm not sure what happened, I'm guessing Elakana got injured, but he got Junior Tafa instead.
I'm a bit concerned for Baraniewski in this fight. He's one of the most promising UFC prospects right now and he's a big favourite. But it's going to be hard for him to stay level-headed. He realises how precious his current record is and he will most likely be looking to maintain it, meaning searching for an early finish, which poses more risk for him to get punished. Also, almost all Polish mma commentators say it will be an easy fight for him, but the worst thing he can do is to let that into his head and underestimate his opponent (even subconsciously).
If Iwo can cope with the pressure well and will not pressure things unnecessarily, he should get the win, as he's probably better in every aspect.
It should be a good one to watch.  

[tiCeR]

...

The point is that the earnings between footballers, boxing, and the UFC are different, and even disproportionately so! You can't compare a footballer to a fighter. If Cristiano Ronaldo makes 250 million a year, it takes McGregor four years of fights alone to make those figures. Just look at Ngannou against AJ. Ngannou is an undisputed champion in the UFC and made around 200,000 a fight, while against AJ he made 20 million in a single fight. Even AJ against Jake Paul. AJ made 90 million for that fight, and even Mike Tyson made 20 million for the fight with Jake. So you absolutely can't compare these things; they're totally different leagues. That's why McGregor also agreed to fight Floyd because he knew the money was there. Just look at how no boxer ever agrees to go to a UFC fight because there's no money there.

I didn't compare UFC with football, I was talking about reference points and when it appears to make sense for a professional to take on another fight or contract. My point was that Ronaldo would probably not play for $20 million annually because that would represent less than 2% of his net worth, which he could add on a yearly basis.

McGregor would probably not accept the fight if in relative terms the amount of money he can make is no more than a drop in the bucket. I suspect that McGregor is in need of cash or it is at least a significant amount relative to what he has freely available right now. That is why I mentioned this.

The point is that it has to be meaningful for the professional in some way. AJ's 90 million gross were meaningful financially. Tyson publicly said that he needed the money really badly. Jake Paul became significantly richer as well. None of those guys would take on a fight if it wasn't changing their overall situation significantly for the better.

[tokeweed]

So here are the weigh in results guys...  Everybody made weight.  Not sure why the Costa vs Schnell one was turned into a 130 catchweight tho.  Could be good for Schnell as the underdog.

Belal Muhammad (170.5) vs. Gabriel Bonfim (170.5)
Brendan Allen (185.5) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (186)
Tom Nolan (155) vs. Fares Ziam (156)
Santiago Luna (136) vs. Bryce Mitchell (135.5)
Iwo Baraniewski (206) vs. Junior Tafa (206)
Alessandro Costa (129.5) vs. Matt Schnell (129.5)
Marcus McGhee (136) vs. John Yannis (126)
Edgar Chairez (126) vs. Bruno Silva (126)
Priscila Cachoeira (135.5) vs. Chelsea Chandler (135)
Joanderson Brito (145.5) vs. Jordan Leavitt (145.5)
Jeisla Chaves (124) vs. Yuneisy Duben (125)
Ariane Carnelossi (116) vs. Ketlen Souza (116)

UFC Muhammad vs Bonfim:  Weigh Ins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBrctdNZr7k&ra=m

UFC Muhammad vs Bonfim:  Fighter Face Offs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8cz6VbyjyU&ra=m

Degen parlay picks:

Muhammad
Allen
Ziam
Mitchell
Costa
Baraniewski
McGhee
Chairez
Chandler
Brito
Chaves
Souza

Odds at 99.97 when I made the bet.

[pawel7777]

9 fights, 9 wins, 9 first-round finishes.
Last night it was Iwo's 3rd UFC fight and he received a Performance of the Night award 3 times in a row. He made $250,000 from the bonuses alone.
I think he already showed enough to match him up with someone from the top 15, although it can be argued that Tafa was not a big challenge. Baraniewski previously agreed to step in and replace the injured Blachowicz in a fight against Guskov, but Guskov refused.
He could bring some freshness to the top light heavyweight division, especially after Pereira moved up.

[TopTort777]

If not “Remember my name” / “Canelo arms” loss, tokeweed would have had a thousand bucks in his pocket Belal has screwed whole parlay. Tokeween must have been crazy when 11 out of 12 picks were correct, but then Belal screwed everything. In general, event was decent. I have watched it in reply and in reviews. There were few good fights. A “Fight Night” level event. Finally we will have a good event next week.

[TopTort777]

UFC Freedom 250



Date: June 15

Main Card: Mon, Jun 15 / 3:00 AM GMT+3

Venue:    White House

Main card (Paramount+)
Lightweight: Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Justin Gaethje (ic)
Heavyweight: Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane
Bantamweight: Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi            
Heavyweight: Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis            
Lightweight: Maurício Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler            
Middleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus            
Featherweight: Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_Freedom_250#Fight_card

Only 7 fights 

[Hirose UK]

UFC Freedom 250
~snip~
Date: June 15

Main Card: Mon, Jun 15 / 3:00 AM GMT+3

Venue:    White House

Main card (Paramount+)
Lightweight: Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Justin Gaethje (ic)
Heavyweight: Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane
Bantamweight: Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi            
Heavyweight: Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis            
Lightweight: Maurício Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler            
Middleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus            
Featherweight: Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_Freedom_250#Fight_card

Only 7 fights 

Ilia Topuria has an undefeated record with 17 win, he was also former Featherweight champion and currently holds the Lightweight title, however this fight will be very interesting because Justin Gaethje is the more experienced fighter and has quite few wins under his belt in the UFC in his last fight, he defeated Paddy at UFC 324, Gaethje also has record of 20 win by knockout.
On this main card, we will see clash of two top lightweight fighters, I also wonder if the winner will try to challenge Islam Makhachev after this fight, we all know the rivalry between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev is not a good one, so it possible that big fight involving two of the three fighters will happen someday.