UFC Vegas 49 “Makhachev Vs Green” + Bellator 275 “Mousasi Vs Vanderford” + Weekly Report
The previous weekend brought some of the most entertaining UFC stoppages this year. Jamahal Hill put Johnny Walker in the main event of UFC Vegas 48 to sleep via tricky one-punch KO to cash an extra 50k.
DID THAT JUST HAPPEN!?? 😱😱
JAMAHAL HILL STUNS JOHNNY WALKER!! #UFCVegas48 pic.twitter.com/xmusGS7N3f
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 20, 2022
The Performance of the Night award was also given to David Onama (TKO win over Gabriel Benitez, round 1), Stephanie Egger (armbar victory over Jessica-Rose Clark), and Kyle Daukaus, who submitted Jamie Pickett via buzzer-beater D’Arce choke of the first period.
Kyle Daukaus at the buzzer 🤯🔒 #UFCVegas48 pic.twitter.com/Eo13dw7X7a
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 20, 2022
HE TEE'D OFF AND PUT HIM TO SLEEP 😴 #UFCVegas48 pic.twitter.com/TBh0nUyYeq
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 19, 2022
Wasted NO TIME getting the finish!!
🇨🇭 Stephanie Egger submits Jessica-Rose Clark in Round 1 👏 #UFCVegas48 pic.twitter.com/4V0cNYBqdd
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 19, 2022
Chance Rencountre was gone in 38 seconds against Andrey Koreshkov after a stunning body kick and ended up in the hospital with five broken ribs. Logan Storley pulled out an upset and defeated BJJ black belt, Neiman Gracie, in a five-round war.
🌪 + 🦵 = 😱#Bellator274 pic.twitter.com/bK171Cbglk
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 20, 2022
But the upcoming weekend brings two excellent events – UFC Vegas 49 and Bellator 275. So get ready for more action.
UFC Vegas 49 will take place in Apex Center, which was built in the middle of “Sin City”, Nevada, The USA, on Saturday, February 26th, and it will go live on ESPN+. The event is headlined by a catchweight 160 lbs-pound contest between Combat Sambo master Islam Makhachev and tricky puncher with superb head moves, Bobby Green.
Islam Makhachev is a heavy favorite for this bout. The Russian lost only once, to Warlley Alves at UFC 194 via submission, and dominated every single opponent since. Bobby Green is coming fresh from a decision win over left-handed striker Nasrat Haqparast.
Image source: @ufc Twitter
Green’s gonna have a reach advantage, and as long as he keeps the bout standing, it should be ok. Yet, Makhachev’s takedown offense, wrestling, and submission game are on a whole new level, so this will be a nightmare fight for the entertaining American. Green lifts weights from time to time, will it help him stuff Islam’s takedowns?
Prediction: Makhachev to win (-720), Makhachev to win inside the distance, or Makhachev via submission (odds will soon be released at https://bestfightodds.com )
The Canadian-Latvian submission phenom Misha Cirkunov will try to defeat black belt BJJ prodigy, Wellington Turman.
Both fighters are extremely skillful on the ground, so this battle might easily go to judges’ scorecards. Turman is a slightly better striker, but Cirkunov improved his skills too. Yet, Misha slows down in round 3. He used to be a Light Heavyweight fighter who transitioned to the 185-pound class, so the weight cut might create problems in the later rounds.
Prediction: fight starts round 3, or Turman to win (+100)
Check my UFC Vegas 49 predictions in one playlist:
Here’s the whole fight card, but don’t forget about the possibility of last-minute changes.
MAIN CARD, ESPN+, 7 PM ET (midnight UK time)
Islam Makhachev (21 – 1 – 0) VS. Bobby Green (29 – 12 – 1)
Misha Cirkunov (15 – 7 – 0) VS. Wellington Turman (17 – 5 – 0)
Priscila Cachoeira (10 – 4 – 0) VS. Ji Yeon Kim (9 – 4 – 2)
Joel Alvarez (19 – 2 – 0) VS. Arman Tsarukyan (17 – 2 – 0)
Armen Petrosyan (6 – 1 – 0) VS.Gregory Rodrigues (11 – 3 – 0)
PRELIMINARY CARD, ESPN+, 4 PM ET (9 PM UK time)
Ignacio Bahamondes (12 – 4 – 0) VS. Rong Zhu (18 – 4 – 0)
Josiane Nunes (8 – 1 – 0) VS. Ramona Pascual (6 – 2 – 0)
Terrance McKinney (11 – 3 – 0) VS. Fares Ziam (12 – 3 – 0)
Hannah Goldy (6 – 2 – 0) VS. Jinh Yu Frey (11 – 6 – 0)
Jonathan Martinez (14 – 4 – 0) VS. Alejandro Perez (22 – 8 – 1)
Ramiz Brahimaj (9 – 4 – 0) VS. Micheal Gillmore (6 – 4 – 0)
Victor Altamirano (10 – 1 – 0) VS. Carlos Hernandez (7 – 1 – 0)
Bellator 275 will take place in 3 Arena, Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, 25th February 2022. The prelims will go down at 1 PM ET, while the main card gets underway at 4 PM ET. You can watch it on Showtime.
Image source: https://www.bellator.com
In the main event of Bellator 275, the reigning defending champion Gegard Mousasi (48-7-2) will try to defeat an undefeated grappling specialist and Paige VanZant’s husband, Austin Vanderford (11-0-0) in 185-pound title combat.
Mousasi’s experience is top-notch, and he’s not a one-dimensional fighter. Vanderford tries to put his opponent down by any means necessary, and his striking game is limited to punches. Vanderford also cuts so many pounds, it might lead to gassing in later rounds. I hope he’ll purchase a high-quality spin bike to lose weight on time.
Prediction: Mousasi to win (-220)
In the co-main event, the SBG Ireland competitor Peter Queally (13-6-1) will share the cage with tricky English fighter Kane Mousah (13-4-0). Mousah looks stronger, but technique fights, not muscles.
Prediction: Queally to win (-700), or Queally to win inside the distance
You can check the whole card here.
Check my Bellator 275 main card predictions here.
Don’t miss the upcoming fight weekend and get ready for UFC 273 PPV event on March 5th!
