The last weekend’s UFC card was a bit weird but fun to watch, as we’ve seen many finishes. The main event of the evening was a one-sided blowout, as Serghei Spivac took Derrick Lewis down and finished him with a nasty first-round arm-triangle submission. It impressed the UFC head honcho Dana White, who awarded Spivac a Performance of the Night award.
Other POTN winners are Rinya Nakamura, who demolished Toshiomi Kazama in the first minute of the first round with a nasty punch, Anshul Jubli, who dominated Jeka Saragih with great wrestling and finished the bout via ground-and-pound shots in the second round, and prelim opener Tatsuro Taira, who finished Jesus Santos Aguilar with a tricky submission switch in the first period.
Legendary Fedor Emelianenko squared off against Ryan Bader again in the main event of Bellator 290, but unfortunately, lost his last fight in the ring. When the combat was finished, the legendary “Last Emperor” hung up his gloves and officially retired from the sport of mixed martial arts.
The upcoming UFC event looks so promising. The promotion travels to Australia for another lovely pay-per-view, UFC 284. The combat between the current 155-pound king Islam Makhachev and the reigning defending 145-pound division champion Alexander Volkanovski headlines it. Volkanovski cruises ten pounds north in an attempt to become a two-division king.
Makhachev is one of the most dominant wrestlers in the division. His top control rocks and you don’t want to end up on your back against him. Islam submitted the all-time greatest BJJ fighter Charles Oliveira with a fabulous arm triangle off the top in his last match, it speaks about his superb ground game. Plus his right hook rocks.
Volkanovski is one of the greatest all-around fighters and probably the most powerful 145er on the planet. His superhuman strength played a role in the UFC featherweight division, but Makhachev’s wrestling is on a whole different level. Volkanovski might be stronger, but he has to keep the bout standing if he plans to score a victory.
Prediction: Makhachev to win
The co-main event brings the battle between Taekwondo black belt, superb kicker Yair Rodriguez, and extremely tough all-around warrior Josh Emmett. Yair’s long-range strikes and counters are out of this world, but Emmett is very good on the ground and inside the clinch. This should turn into a long war.
Prediction: over 2.5 rounds
Please take a look at the rest of the card, but please check this link due to potential last-minute changes. https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/93764-ufc-284
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10 PM ET, 4 AM CET)
UFC Lightweight Championship (155 pounds): Islam Makhachev (23-1-0) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (25-1-0)
UFC Interim Featherweight Championship (145 pounds): Yair Rodriguez (14-3-0) vs. Josh Emmett (18-2-0)
Welterweight (170 pounds): Randy Brown (16-4-0) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (13-2-0)
Heavyweight (265 pounds): Justin Tafa (5-3-0) vs. Parker Porter (13-7-0)
Light Heavyweight (205 pounds): Jimmy Crute (12-3-0) vs. Alonzo Menifield (13-3-0)
Preliminary Card (ESPN, ESPN+, UFC on Fight Pass, 8 PM ET, 2 AM CET)
Light Heavyweight (205 pounds): Tyson Pedro (9-3-0) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (13-5-0)
Featherweight (145 pounds): Joshua Culibao (10-1-1) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (7-1-0)
Flyweight (125 pounds): Kleydson Rodrigues (7-2-0) vs. Shannon Ross (13-6-0)
Lightweight (155 pounds): Jamie Mullarkey (15-5-0) vs. Francisco Prado (11-0-0)
Early Prelims (ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 6 PM ET, midnight CET)
Featherweight (145 pounds): Jack Jenkins (10-2-0) vs. Don Shainis (12-4-0)
Strawweight (115 pounds): Loma Lookboonmee (7-3-0) vs. Elise Reed (6-2-0)
Featherweight (145 pounds): Blake Bilder (7-0-1) vs. Shane Young (13-6-0)
Featherweight (145 pounds): Zubaira Tukhugov (20-5-1) vs. Elves Brenner (13-3-0)
Here are my predictions for the upcoming UFC 284 card:
This event will answer many questions. Can Alexander Volkanovski become the first-ever guy to parry Makhachev’s superior wrestling? Are we going to see another Mexican fighter wrapping the belt around his waist? Can the first-ever Lithuanian UFC fighter Modestas Bukauskas score a victory in his second UFC run?
Please watch this amazing event, it kicks off at 6 PM ET on Saturday, and it’s worth every penny – there will be many high-level, entertaining fights for the fans of the fastest-growing sport on the planet!
