UFC Vegas 71 “Yan Vs Dvalishvili” + Bellator 292 “Nurmagomedov Vs Henderson” + Weekly MMA News
The UFC 285 PPV brought some crazy fights, and we’ve got two new division champions. Alexa Grasso pulled a massive upset by submitting Valentina Shevchenko in the fourth, while Jon Jones surprisingly choked out Ciryl Gane via guillotine choke from a cage seated position in the first.
UFC 285 PPV Recap
There were so many nice fights in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Performance of the Night awards went into the hands of the new champs, Alexa Grasso and Jon Jones, and the third award was given to wrestling phenom Bo Nickal, who stopped his opponent via arm triangle in the first.
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME IS NOW THE HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMP 🏆
JON JONES SUBMITS CIRYL GANE!! #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/JOiAnweVJ5
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
ALEXA GRASSO HAS SUBMITTED VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO!!
WE HAVE A NEW FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION 👑🇲🇽 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/t4HMH5vXnw
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
BO NICKAL IS HIM@NoBickal | #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/ZilUEt8CiM
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
The Fight of the Night award went into the hands of Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal, who traded big bombs for two rounds. Shavkat was able to finish “Handz of Steel” with a hard-to-perform standing rear-naked choke against the fence.
UFC Vegas 71 Announcement
The UFC stays in Sin City, Nevada, for another UFC Las Vegas fight night event, headlined by the 135-pound combat between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan.
Image source: @UFCBrasil Twitter
Merab Dvalishvili is the most dominant chain wrestler in the division. He showed his amazing chin against Marlon Moraes when he survived the early onslaught and GNP bombs and later finished the Brazilian with powerful strikes. Merab is a gym addict and he likes strength sessions, which explains the power of his slams and high-amplitude throws.
Petr Yan is the most technical boxer at 135 and the former division champion. Yan scored many great wins prior to his loss to Aljamain Sterling due to an illegal knee to the head of the downed opponent. After his loss to Sean O’Malley, Yan is looking to get back into the winning column.
Prediction: the fight goes the distance
The co-main event of the evening will bring the clash of styles, as Karate striker Alexander Volkov meets the Moldovan grappling specialist Alexandr Romanov. Volkov is a stronger fighter and his takedown defense rocks, but if the bout gets dragged to the ground, it could mean trouble for the dangerous Moscow-born striker.
Prediction: the fight will not go the distance
UFC Vegas 71 Full Fight Card
Here is the full line-up for the upcoming UFC Las Vegas event, but please check this link too because of potential last-minute changes.
Main Card (ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 6 PM ET, 11 PM UK time)
Bantamweight: Petr Yan (16-4-0) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (15-4-0)
Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov (35-10-0) vs. Alexandr Romanov (16-1-0)
Light Heavyweight: Nikita Krylov (29-9-0) vs. Ryan Spann (21-7-0)
Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos (16-4-0) vs. Austin Lingo (9-1-0)
Bantamweight: Said Nurmagomedov (17-2-0) vs. Jonathan Martinez (17-4-0)
Light Heavyweight: Vitor Petrino (7-0-0) vs. Anton Turkalj (8-1-0)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 3 PM ET, 8 PM UK time)
Heavyweight: Łukasz Brzeski (8-2-1) vs. Karl Williams (7-1-0)
Bantamweight: Raphael Assunção (27-9-0) vs. Davey Grant (12-6-0)
Middleweight: Sedriques Dumas (7-0-0) vs. Josh Fremd (9-4-0)
Bantamweight: Mario Bautista (11-2-0) vs. Guido Cannetti (10-6-0)
Flyweight: JJ Aldrich (11-5-0) vs. Ariane Lipski (14-8-0)
Bantamweight: Tony Gravely (23-8-0) vs. Victor Henry (22-6-0)
Flyweight: Tyson Nam (21-12-1) vs. Bruno Silva (12-5-2)
Welterweight: Carlston Harris (17-5-0) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-3-1)
Please check my picks for the upcoming UFC Vegas 71 card.
Bellator 292 Announcement
I’ve got some great news – Bellator 292 also takes place this weekend. The preliminary card is available to watch on YouTube, while you can enjoy the main card on Showtime. The main card will get underway at 10 PM ET.
Image source: @BellatorMMA Twitter
The main event of the evening brings the battle between an undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov and the former legendary UFC champion and Taekwondo black belt Benson Henderson. Nurmagomedov is a more well-rounded fighter, while Henderson is very good at defending takedowns and top control. This could be an interesting scrap to watch, but Usman has a cardio advantage.
Prediction: Usman to win
In the co-main event, grappling phenom Tofiq Musaev squares off against an all-around fighter Alexander Shabliy. Musaev is better at controlling the cage and ground game, while Shabliy offers great punches and angling. But it is very hard to parry Musaev’s wrestling.
Prediction: Musaev to win
Checkout my Bellator main card predictions here:
This is going to be an amazing weekend of combats. Bellator takes place on Friday, while one of the best UFC fight nights of the year takes place on Saturday. Don’t miss this amazing event fellas!
[…] UFC Vegas 71 didn’t look too promising but the main event was a total one-sided domination where Merab Dvalishvili was swinging the hammer. The Georgian wrestling specialist pieced up Petr Yan for a dominant 5-round decision victory with a score of 50-45. […]