UFC Vegas 65 + Bellator 288 + Weekly MMA Report
UFC 281 PPV was one of the all-time greatest events. Two belts changed their owners, as Weili Zhang choked out Carla Esparza to become the new 115-pound division queen, while Alex Pereira TKO’d Israel Adesanya in the fifth round despite being down on the scorecards in the main event of the evening.
what a crazy fight!!! pic.twitter.com/ChjIX5e8ne
— Pure Finishes (@PureKnockouts) November 13, 2022
new champ!! 🥋 pic.twitter.com/LqKXB1oKTj
— Pure Finishes (@PureKnockouts) November 13, 2022
Dustin Poirier finished Michael Chandler in the third via submission after great toe-to-toe combat, so both fighters banked an extra 50k for the Fight of the Night bonus.
we love em pic.twitter.com/pKJzp04iHd
— Pure Finishes (@PureKnockouts) November 13, 2022
Two Performance of the Night bonuses went into the hands of the new champs, Weili Zhang and Alex Pereira.
Unfortunately, we’re kicking off this week with sad news, as the former two-time title contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson passed away – RIP legend!
Image source: @UFCBrasil Twitter
This weekend, the promotion returns to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, for another pretty promising UFC Fight Night card. The UFC Vegas 65 is headlined by the clash between the two knockout artists – Sergey Spivak and Derrick Lewis. It will kick off on Saturday, November 20th, 2022, at 1 PM ET (6 PM UK time).
Derrick Lewis has never been a diehard gym fan, but he is the hardest-hitting hillbilly in the history of the UFC Heavyweight division. One big punch could change everything. Also, Sergey Spivak is known for his well-rounded game and big right hand. He should get the advantage if the bout gets dragged to the ground, but as long as they stand and bang, Lewis should be a more dangerous guy.
Prediction: the fight will not go the distance
The co-main event of the evening brings the entertaining bout between pressure fighter and the former European Sambo champion Ion Cutelaba and the guy with the greatest reach in the UFC 205-pound division, Kennedy Nzechukwu. Kennedy is a great counter-striker while Cutelaba likes toe-to-toe combat, this will hardly last for three rounds.
Prediction: the fight will not go the distance
Here is the whole fight card, but the bout order could change, so please check this link too.
Main Card (ESPN+, UFC on Fight Pass, 4 PM ET, 9 PM UK time)
Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis (26-10-0) vs. Sergey Spivak (15-3-0)
Light Heavyweight: Ion Cutelaba (16-8-1) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (10-3-0)
Heavyweight: Chase Sherman (16-10-0) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (8-0-0)
Welterweight: Muslim Salikhov (18-3-0) vs. Andre Fialho (16-5-0)
Middleweight: Cody Brundage (8-2-0) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (8-2-0)
Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena (12-2-0) vs. Danny Roberts (18-6-0)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+, UFC on Fight Pass, 1 PM ET, 4 PM UK time)
Flyweight: Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-7-0) vs. Charles Johnson (11-3-0)
Flyweight: Jennifer Maia (19-9-1) vs. Maryna Moroz (11-3-0)
Bantamweight: Miles Johns (12-2-0) vs. Vince Morales (11-6-0)
Bantamweight: Ricky Turcios (11-3-0) vs. Kevin Natividad (9-3-0)
Strawweight: Maria Oliveira (13-5-0) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (8-4-0)
Bantamweight: Fernie Garcia (10-2-0) vs. Brady Hiestand (5-2-0)
Flyweight: Natália Silva (13-5-1) vs. Tereza Bledá (6-0-0)
Here are my predictions for the upcoming UFC Vegas 65 card:
But that’s not all ladies and gentlemen, as this Friday brings the amazing Bellator 288. The main event airs on Showtime and gets underway around 10 PM ET.
Image source: @BellatorMMA Twitter
The main event of the evening brings the combat between Sambo fighter Vadim Nemkov and the former UFC fighter, knockout artist Corey Anderson. Nemkov has never been knocked out, and his ground game rocks, so this might be a very bad opponent for the former UFC star.
Prediction: Nemkov to win
Patricky Pitbull will be looking to finish Usman Nurmagomedov, his gym sessions brought him fabulous knockout power. Unfortunately, Usman is undefeated, he’s equally good in both striking and grappling, while Patricky is so unpredictable. The fight should go in the favor of Dagestani.
Prediction: Usman to win
Here are my predictions for the upcoming Bellator 288 main card:
This is going to be a great weekend for the diehard fans of combat sports! Don’t miss these two amazing events!
[…] UFC Vegas 65 looked like a non-promising card on the piece of paper, but we’ve seen some high-level match-ups between amazing fighters. There were many knockouts and stoppages. […]