Fight week is here, and this week’s bout in the UFC is not only the first bout of the year, but could be one of the most exciting bouts of all time. To begin, let’s discuss some of the upcoming fights, including the Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett fight.
Early Prelims:
The early prelims in this bout are interesting to say the least. All American early prelims, with Adam Fugitt and Ty Miller beginning UFC 324, and these early prelims ending with Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez. I would tune in to watch the fight between Josh Hokit and Denzel Freeman, as they both have very good professional records, both holding 7 wins, and Josh being undefeated, while Denzel has only one loss, being submitted by Isiah Pinson. I would also tune in to watch the bantamweight fight, as in my opinion, the lower the weight class, the more the fighters have to rely on technique rather than pure power in MMA.
Prelims:
The prelims in UFC 324 are extremely interesting bouts, especially because they are just prelims. The prelims include a bantamweight fight between Umar Nurmagomedov, the younger cousin of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, fighting against Deiveson Figueiredo. The prelims do include some interesting middleweight, light heavyweight, and flyweight bouts. In my prediction, I think that Umar will most likely win against Deiveson, as his wrestling and striking are profound, and even though he was bested by the likes of Merab Dvalashvili, Umar has a much more competitive advantage compared to Deiveson. However, I would say that this fight would go the full 3 rounds with Umar winning by decision, due to Deiveson’s good cardio and great BJJ skills, as was visible in his fight with Petr Yan, the current champion of the division.
Main Card:
Unfortunately, the women’s bantamweight championship fight between Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison was cancelled, due to the champion Amanda Nunes suffering a serious neck injury. However, the main card of this week’s bout is by far one of the most exciting ones that I have seen. The first fight of the main card, between Jean Silva and Arnold Allen, two legends of the UFC right from the beginning, is extremely exciting. I believe that both fighters have a great shot at defeating each other, since they both have a black belt in BJJ and are well-rounded in their striking and grappling. Allen’s boxing is quite dangerous, and Jean has extremely versatile and powerful kicks, as was seen in the fight against Bryce Mitchell. If Jean can properly counter Allen’s kicks, then he can most definitely take the win. The second interesting fight I would tune in to watch would be the Derrick Lewis fight against Waldo Cortes-Acosta. This fight, in my opinion, is going to be extremely entertaining. Derrick’s main asset is his knockout power, and how he is able to knock out anyone with a simple touch. He does not change his game; he focuses on what he can do best, and that is swing. In my opinion, that is exactly why Cortes Acosta can win. He is more athletic than Derrick and has higher technical skills and an iron chin. I predict that Cortes-Acosta will either win by decision or Derrick by knockout in the 3rd or 4th round. The co-main event consists of Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong. Sean, being an extremely versatile and powerful striker in the bantamweight division, can absolutely take the win in this one. His range and height advantage would also help him considerably in the stand-up game. His statistics, such as takedown accuracy, is higher than Song’s, which is why I’m rooting for him. My prediction is a KO from Sean. Song does stand a chance if he can close the distance quicker, and if he has much better grappling, which is unlikely since both of them are strikers. Finally, the main event, Justin Gaethje versus Paddy Pimblett. This fight not only decides who will fight Ilia Topuria, the current lightweight champion of the UFC, but it is also a fight between two legends of the sport. Justin, who is a man of violence and who has mentioned in interviews that he simply enjoys violence, is a feared combatant in the UFC and is famous for his extremely dangerous boxing. Justin is not afraid to get hit and will try to land a knockout. I predict that Justin will hand Paddy his first loss in the UFC by knockout. Paddy is a fierce opponent and a good striker who has an excellent ground game, but Justin is simply too dangerous.
