UFC 273 “Volkanovski Vs The Korean Zombie” + Weekly MMA Report
There was no UFC card last week, but two Cage Warriors events brought a lot of high-level fights. Some great stoppages were seen. There wasn’t a single boring fight!
Matthew Bonner bounced back in the co-main event of Cage Warriors 135 after the title loss. The former 185-pound champ accepted a short-notice bout against Portuguese grappler Hugo Pereira and spectacularly finished him via rear-naked choke in round 2.
Matt 'The Beast' Bonner is back in the win column! 👏
He finishes his opponent with a RNC for the win!#CW135 pic.twitter.com/2uhn77iHXf— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 1, 2022
Justin Burlinson took part in a close fight against Daniel Skibinski. Yet, the Polish fighter gassed out quickly, which led to a guillotine choke win for the Brit.
🤯 A huge win for Justin Burlinson! After a bell to bell war, he gets the win via submission 🐍
What do you think is next for Justin?#CW135 pic.twitter.com/KYGn1v2zNv
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 1, 2022
Cage Warriors 136 was even more entertaining. Michael Tchamou kicked off the prelims with a tremendous ground and pound victory. Liam Molloy countered his opponent with a left hook after a wild slugfest, while Aleksi Mantykvi floored his foe with a quick 1-2. El Hadji Ndiaye was unable to back up his trash talk as Adam Cullen destroyed him in 14 seconds.
Michael Tchamou did not waste any time with his ground and pound 😳
A great way to start the #CW136 prelims on UFC Fight Pass. pic.twitter.com/oOcedM6WEO— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022
Liam Molloy delivered! 💰
A beautiful left hook to get the first round finish 🤩#CW136 pic.twitter.com/fhDz5ZHc3e— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022
Aleksi Mäntykivi left no doubt 🧨🥊
He picks up a massive KO win 👏Watch the #CW136 prelims @UFCFightPass ➡️ https://t.co/TjMTHiLHfa pic.twitter.com/Ug07b4V5jX
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022
Adam Cullen needed just 15secs to secure the W 😧
He scorched his opponent! And with style points 🔥#CW136 pic.twitter.com/YCAOgYlqWW— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022
In the main event of the evening, a huge gym fan and tremendous wrestler Djati Melan won the first round against Christian Leroy Duncan. Yet, cage control wastes a lot of cardio, and it seems Melan didn’t work on his stamina. Duncan was slowly taking the fight over. Melan was unable to drag the fight to the canvas but his head was tilted down. The fight IQ specialist Leroy Duncan noticed that and ended Melan’s title reign with a brutal flying knee in the third!
Christian Leroy Duncan with the flying Knee KO! 🔥
Incredible scenes at #CW136, a new middleweight champ is crowned!!#AndNew pic.twitter.com/I0DtGxIPUl— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022
But UFC is back this week with a lovely UFC 273 pay-per-event and two title fights! That’s the moment we’ve all waiting for! It takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, April 9th, 2022. The prelims will start at 6 PM ET (11 PM UK), while the main card gets underway around 10 PM ET (3 AM UK).
Image source: @ufc Twitter
The main event of the evening brings the featherweight battle between the current champ and superb all-around fighter Alexander Volkanovski and one-punch KO specialist “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.
The Korean fighter is very dangerous in the first 10 minutes of the bout, but Volkanovski’s chin and gas tank are on a whole different level. Unless Jung scores an early KO, this should be a victory for Alexander.
Prediction: Volkanovski to win (-760) or Volkanovski via decision
The co-main event brings the second bout between the current 135-pound titleholder, submission expert Aljamain Sterling and probably the best boxer in the UFC bantamweight division, interim division champ, Petr “No Mercy” Yan. In the first fight, Yan kneed the grounded Aljo, which led to a disqualification loss, so the Russian will be looking to avenge the loss.
Petr is known for superb footwork, staying away from the central line, and excellent cardio. This should be his night, but I’d be cautious because he’s fighting without his coach in his corner (visa issues).
Prediction: Yan to win (-475), or Yan via late finish in championship rounds
Another very interesting fight happens between the former ADCC champion Gilbert “Durinho” Burns and freestyle wrestler and the greatest UFC prospect at the moment, Khamzat Chimaev. Many believe this will be an easy job for Chimaev but writing Burns off could be a bad mistake. The BJJ black belt survived Demian Maia and Gunnar Nelson on the ground, so this might be a hard fight to predict.
Prediction: fight starts round 3, or the fight will not go the distance.
Please check all my predictions in one playlist:
Here is the whole fight card, but get ready for last-minute changes, check this link – https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/85306-ufc-fight-night .
For example, Kelvin Gastelum vs Dricus Du Plessis got canceled last week due to Kevin’s withdrawal.
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10 PM ET, 3 AM UK)
Alexander Volkanovski (c) (23-1) vs. Chan Sung Jung (17-6)
Aljamain Sterling (c) (20-3) vs. Petr Yan (ic) (16-2)
Gilbert Burns (20-4) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (10-0)
Mackenzie Dern (11-2) vs. Tecia Torres (13-5)
Alexey Oleynik (59-16-1) vs. Jared Vanderaa (12-7)
Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+, 8 PM ET, 1 AM UK)
Aspen Ladd (9-2) vs. Raquel Pennington (13-8)
Ian Garry (8-0) vs. Darian Weeks (5-1)
Anthony Hernandez (8-2) vs. Josh Fremd (9-2)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik (12-3) vs. Marcin Tybura (22-7)
Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass, 6 PM ET, 11 PM UK)
Mickey Gall (7-4) vs. Mike Malott (7-1-1)
Julio Arce (17-5) vs. Daniel Santos (10-1)
Mark Madsen (11-0) vs. Vinc Pichel (14-2)
Piera Rodriguez (7-0) vs. Kay Hansen (7-5)
Let’s get ready to rumble on Saturday, two belts might change their owners!
[…] UFC 273 PPV brought some high-level championship bouts, but belts didn’t change their owners. Alexander Volkanovski dominated in the 145-pound featherweight bout over “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and scored a TKO win in round 4 (Herb Dean stopped the bout on the feet). […]