🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[TopTort777]

~
Petr Yan VS Sean O'Malley will be an amazing fight to watch, I'm sure about it. In this fight, we will really see striking skills. The first fight was so amazing and Yan was terribly robbed.

This is the matchup to make right now. Even Sean O'Malley is calling for the title shot, and it is possible we will see this matchup next. The other opponent option is Song Yadong, after his upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov. With the way Petr Yan won against Merab, Yan will be the favorite going into the match.

In the second fight (if it happens) Yan will be robbed again UFC would put a lot of effort to make their milking cow O'Malley have belt again. Sean is way more media guy than Yan and he would definitely sell more and bring more people to follow UFC. There no secret how fight would go. Sean will take first round, then all he needs to do is not to let Yan dominate and he will win 29-28 again. As a champ Yan will be a favorite by bookies, but that is also exactly what I and UFC need

[tokeweed]

Problem is not with Merab but with his opponents If they had little chances to beat him within 25 minutes, then within 15 minutes they would have even less chances You know well what fighters are today. Instead of fighting who they are told, they are given several opponents and they choose the one who wont spoil their win streak or lose spot in a title race. Or who will bring them more money or media. Add that Dana dont like Merab. All the guy that you and me have mentioned, will fight between each other leaving Merab aside, but Merab will fight the guy who if left in roster and is crazy to challenge him That is my point. Why risk when you skip Merab with inconvenient fighting style?

Umar has a loss against Merab. Umar needs that fight. Merab needs to fight him to humiliate aura of undefeated Nurmagomedovs It will boost his media well

58 takedown attempts in last fight... If I would do 58 sit downs, I would get blackout

Lol Dana White doesn't 'hate' Dvalishvilli.  He's one of the main draws in the UFC and he's loved by all fans even if those fans root for his opponents.  He's a money maker in the organization.  This 'hate' is just for show so fans who don't know better start to become emotionally invested in all the drama. 

But right now after Dvalishvilli's second loss to Yan, his luster as one of the UFC's prized possessions has gone down a bit.  So it wouldn't make sense to put him in a top match up for now.  The UFC will offer him other match ups to rebuild himself again just like Petr Yan did and like other fighters like Volkanovski, Gaethje, etc...

Anyway, here's another prediction vid for you guys. 

UFC Vegas 123 Picks, Bets, Props | Moicano vs Nolan Fight Previews, Predictions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4ZAMSC-rM

[TopTort777]

It is few days left, so better share us what your 4 AI crystal balls of prediction tell us this time Again it will pick most favorite and avoid picking any underdog above 2.00 ? I would bet on main event only. Do you think Nolan could be a good pick? Young blood with reach advantage striker vs 37yo Moicano with 1-2 record in last fights but grappler. I think young blood has more chances of winning during those 25 min than Moicano whos last win was against a guy who is not even from top15.

[Noorooo]

~
Petr Yan VS Sean O'Malley will be an amazing fight to watch, I'm sure about it. In this fight, we will really see striking skills. The first fight was so amazing and Yan was terribly robbed.

This is the matchup to make right now. Even Sean O'Malley is calling for the title shot, and it is possible we will see this matchup next. The other opponent option is Song Yadong, after his upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov. With the way Petr Yan won against Merab, Yan will be the favorite going into the match.

In the second fight (if it happens) Yan will be robbed again UFC would put a lot of effort to make their milking cow O'Malley have belt again. Sean is way more media guy than Yan and he would definitely sell more and bring more people to follow UFC. There no secret how fight would go. Sean will take first round, then all he needs to do is not to let Yan dominate and he will win 29-28 again. As a champ Yan will be a favorite by bookies, but that is also exactly what I and UFC need

If that second fight between them happen then there will be no decision yan will most likely knockout cow O malley.Yan is in amazing form and has also amazing stamina.Bro there is no chance of sean wining even one round from yan.I dont know what kind of practice or training is Yan doing for his stamina.He is the only guy in there devision that tired merab in both fights.Otherwise i think this Yan and sean O malley rematch will happen.

[trendcoin]

Not a good look for Islam Makhachev.
He was supposed to fight Carlos Prates in January at UFC 336 in Toronto, and he had previously said he was willing to do so. He also wanted to fight before ramadan in February. But it turns out he rejected the fight and the UFC matched up Prates against Michael Morales for the Welterweight Interim belt.

I'm hearing that Islam's argument is that Prates is not worthy of the title shot, as he was beaten by Ian Garry, whom Islam has defeated recently, so they should do the eliminator instead.

I think Islam did the right thing. If Islam had beaten Prates, he would have faced Morales next. Did Morales deserve the title fight? Besides, Morales hasn’t fought in almost exactly one year.

If these two want to compete for the title, they need to be put through a real test.

Also, I’d find it reasonable if Morales had faced Ian while Islam was facing Prates, but the Islam vs. Prates matchup, as it stands now, is nothing more than a golden opportunity for Morales.

Furthermore, Islam defeated Ian, who had beaten Prates. Yes, it wasn’t a clear victory, but he fought and defeated the man who had beaten Prates. In this situation, I don’t think Islam is the one who needs to be tested.

[pawel7777]

(...)

I think Islam did the right thing. If Islam had beaten Prates, he would have faced Morales next. Did Morales deserve the title fight? Besides, Morales hasn’t fought in almost exactly one year.

If these two want to compete for the title, they need to be put through a real test.

Also, I’d find it reasonable if Morales had faced Ian while Islam was facing Prates, but the Islam vs. Prates matchup, as it stands now, is nothing more than a golden opportunity for Morales.

Furthermore, Islam defeated Ian, who had beaten Prates. Yes, it wasn’t a clear victory, but he fought and defeated the man who had beaten Prates. In this situation, I don’t think Islam is the one who needs to be tested.

I see the logic but one of the issues here is that Islam has already expressed his willingness to fight Prates, so now it looks like he's backing down. Same with his intention to fight before ramadan, if he doesn't fight Prates, it won't happen. So Islam making a pivot is the key issue here, not whether PRates/Morales deserve the shot straight away.
Apparently Alex Volkanovsky, in an interview with Ariel Halwani, expressed his intention to move up to the lightweight to pursue his goal of winning a title in another weight class.
He acknowledged that Arman should be next to fight Gaethje, but if Justin is not interested in such a fight, he's happy to step in and fight Arman. He made some predictions on what such fight would look like, saying Arman would not be able to hold him down, so it would be down to who is a better striker.
He allegedly also said that he would be willing to vacate his featherweight belt if he gets a fight against Justin or Arman, as he doesn't want to block opportunities for other fighters.

[TopTort777]

Not a good look for Islam Makhachev.
He was supposed to fight Carlos Prates in January at UFC 336 in Toronto, and he had previously said he was willing to do so. He also wanted to fight before ramadan in February. But it turns out he rejected the fight and the UFC matched up Prates against Michael Morales for the Welterweight Interim belt.

I'm hearing that Islam's argument is that Prates is not worthy of the title shot, as he was beaten by Ian Garry, whom Islam has defeated recently, so they should do the eliminator instead.

I think Islam did the right thing. If Islam had beaten Prates, he would have faced Morales next. Did Morales deserve the title fight? Besides, Morales hasn’t fought in almost exactly one year.

If these two want to compete for the title, they need to be put through a real test.

Also, I’d find it reasonable if Morales had faced Ian while Islam was facing Prates, but the Islam vs. Prates matchup, as it stands now, is nothing more than a golden opportunity for Morales.

Furthermore, Islam defeated Ian, who had beaten Prates. Yes, it wasn’t a clear victory, but he fought and defeated the man who had beaten Prates. In this situation, I don’t think Islam is the one who needs to be tested.

I think both sides are right. UFC as fighters employer and big boss could demand to fight anyone, anytime. I bet nobody could skip his duties at work, because work did not deserve to be done right now Islam also can be understood, as a champion, everyone only wants to challenge him. Fighters dont want to fight between each other and risk record or opportunity to be next in line for a title fight. UFC also have strange logic when some fighters have to make 8-10 win streaks to get a title fight, and fight against top opponents, while others have several wins and have them against average opponents, and also have a title fight.

Prates has beaten 2 former champions. The rest of his opponents were guys with zebra record (win-lose-win-lose) and far from prime. Can those wins be counted as extraordinary and be granted a title fight after that? Morales is a perspective fighter with 19-0 record. But besides Brady who is in top, who he has beaten? I dont see big skulls in his collection, despite average fighters or guys far from prime. Also does not look fair to give Morales a title fight.

[tokeweed]

It is few days left, so better share us what your 4 AI crystal balls of prediction tell us this time Again it will pick most favorite and avoid picking any underdog above 2.00 ? I would bet on main event only. Do you think Nolan could be a good pick? Young blood with reach advantage striker vs 37yo Moicano with 1-2 record in last fights but grappler. I think young blood has more chances of winning during those 25 min than Moicano whos last win was against a guy who is not even from top15.

Yeah..  I just did it right now.  Here are the picks from my 4 little helpers.

ChatGPT:

Moicano
Smith
Durden
Luana
Lesbo
Marshall
Sezin
Erosa
Reese
Krop
Rodriguez
Szavoba

2.50 wins 226.03

And funnily enough Claude has the same picks:

Moicano
Smith
Durden
Luana
Lesbo
Marshall
Sezin
Erosa
Reese
Krop
Rodriguez
Szavoba

2.50 wins 226.03

Qwen:

Nolan
Smith
Durden
Yana
Lesbo
Marshall
Berggen
Lee
Reese
Krop
Rodriguez
Szabova

2.50 wins 652.88

Deepseek:

Moicano
Smith
Durden
Luana
Hasanov
Marshall
Sezin
Erosa
Reese
Krop
Rodriguez
Szavoba

2.50 wins 522.92

UFC Vegas 123 Media Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ0B9Pg1ap0

[notblox1]

Apparently Alex Volkanovsky, in an interview with Ariel Halwani, expressed his intention to move up to the lightweight to pursue his goal of winning a title in another weight class.
He acknowledged that Arman should be next to fight Gaethje, but if Justin is not interested in such a fight, he's happy to step in and fight Arman. He made some predictions on what such fight would look like, saying Arman would not be able to hold him down, so it would be down to who is a better striker.
He allegedly also said that he would be willing to vacate his featherweight belt if he gets a fight against Justin or Arman, as he doesn't want to block opportunities for other fighters.

If I remember correctly Volkanovski was already fighting in Lightweight category and he lost two times against Islam Makhachev in 2023.
Since than Makhachev moved up to Welterweight category and he is supreme champion there, with almost perfect MMA record 29-1-0.
I would like to se Volkanovski in any category against Justin Gaethje, that should interesting fight to watch.

[Synchronice]

~
Petr Yan VS Sean O'Malley will be an amazing fight to watch, I'm sure about it. In this fight, we will really see striking skills. The first fight was so amazing and Yan was terribly robbed.

This is the matchup to make right now. Even Sean O'Malley is calling for the title shot, and it is possible we will see this matchup next. The other opponent option is Song Yadong, after his upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov. With the way Petr Yan won against Merab, Yan will be the favorite going into the match.

In the second fight (if it happens) Yan will be robbed again UFC would put a lot of effort to make their milking cow O'Malley have belt again. Sean is way more media guy than Yan and he would definitely sell more and bring more people to follow UFC. There no secret how fight would go. Sean will take first round, then all he needs to do is not to let Yan dominate and he will win 29-28 again. As a champ Yan will be a favorite by bookies, but that is also exactly what I and UFC need

If that second fight between them happen then there will be no decision yan will most likely knockout cow O malley.Yan is in amazing form and has also amazing stamina.Bro there is no chance of sean wining even one round from yan.I dont know what kind of practice or training is Yan doing for his stamina.He is the only guy in there devision that tired merab in both fights.Otherwise i think this Yan and sean O malley rematch will happen.

That fight will definitely happen because first of all, O'Malley is the person that Dana White wants as a champion and if he wins against Petr Yan, he will not face Merab Dvalishvili, which will be a huge relief for Dana White. And secondly, I think that everyone wants to see their fight because Yan really beat him and O'Malley won unfairly, so, it's interesting what happens in the next fight, will Yan defeat him with confidence or will O'Malley knock him out? It's an interesting fight, really.

By the way, I wouldn't say that Yan will definitely knock out him. He couldn't knock him out Merab in this last fight, so I don't think that he will knock out tall O'Malley even in their second fight but he can definitely win against him. Honestly, their first fight was amazing. Yan showed good skills.

[TopTort777]

Apparently Alex Volkanovsky, in an interview with Ariel Halwani, expressed his intention to move up to the lightweight to pursue his goal of winning a title in another weight class.
He acknowledged that Arman should be next to fight Gaethje, but if Justin is not interested in such a fight, he's happy to step in and fight Arman. He made some predictions on what such fight would look like, saying Arman would not be able to hold him down, so it would be down to who is a better striker.
He allegedly also said that he would be willing to vacate his featherweight belt if he gets a fight against Justin or Arman, as he doesn't want to block opportunities for other fighters.

If I remember correctly Volkanovski was already fighting in Lightweight category and he lost two times against Islam Makhachev in 2023.
Since than Makhachev moved up to Welterweight category and he is supreme champion there, with almost perfect MMA record 29-1-0.
I would like to se Volkanovski in any category against Justin Gaethje, that should interesting fight to watch.

In the start of Volks sports career he played rugby and weighed about 90kg I think it will be easy for Volk to move up to lightweight and compete there. His only problem will be his hight and reach. If Topuria is considered small for lightweight, then Volk is even smaller. Battle dwarf Anthropomy will be Volks main enemy, not his opponents in the octagon.

[tokeweed]

Here are the weigh in results.  Lock in your bets and enjoy the show. 

Renato Moicano (156) vs. Tom Nolan (155.5)
Randy Brown (170.5) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5)
Cody Durden (126) vs. Ode Osbourne (126)
Luana Santos (136) vs. Yana Santos (135.5)
Farman Hasanov (171) vs. Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (170.5)
Dakota Hope (145.5) vs. Francis Marshall (148)*
Theodor Berggren (171) vs. Rodrigo Sezinando (170.5)
Julian Erosa (145.5) vs. JeongYeong Lee (145.5)
Mickey Gall (185.5) vs. Zach Reese (185)
Nick Klein (186) vs. Joe Kropschot (186)
Talita Alencar (116) vs. Piera Rodriguez (115.5)
Tainara Lisboa (125) vs. Lucia Szabova (125.5)

*Missed weight

Moicano vs Nolan Weigh-Ins | UFC Vegas 123
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD5HnrXf5MY

UFC Vegas 123:  Fighter Face Offs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGh-BJc5FZU

[SPIDERMAN008]

I noticed a recent news about Islam Makhachev, where he hinted at his retirement. Looking at the headline of the news, it seemed that the next match could be his last match. But he has not clarified the matter yet. Khabib's retirement came quite unexpectedly, where he mentioned the death of his father and said that he would not fight again. Islam Makhachev's fight match is now equal to Khabib's. He is in a good position now. Even during Khabib's time, he decided to retire at the best of his career. Although, if his father had not died, we could have seen some more fights.

Islam's retirement may not be certain yet. But since he has hinted at this, then maybe we will see the last match of his career very soon. And I think, when a fighter is in the best position of his career, it is better to retire. If you look at Conor's recent matches, he got injured. He came back from there and lost again shamefully. Many people told him to retire, but it seems that he will still fight.  if a player decides to retire while in the prime of his career, there is not much negative criticism about him.

[TopTort777]

The FN Moicano vs Nolan event results:

Main Card

Tom Nolan def. Renato Moicano via third-round TKO (1:28)
Jacobe Smith def. Randy Brown via unanimous decision
Cody Durden def. Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision
Luana Santos def. Yana Santos via unanimous decision
Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Farman Hasanov via third-round TKO (2:11, doctor’s stoppage)

Preliminary Card

Dakota Hope def. Francis Marshall via split decision
Rodrigo Sezinando def. Theodor Berggren via second-round TKO (5:00, doctor’s stoppage)
Julian Erosa def. Jeong Yeong Lee via knockout (punches) at 1:31, R1
Zachary Reese def. Mickey Gall via unanimous decision
Joe Kropschot def. Nick Klein via submission (armbar) at 1:25, R2
Piera Rodriguez def. Talita Alencar via unanimous decision
Lucia Szabova def. Tainara Lisboa via TKO (ground strikes) at 3:20, R3

Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/ufc/518356/ufc-vegas-123-results-moicano-vs-nolan

I would say that there were more uninteresting fights than worth watching Hasanov had a very nasty cut. Really a nice one for Halloween costume

Ref has ruined main event fight...

[tokeweed]

^  Thanks for the back up...     Here's the post press fight conference for the event.

UFC Vegas 123:  Post Fight Press Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJYOAaMdq8w

Anyway, on to the next.  The main event for this one is more interesting imho.  The UFC is prolly trying to build Johnny Walker up at HW.

Date:  Saturday, Nov 7
Main Card:  8:00pm EST
Preliminary Card:  5:00pm EST
Venue:  Meta APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States



Main Card
Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Johnny Walker            
Women's Strawweight:  Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba            
Bantamweight:  Davey Grant vs. Elijah Smith            
Welterweight:  Ko Seok-hyeon vs. Wellington Turman            
Light Heavyweight:  Billy Elekana vs. Lucas Fernando            
Middleweight:  Mantas Kondratavičius vs. Andre Petroski

Preliminary Card
Heavyweight:  Gabriel Lorenço vs. Thomas Petersen            
Women's Flyweight:  Karine Silva vs. Gabriella Fernandes            
Flyweight:  Mitch Raposo vs. Marcos Degli            
Featherweight:  José Mauro Delano vs. Murtazali Magomedov            
Featherweight:  Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Ollie Schmid            
Women's Bantamweight:  Priscila Cachoeira vs. Nina Nikolija Milošević            
Welterweight:  Jonny Parsons vs. José Henrique Souza

[eaLiTy]

~
Petr Yan VS Sean O'Malley will be an amazing fight to watch, I'm sure about it. In this fight, we will really see striking skills. The first fight was so amazing and Yan was terribly robbed.

This is the matchup to make right now. Even Sean O'Malley is calling for the title shot, and it is possible we will see this matchup next. The other opponent option is Song Yadong, after his upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov. With the way Petr Yan won against Merab, Yan will be the favorite going into the match.

In the second fight (if it happens) Yan will be robbed again UFC would put a lot of effort to make their milking cow O'Malley have belt again. Sean is way more media guy than Yan and he would definitely sell more and bring more people to follow UFC. There no secret how fight would go. Sean will take first round, then all he needs to do is not to let Yan dominate and he will win 29-28 again. As a champ Yan will be a favorite by bookies, but that is also exactly what I and UFC need

I am not sure the UFC has any say in the appointment of the referee or the ringside judges. If my understanding is correct, the commission overseeing the event handles these aspects. It is true that the UFC would prefer Sean O'Malley as their champion, as he has the ability to generate hype.

~
I noticed a recent news about Islam Makhachev, where he hinted at his retirement. Looking at the headline of the news, it seemed that the next match could be his last match. But he has not clarified the matter yet. Khabib's retirement came quite unexpectedly, where he mentioned the death of his father and said that he would not fight again. Islam Makhachev's fight match is now equal to Khabib's. He is in a good position now. Even during Khabib's time, he decided to retire at the best of his career. Although, if his father had not died, we could have seen some more fights.

It looks like Islam Makhachev has hinted about having his last fight through his social media page. He wants the winner between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. If that turns out to be his very last fight, I won't be surprised. He has turned 35, and Umar Nurmagomedov just suffered a knockout defeat. These factors are more than enough to trigger serious discussions about retirement, and that might be why they reached this conclusion.

[Noorooo]

I noticed a recent news about Islam Makhachev, where he hinted at his retirement. Looking at the headline of the news, it seemed that the next match could be his last match. But he has not clarified the matter yet. Khabib's retirement came quite unexpectedly, where he mentioned the death of his father and said that he would not fight again. Islam Makhachev's fight match is now equal to Khabib's. He is in a good position now. Even during Khabib's time, he decided to retire at the best of his career. Although, if his father had not died, we could have seen some more fights.

Islam's retirement may not be certain yet. But since he has hinted at this, then maybe we will see the last match of his career very soon. And I think, when a fighter is in the best position of his career, it is better to retire. If you look at Conor's recent matches, he got injured. He came back from there and lost again shamefully. Many people told him to retire, but it seems that he will still fight.  if a player decides to retire while in the prime of his career, there is not much negative criticism about him.

Yes bro I am confirm that he will retire after his upcoming fight, whether it's against Prates or Morales. He will retire from the sport at the highest point of his career. He is one of my favourite fighters and honestly, I have mixed feelings about his retirement. I am happy for him, but at the same time, I am sad to see him leave the sport. One thing I have noticed is that when fighters like Khabib announce their retirement, they usually mean it and never come back to compete again. Khabib and Islam both came to the UFC, conquered their divisions, and then walked away on their own terms. Now I think Usman could be the next one to carry that legacy forward after Islam and make his own mark in the UFC.

[TopTort777]

Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Johnny Walker            

That is an interesting fight. Walker has been LH during all his career. He has been so many times knocked down and knocked out heavy in his career, but as he is getting older, he decided to risk his health even more by joining bigger boys crew He is following Pereira footsteps and similarly will get knocked out cold next week. Have spare couple of bucks? Bet on Acosta by KO I dont know what Walker is planning. He had a fight just month ago against trashy fighter, won in first round, believed that he is now invincible, and jumps on #7 heavyweight

[tokeweed]

^  Mmm, we'll see if Acosta could actually catch Walker's chin.  He moved well for a heavyweight fighter, unlike Pereira who stays flatter than he was at LHW.  Lol.

Anyway, here's the prediction for the event from DFS By the Numbers.

UFC Vegas 124 Full Card Breakdown & Predictions | Cortes-Acosta vs Walker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZKjyteMz48

And here's Stat Diggers.  These vids really help a lot in finding a process of how to make your own model for MMA betting.  They're pretty good and you could see all the work they've put in.

Stat Diggers: UFC Vegas 124 Deep Dive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlNhpM5VvE4

[pawel7777]

I'm hearing rumours about Islam's potential retirement.
Mainstream media are already reporting on this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/mixed-martial-arts/articles/cq70p7lx04eeo but according to this article, he said that his next fight will be "one of the last" in his career, so not the last one.
It would be a shame if he retired after his next fight. He just turned 35 a few days ago and I expected him to fight for at least another year, maybe two. Justin Gaethje reached the top of the toughest weight class at 37, so Islam calling it a day at 35 would seem a bit premature, but he knows himself best, and it's his decision to make.

The UFC won't be the same without him. When Khabib retired, Islam carried on his legacy, but with Islam departure, the era of undefeatable Dagestanis comes to an end. Umar is not quite up there in terms of expectations. Maybe if Usman Nurmagomedov signs up with the UFC the story will continue, but I don't think he's the same calibre.

Islam holds a record for the longest win streak in UFC history, currently at 17.