Colby Covington is coming off a very dominant decision win over Jorge Masvidal. With the win over Masvidal it has opened the door for multiple opponents and opportunities for Covington. I would personally like to see him against Dustin Poirier and I believe they would both make tons of money from that fight. I understand they are in two different divisions but both in similar spots both fought for the belt twice and lost. Poirier beat Conor McGregor who is the biggest star in the UFC and Covington beat Jorge Masvidal who is one of the biggest stars in the UFC. So they’re both in similar circumstances and have bad blood which would make for a great main event and fight.

Also I wouldn’t mind seeing him put on some muscle and try fighting at middleweight and fight Israel Adesanya. Since Adesanya has already cleared out the division and does need new opponents to face but however seems like the most unlikely option to happen. I think the UFC will make him stay at Welterweight and face the winner of Gilbert Burns VS. Khamzat Chimaev. Which will be a spectacular fight whomever he faces. The UFC might also offer him the winner of Belal Muhammad VS. Vicente Luque which wouldn’t be his best option in my opinion. Another option for Covington would be a third title shot against the champion Kamaru Usman. Which seems realistic even though he’s lost twice to him already but I think that fight will always be marketable no matter how many times Covington loses. They naturally make for a very great and competitive fight and that’s why him getting another titled shot can happen. I believe with his win over Masvidal, Covington has many options and opportunities that will present themselves and I am looking forward to his next fight.

Islam Makhachev is ranked #3 in the UFC lightweight division and is on a 10 fight winning streak. I believe he has all the skills and talent to be one of the greatest of all time. However many people including myself believe he does not deserve a title shot. My argument will be because he has not faced anyone in the top five of the division, out of his 10 win streak he only fought 1 ranked opponent which was Dan Hooker who is currently ranked #8. In his win streak he does have a win over Arman Tsarukyan who has recently became ranked #12 and does seem like a new threat to the division. I believe that is one of Makhachev’s best wins. So therefore how do you get to be ranked #3 and be next in line for a title shot without any high profile wins?

Simply because people believe he’s the second coming of Khabib Nurmagomedov which is understandable, they’re practically brothers. However that does not make it fair. I understand the UFC is trying to build a new star in Islam Makhachev but he honestly did skip the line in my opinion. Makhachev is very talented and will probably become a champion one day. I just think he did not have to go through the hardships as some other individuals in the lightweight division to gain a title shot. I believe he’s only in the top 5 because of Khabib’s notoriety and therefore he gets an easier path to the title than most other fighters on the roster.

It’s been a couple of weeks since Robert Whittaker had his rematch with the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya which he fell short and lost by a decision. This is the second time he lost to Israel Adesanya so what is next for him? I believe Whittaker is very talented and is the second best middleweight in the world behind Adesanya but what can he do to keep his legacy going? He can go on another three fight winning streak and maybe fight for the belt again. However, will the UFC make that third fight happen again since it’ll be hard to market the fight since he’s already lost twice to Adesanya. I do believe that he can go on another three fight winning streak against the likes of Sean Strickland, Paulo Costa, and Derek Brunson. I think he’ll beat all three but it’ll be up to the UFC if they want to give him another title shot. In my opinion I would like him to drop to welterweight and face Kamaru Usman since Usman has cleared out the welterweight division and some new blood will be fun to see. That fight stylistically will be spectacular. Both are very good wrestlers and have cardio for days. I do believe Usman is the better Wrestler but Whittaker can hold his own in the grappling department. I do think Whittaker has the better stand up. So if Whittaker does want to continue his legacy and regain a championship belt once more his options are slim. He can either go on another tear in the middleweight division and hope for another titled shot or drop down to welterweight where I believe he’ll get a titled shot sooner than he would at middleweight. Robert Whittaker has to be one of my favorite fighters of all time so I do hope to see him be successful in becoming a champion again.

This Saturday, Jack Hermansson takes on Sean Strickland in a five-round main event in the middleweight division. You can expect fireworks in this main event with these types of fighters. Both fighters are ranked and are currently trying to get closer to a shot at the champion Israel Adesanya. These fighters are entirely different in their approach. Hermansson has a Greco-Roman wrestling base that uses Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to complement it and lead him to victories.
On the other hand, Strickland is a straight-up gunslinger who likes to use his boxing to create pressure and stay in the pocket until someone falls. Even from the outside looking in, people might think due to Stricklands gunslinger’s ways that Hermansson can capitalize with his wrestling; however, Strickland is a brown belt in BJJ which will help him in the grappling aspect.

I believe if Hermansson is going to use his wrestling effectively, it will be against the cage, not allowing Strickland to throw any strikes, and make the fight very tiring. If Hermansson can do that and keep his opponent up against the cage, I believe that will leave openings for takedowns and submissions. One thing about Hermansson that Strickland needs to worry about is his slick submissions that he can pull off insanely quick, like his heel hook against Kelvin Gastelum. Even though they are both highly credentialed on the ground, I think Hermansson is more smooth in his submission approach, making him very dangerous. I do not believe he wants to have a straight-up brawl and go punch for punch because that’s where Strickland shines. Since it’s a five-round fight, I can see Strickland starting early with the pressure and throwing an insane amount of strikes. If Strickland can keep away from the fence and keep meeting Hermansson in the middle of the octagon, it will allow him to maintain pressure and pace that will make it uncomfortable for Hermansson. I believe single leg, double leg, or body lock takedowns will only be effective against the cage and not the middle of the octagon against Strickland since he’s probably been preparing for them. Also, Strickland trains with Marvin Vettori, who beat Hemansson, which perhaps gives Strickland a lot of confidence going into this fight. Both fighters have a lot to gain in this fight, making the winner get very close to a title shot, and if any individual can put together a spectacular finish or win with ease, they might be able to skip the line and be next.
Looking forward to new title contenders for the middleweight division, and this fight will prove who deserves to be at the top.

This Saturday, the UFC will crown the baddest man on the planet when Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane go head to head in a 5 round main event for the Heavyweight championship belt. This will be Ngannou’s first titled defense against a former training partner in Gane. Ngannou’s last outing was against former champion Stipe Miocic and looked very impressive and became the champion that night they fought. At the same time, Gane had a spectacular finish against Derrick Lewis in his last match. Both fighters are coming off great wins and look in the most excellent shape ever. I believe this fight will finish either by submission or knockout. Both fighters have not been finished in their careers, and one of them might be this Saturday. Ngannou has one of the most powerful hitting punches in UFC history, and Gane puts on a pressure that’ll make his opponents fold and give up. Even though these fighters are former training partners, I believe all that was just practice and doesn’t dictate the outcome of this upcoming fight. so I’m looking forward to how they perform.

They are entirely different fighters, in my opinion. Gane has a kickboxing/ Muay Thai style and is very light on his feet; he’s a heavyweight but moves like a middleweight, has very technical striking, and is very sharp and accurate. I think Gane will try and pick apart Ngannou from the outside and keep him at range. It’s terrifying for Gane because he has to be almost perfect. one mistake, and he’s waking up in the hospital. I believe he knows that too, so he will have to come in sharper than ever, and I do not think trying to win by decision and tire out Francis is a good idea. I believe he should look for a finish of his own because no matter what round it is and how exhausted Ngannou will be, he’s still very dangerous. I think Ngannou will be patient in his approach and stalk his opponent and look for bombs without wasting so much energy. If Ngannou tags Gane early in the fight, it’ll make Gane very hesitant and leave him open for a big blast. A significant factor in this fight is Ngannou’s counter striking. I think he times his counter punches so perfectly when someone tries to rush in on him. I think Gane will use a lot of push kicks and calve kicks to slow down and keep Francis out of distance to land his bombs; if he does get in any clinch situations, he’ll probably use his knees and elbows to open up Francis. Francis will be able to throw his own leg kicks because of Gane’s Muay Thai style leaves him open for them all day, and if Ngannou can slow Gane down just a tiny little bit, it’ll give Ngannou significant chances of landing a big punch. This fight is among two giants and will decide who’s the baddest man on the planet. There has been nothing like these two heavyweights in UFC history. They are scary and humongous, and friends turned into rivals; this is absolutely out of a fictional book, but it’s really happening Saturday, and I am looking forward to it.

The UFC is starting the new year with a bang in this weekend’s main event, Calvin Kattar VS. Giga Chikadze. Kattar is ranked #5, while Chikadze is ranked #8 in the featherweight division. Whoever takes the win is going to be closer to a title shot. Chikadze is coming off a spectacular win against Edson Barboza, while Kattar is coming off a savage beat down against Max Holloway. This fight will determine a lot for both fighters and the featherweight division. In Kattars last fight, he took severe damage that can change a fighter’s career, so this fight will answer a lot of questions on where he stands in the division. Is Kattar going to come back stronger or just a shell of what he once was? There’s no question on how tough Kattar is but will he be able to tough his way to a victory this Saturday. If he does lose this fight, it’ll be back-to-back losses, and his trajectory will surely go down. With a win against Chikadze, it’ll leave Kattar at the top of the division and be big for him to destroy the new hype train. For Chikadze, this is a big step in competition; with a win over Kattar, he’ll be in the top 5. I believe there is more pressure on Chikadze because if he doesn’t put on a better performance than Max Holloway did against Kattar, people will not think he’s the real deal. I think he needs a finish to get closer to a title shot. If Chikadze does not look flawless in the fight, people will question if he deserves to be at the top and fight a champion.

With that being said, these fighters match up perfectly for violence. Chikadze is a long-range striker that will pick you apart from the outside until you crumble, while Kattar does most of his striking in a close range while forcing his opponents against the cage and cutting off their long range attacks. Kattar uses his toughness to force his opponents back against the cage and look for big bombs, and he has fantastic boxing so he can sit in the pocket and out tough his opponents. While Chikadze stays long and uses his kicks to keep range and do damage, if Chikadze can keep his range and use his kickboxing effectively, he will surely win. Both fighters love going to the body, so I imagine that’s going to be a big part of their game plan. I believe whoever has better cardio is going to win. Kattar has been in two main events that went all five rounds, and in his last fight, even though he took one of the worst beatings, he still stood ten toes down all five rounds that are only due to great cardio and toughness. Chikadze, on the other hand, has never gone five rounds in the UFC, so it’ll be exciting how he handles himself in the later rounds. This fight has the possibility of shaking up the division and is a stepping stone for both fighters’ careers. The pressure and stakes are high on this fight, and I’m excited to see how it goes down

The UFC ends the year with a bang with Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus going head to head in a 5 round main event. This bout takes place December 18 and will be the last fight of 2021. This fight will showcase some of the best heavyweights in the division. Lewis is coming off a loss for the interim belt but this is his chance to bounce back. With a win over Daukaus he’ll be back in the conversation for title challengers. If Daukaus gets a win over the popular and very loved Lewis he’ll skyrocket into stardom and be next in line to fight for the belt.

I do not see this fight going all 5 rounds. I believe someone will get a finish in the first couple of rounds. Daukaus is the more technical fighter with very crisp striking and spectacular footwork, which will play a big role in this fight against Lewis. Daukaus is also a black belt in BJJ which means he has the advantage on the ground. Both fighters can crack and put anyone to sleep any given night but I believe Lewis has more power in his hands so he’s able to get away with being reckless and throw looping punches. I believe it’ll be a standup war even though Daukaus has an advantage on the ground but Lewis is very strong and usually muscles his way back up to his feet when individuals take him down. If Daukaus can stray away from a slugfest and keep the bout technical it’ll wear out Lewis and leave him open for big strikes. If Lewis can survive the accurate boxing of Daukaus and pressure him into the fence it’ll eventually leave Daukaus vulnerable due to being tried and leave him open for huge explosive punches from Lewis.

Even if Lewis is getting outclassed on the feet every round it only takes him less than a second to knock someone unconscious. He’s so powerful and has the veteran experience I believe that’ll help towards victory if he does win. I do believe Lewis’ veteran experience will be the benefactor in this fight because he has been in fights with way higher competition than Daukaus has. I believe this is Daukuas biggest test and it will show where he fits in the UFC heavyweight division. Both fighters have something to gain in this bout and I believe that’ll push them to their highest abilities. This fight is going to be an all time classic.