UFC On ESPN 36 + Bellator 281 + Weekly MMA Report
As expected, UFC 274 PPV was stacked with amazing fights. Aside from co-main Namajunas Vs Esparza snoozefest, all the bouts were very dynamic and entertaining to watch.
Charles Oliveira was dropped by Gaethje in the early seconds of the first, but he bounced back for a rear-naked choke win. Unfortunately, the Brazilian was stripped of the title due to a weigh-in miss, so the 155-pound division has no champ at the moment.
I am Disappointed With Justin Gaethje Performance But Congratulations To Charles Oliveira And Looking Forward For A Rematch 💪🙂👍
CHARLES OLIVEIRA VS.JUSTIN GAETHJE LIVE! 1st ROUND! SUBMISSION!
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Islam vs Charles | Chandler | Khabib | Cowboy Cerronehttps://t.co/uIwae17oOA— UnBiased Media – The Truth In Detail (@UnBiasedTvMedia) May 8, 2022
Esparza outworked Namajunas, while Michael Chandler turned the lights out on Tony Ferguson via a stunning front kick to the chin for an extra 50k.
michael chandler with one of the most impressive front kick ko’s ever vs tony ferguson #UFC274 pic.twitter.com/IaMS0jYaMb
— nahil (@algerieman10) May 8, 2022
The first-ever Portugal-born UFC fighter Andre Fialho racked up his second-straight first-round finish with a powerful punch against Cameron VanCamp for the Performance of the Night award.
Perfect left hook put him OUT 😨
Stream #UFC274 on @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/WQuG0aojSg pic.twitter.com/myYPLnMFhf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 7, 2022
Even though Brandon Royval vs Matt Schnell ended after only 2:14 in the first, it got the Fight of the Night awards thanks to its high pace and a lot of superb exchanges. Brandon finished Schnell with a guillotine choke off the bottom.
Royval jumped into a guillotine and didn't let go 💪
Stream #UFC274 on @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/BgblprK2jC pic.twitter.com/q8LbpbgwEU
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 8, 2022
Ryan Bader outwrestled Cheick Kongo for a decision win in the main battle of Bellator 280. In the co-main bout, Yoel Romero scored a stoppage in the dying seconds of round 3 against very tough Alex Polizzi, who refused to give up, despite Romero previously dropping him twice.
👀 @YoelRomeroMMA is on the hunt…#Bellator280 LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/IXGESDP98r
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 6, 2022
𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗲𝗿 🤯@YoelRomeroMMA leaves it late to get the stoppage in front of a sold-out @Accor_Arena.#Bellator280 LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/NRwzhSB7Bq
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 6, 2022
This upcoming weekend, the greatest MMA promotion returns to the UFC Apex Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Image source: @ufc official Twitter
The all-time greatest Serbian mixed martial artist Aleksandar Rakic is going to fight Jan Blachowicz in the main event of the evening.
Since Rakic’s strength and conditioning guy was promoted to the spot of his head coach, Rakic changed his fighting style and can’t stop scoring decision wins. His cardio and footwork have significantly improved. The former KSW and UFC 205-pound champ Jan Blachowicz is a very strong fighter, but he doesn’t throw too much unless he has to. This one could go to judges’ scorecards.
Prediction: Rakic to win (-163), or the fight goes the distance (+105)
In the co-main event of the evening, heavy-handed Ryan Spann will try to defeat the Moldovan submission expert with an amazing chin, Ion Cutelaba. Spann can’t last for three rounds due to his questionable cardio, so if Cutelaba survives the first round, he shouldn’t have a hard time finishing this one.
Prediction: the fight will not go the distance (-450), or Cutelaba wins (-210)
Here is the whole card, but last-minute changes can happen, so please check this link too. https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/85916-ufc-fight-night
Main Card (ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 10 PM ET, 3 AM UK)
Light Heavyweight: Jan Błachowicz (28-9-0) vs. Aleksandar Rakić (14-2-0)
Light Heavyweight: Ryan Spann (19-7-0) vs. Ion Cutelaba (16-6-1)
Bantamweight: Louis Smolka (17-8-0) vs. Davey Grant (11-6-0)
Flyweight: Katlyn Chookagian (17-4-0) vs. Amanda Ribas (11-2-0)
Lightweight: Frank Camacho (22-9-0) vs. Manuel Torres (12-2-0)
Flyweight: Jake Hadley (8-0-0) vs. Allan Nascimento (18-6-0)
Prelims (ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 7:30 PM ET, 00:30 AM UK)
Flyweight: Viviane Araujo (10-3-0) vs. Andrea Lee (13-5-0)
Lightweight: Michael Johnson (19-17-0) vs. Alan Patrick (15-3-0)
Strawweight: Virna Jandiroba (17-3-0) vs. Angela Hill (13-11-0)
Flyweight: Carlos Candelario (8-1-0) vs. Tatsuro Taira (10-0-0)
Middleweight: Nick Maximov (8-0-0) vs. Andre Petroski (7-1-0)
Here are my predictions for the whole card:
But that’s not all, European MMA fans will celebrate this weekend too, as Bellator 281 takes place in SSE Arena, London, England. You can watch the main card on Showtime, while prelims are free on YouTube.
Image source: @BellatorMMA official Twitter
The main event of the evening brings the bout between explosive, super-entertaining Michael “Venom” Page and wrestling phenom Logan Storley. Page’s quickness might play a role here, but Storley’s wrestling skills might be too much. Logan deadlifts at least two times per week. Storley needs just one reactive takedown to win the round.
Prediction: Storley wins
In the co-main, the former UFC legend and the best Karateka in the history of this sport, Lyoto Machida, will try to deal with Renegade Team all-around Octagon warrior Fabian Edwards. Lyoto’s not in his prime anymore, but we mustn’t write him off. He’s hard to finish, plus Edwards is very technical, so this one could go all the way.
Prediction: fight starts round 3, or the fight goes the distance
Here are my predictions for Bellator 281 main card.
Get ready for high-level action this upcoming weekend lads, let’s enjoy once again!
[…] UFC on ESPN 36 didn’t have many big names on the card, but we’ve witnessed excellent battles. Unfortunately, Aleksandar Rakic was up on the scorecards but he had to quit due to a bad knee injury in the third round, so Blachowicz won the main event battle via TKO (retirement). […]