Tag: UFC 220

Our questions about UFC 220 and Bellator 192

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: MMAJunkie

After a fun UFC St. Louis show headlined by a solid Jeremy Stephens 2nd round TKO over DooHo Choi, we launch into a weekend with not only one show but TWO SHOWS GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD. If that’s not worthy of ALL CAPS, I don’t know what is.

Let’s get to a look at what matters and what doesn’t this weekend. Your guides as always: Paul Fontaine, Ryan Frederick, and your friendly neighborhood podcast host.

First, The Cards

UFC 220 (whole card)

  • Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou
  • Light heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • Shane Burgos vs. Calvin Kattar
  • Francimar Barroso vs. Gian Villante
  • Thomas Almeida vs. Rob Font
  • Kyle Bochniak vs. Brandon Davis
  • Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi
  • Dustin Ortiz vs. Alexandre Pantoja
  • Julio Arce vs. Dan Ige
  • Matt Bessette vs. Enrique Barzola
  • Islam Makhachev vs. Gleison Tibau

Bellator 192 (main card)

  • Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson
  • Welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
  • Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten
  • Henry Corrales vs. Georgi Karakhanyan

What fight(s) are you most looking forward to this weekend?

Ryan: There are a lot of good to great fights this weekend, but the big one for me is Miocic vs. Ngannou. It has all the makings of fireworks. Miocic is on his way to being the best UFC heavyweight of all time as he has finished five of the best heavyweights ever in a row, most of them in the first round. Ngannou has finished a few of the same opponents, but in more violent form. Both have knockout power, but the big question is if Miocic can avoid the punches of Ngannou and drag the fight out. The only time Ngannou has been past the second round was his lone loss in his career. I expect a violent finish in this one — one that will have the Boston fans going crazy.

Paul: The heavyweight title fight is the biggest one for sure. Either Miocic stakes his claim as perhaps the greatest heavyweight of all time or UFC potentially gets a new mega-star in Francis Ngannou. It’s a no-lose situation for UFC and especially the fans. On the Bellator side of things, Michael Chandler will be on a mission to steal the show and earn a shot at the lightweight title he doesn’t feel he should’ve lost.

Josh: I mean, it’s got to be Miocic vs. Ngannou for all the reasons Paul and Ryan listed above. Big dudes, big stakes, and a real path toward being what the combat sports world wants: a heavyweight champion to rally behind. I’m bummed that Bellator is running at the same time as I really want to see that MacDonald-Lima fight. For those at home, enjoy using that clicker.

Any dark horse great fights?

Paul: The Chandler-Yamauchi fight is the one that has the potential to steal the show. Both are finishers and both have a great history of exciting fights. The bantamweight fight between Thomas Almeida and Rob Font is also one to watch for from UFC.

Ryan: I’m also going with Chandler vs. Yamauchi. Both are two of the most exciting fighters on the Bellator roster. Chandler is a former two-time champion, but Yamauchi is on the rise and is a dangerous opponent. Yamauchi has dangerous submissions and Chandler has excellent power on his feet. It’s going to be a wild one.

Josh: The Almeida-Font PPV opener should be a lot of fun. Both guys are coming off a loss, but are both young enough to make a run at any time. Font is a local guy and will get a great pop with a big win. This is a good litmus test for where both guys are at at this point in their young career.

What isn’t doing it for you this weekend?

Paul: The entire UFC undercard after the two top fights. Using my scoring system that I employ at MMADraws.com, it’s the weakest FS1 prelims show ever for a PPV. The names on this card are people even hardcore fight fans have a hard time caring about.

Josh: I completely agree. I love going to these shows, but this card is hard to get excited about outside the top two fights and personal interest fights like New Hampshire’s Calvin Kattar.

Ryan: It’s the Bellator “main event” between Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson. It shouldn’t be the main event over Lima-MacDonald and has the potential to be very boring. Sonnen hasn’t been the same since he had to get off the performance enhancers, and Jackson hasn’t looked like a good fighter in six years, hanging around just to make money. Jackson has been in some boring fights the last few years, and this will likely be another one.

Why do both shows matter?

Josh: UFC 220 matters for two reasons and that’s the two title fights. It’s been a while since we saw Miocic last do this thing and unless this is a dud of a fight, the promotion is going to come out ahead no matter who wins. This sets up at least one more heavyweight title fight this year and possible two more depending on the damage done. Secondly, we either get the beginning of the latest Daniel Cormier light heavyweight redemption story or a new champion that we’re not necessarily ready for. The division is thin as it is and a Cormier win sets up a fun rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Now if Oezdemir wins, that adds another promotional challenge but we’ll cross that bridge when he crosses it.

Paul: Both title fights on the UFC show have tremendous stakes both for the short and long-term. Ngannou is the most impressive title challenger to come along since Brock Lesnar and, in fact, Miocic is the first UFC heavyweight champion to go into a title defence as an underdog since Randy Couture (against Lesnar). And in the co-main, Cormier has to prove that he is the best light heavyweight on the planet, and maybe ever, who is not named Jon Jones. If he gets tagged by Oezdemir and goes down, it could wipe away everything he’s done in the division, especially to the segment of UFC fans who already seem to not like him very much.

Ryan: There is a potential for two new champions on the UFC card, and that would shake up both divisions a great deal. Ngannou has the chance to become the next breakout star in the UFC while Miocic can further cement his legacy, so that matters. Cormier has the chance to further his career as the best light heavyweight not named Jon Jones, but has a tough test. Bellator could see a new champion at 170 pounds, and the Heavyweight Grand Prix gets off to a start. It may not be the most-stacked shows, at least on one side, but both have future company plans on the line.

Who wins?

Miocic vs. Ngannou

  • Ngannou: Paul, Josh
  • Miocic: Ryan

Cormier vs. Oezdemir

  • Oezdemir: Paul
  • Cormier, Ryan, Josh

Font vs. Almeida

  • Font, Josh, Paul
  • Almeida: Ryan

Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald

  • MacDonald: Josh, Paul, Ryan

Grand Prix 1st Round: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage

  • Rampage: Paul
  • Sonnen: Ryan, Josh

JNPO: The History of UFC in Boston, part 2

Posted on by Josh Nason

In part 1 of my look back at the history of UFC shows in Boston, special guest Jack Encarnacao (Boston Herald, Sherdog, Lapsed Fan) and I discussed how MMA was legalized in Massachusetts, the James Toney-Randy Couture fight, the night Joe Lauzon briefly became a god, and Conor McGregor’s big week in the city as he prepared to fax Max Holloway deep on the undercard.

We move ahead to two Fox Sports 1 events, one headlined by McGregor in his last stop before superstardom and the other headlined by a returning bantamweight star after a multi-year absence due to injury.

We talk about the feeling inside the building when McGregor jumped the cage to confront Jose Aldo, the change in Travis Browne’s demeanor after a controversial win over Matt Mitrione, and our talks with a Boston sportswriter who was relatively new to the sport.

After that, we look at Saturday’s UFC 220 show where Jack argues that heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, and not Francis Ngannou, could be a bigger star in the sport with a win.

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JNPO: The History of UFC in Boston, part 1

Posted on by Josh Nason

The UFC returns to the City of Champions this Saturday for UFC 220, the fifth time they’ve visited Boston, MA, in eight years.

A lot has happened with those shows from James Toney making his way into the Octagon to Conor McGregor main eventing his first UFC show to the debut show on Fox Sports One. Due to Dana White’s native son status, Boston has become a place where interesting things happen when the UFC circus comes to town.

In the first part of a two part series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, yours truly and Jack Encarnacao (Boston Herald, Sherdog, The Lapsed Fan) take you on a deep dive through the following:

– The path to MMA legalization in Massachussetts and the UFC’s announcement they were coming to Boston

– A look back at UFC 118 which featured James Toney crossing over into MMA to battle Randy Couture, Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn, a mild panic attack I had at the open workouts, meeting Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez, and more.

– A look back at UFC Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Shogun which which highlighted the launch of Fox Sports One, a show that featured Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway, and how McGregor was sowing seeds for future stardom in ways you wouldn’t expect.

Enjoy this show for free now:

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January’s UFC 220 expected to get big heavyweight title fight

Posted on by Josh Nason

After Francis Ngannou’s highlight-reel knockout of Alistair Overeem at this past Saturday’s UFC 218, it wasn’t a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ when it came to getting a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

On Wednesday night, we may have found out the ‘when’: Saturday, January 20th at UFC 220 in Boston, Mass., first reported by MMA Junkie and confirmed by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.

UFC has not officially announced the bout as of this writing.

Ngannou’s rise to a title shot was accelerated after the Overeem victory, his 10th straight and sixth in the Octagon where he’s finished everyone he’s faced. In Miocic, he’ll face the man who has held the title since May 2016 and has won five straight, including two successful defenses of the gold. He’s one away from setting the UFC heavyweight record.

After downing Junior dos Santos in May, Cleveland, Ohio’s favorite son sat on the sidelines with a contract dispute. 

The fight should headline a show with a co-main event of light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier vs. light heavyweight prospect Volkan Oezdemir who burst onto the scene this year with three wins, two by first round knockout. This will be Cormier’s first fight since losing the title to Jon Jones this summer and then being given the title back after another Jones USADA violation.

UFC hasn’t been in Boston since a January 2016 FS1 show headlined by then-bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz vs. TJ Dillashaw.