Tag Archives: UFC

Bellator, boks, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Rich Bergeron, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale, UFC

FNU Gevegsport Wys: UFC Fight Night and Bellator 177 Recap and upcoming MMA and Boxing Schedule

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This week’s broadcast features recaps and previews of MMA and boxing events around the world. Tony, Tom and Rich also discuss politics and go off on a couple tangents here and there. We make it the whole episode this week without mentioning MacGregor vs. Mayweather even once.

We do break down some huge upcoming fights with Andre Berto taking on Shawn Porter in the main event on Showtime this week and a fourth MMA fight between Daniel Straus and Patricio “Pitbull” Friere at Bellator 178 Vrydagaand. We also have another UFC fight night to discuss and last week’s MMA results to go over.

 

Combate Americas, Stryd Network, M-1, M-1 Challenge, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Een Championship, UFC

Fight Network Presents 5 Live Events Over 3 Days Starting Tonight, April 20

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For Immediate Release – April 20, 2017

Insluitend UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Swanson vs. Lobov Prelims, EEN Championship: Kings of Destiny, VVO 10: Heinisch vs. Rota, M-1 Challenge 76 en Combate Americas 13

TORONTO – Stryd Network, die wêreld se voorste 24/7 multi-platform-kanaal wat toegewy is aan volledige dekking van gevegsport, presents three action-packed days of live mixed martial arts, begin vanaand, Donderdag, April 20, met Combate Americas 13 from Tucson, Arizona, kicking off globally with the live prelims at 8 namiddag. ET and at 10 namiddag. ET in Canada with the live main card, which follows a live edition of IMPAK Wrestling by 8 namiddag. EN.

The action continues on Friday, April 21 by 8:30 voormiddag. ET with a live Canadian broadcast of EEN Championship: Kings of Destiny from Manila, Filippyne. Later, by 9 namiddag. EN, VVO 10: Heinisch vs. Rota emanates from Pueblo, Colorado and airs live on Fight Network in Canada and globally in over 30 lande in Europa, Afrika en die Midde-Ooste.

Op Saterdag, April 22, M-1 Global returns with a live doubleheader, begin by 10 voormiddag. En met M-1 seleksie 76, which airs live in Canada, die U.S. en wêreldwyd in meer as 30 lande in Europa, Afrika en die Midde-Ooste. Die M-1 Challenge 76 main card airs live exclusively in Canada at 1 namiddag. EN.

Uiteindelik, Fight Network sal uitgebreide dekking van lewer UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Swanson vs. Lobov across Canada on Saturday, April 22, begin by 7 namiddag. ET met die lewendige UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Swanson vs. LobovVOORGEveg-VERTONING lei in LEWE VOORLOP op Fight Network. Die hoofkaart word regstreeks op TSN5 uitgesaai. DieUFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Swanson vs. Lobov VOORGEveg-VERTONING will feature UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and retired UFC lightweight contender Yves Edwards serving as desk analysts with host Karyn Bryant and reporter Laura Sanko conducting on-site fighter interviews.

Aan die einde van Saterdag se hoofkaart, die lewendige UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Swanson vs. Lobov NA-GEveg-VERTONING on Fight Network features highlights, ontleding en na-geveg onderhoude.

The stacked lineup for tonight’s Combate Americas 13, begin by 8 namiddag. ET globally on Fight Network and 10 namiddag. ET with the main card in Canada, sluit:

-Romeinse Salazar (10-5) vs. Ricky Palacios (7-1)

-Irwin Rivera (5-2) vs. Kevin Natividad (2-0)

-Benny Madrid (9-3) vs. Chad Dietmeyer (8-2)

-Daniel Rodriguez (3-0) vs. Joel Kampioen (4-0)

-Erick Sanchez (7-3) vs. Randy Steinke (17-10-1)
-Victor Reyna (8-3) vs. Andrew Perez (5-4)
-Stephanie Alba (3-1) vs. Alesha Zappitella (2-0)

EEN Championship: Kings of Destiny, airing on Friday, April 21 by 8:30 voormiddag. ET across Canada, is headlined by lightweight kingpin Eduard Folayang defending his title against surging Ev Ting. The full card includes:

-Eduard Folayang (17-5) vs. Ev Dinge (13-3) – ONE lightweight title
-Kevin Belingon (14-5) vs. Toni Tauru (11-4-1)
-Danny Kingad (5-0) vs. Muhammad Aiman (2-1)

-Eugene Toquero (8-4) vs. Stefer Rahardian (4-0)
-Chan Rothana (4-2) vs. Xie Bin (2-1)

-Gina Iniong (4-2) vs. Natalie Hills (2-4)
-Michelle Nicolini (3-1) vs. Irina Mazepa (2-0)

-Robin Catalan (4-3) vs. Jeremy Miado (6-0)
-Christian Lee (5-1) vs. Jianping Wan (2-2)
-Honorio Banari (11-6) vs. Jaroslav Jartim (6-5-1)

VVO 10: Heinisch vs. Rota, airing on Friday, April 21 by 9 namiddag. ET across Canada and globally on Fight Network, features the following lineup:

-Ian Heinisch (7-0) vs. Lucas Rota (12-6)

-Nick Urso (9-3) vs. Brandon Royval (5-2)
-Zac Riley (5-3) vs. Jerome Rivera (5-0)

-Dominic Montoya (7-0) vs. Slobodan Maksimovic (12-5-1)

-Andrew Yates (9-2) vs. Andrew Tenneson (5-1)
-Adam Martinez (3-1) vs. Maikel Perez (1-0)

-Cody Yohn (3-1) vs. Mike Jones (4-2)

Saturday’s M-1 Global doubleheader begins with a live global broadcast of M-1 seleksie 76 by 10 voormiddag. EN, which will include the following bouts:

-Javier Fuentes (9-3) vs. Khamzat Sakalov (4-2)
-Elnur veliev (6-0) vs. Zalimbek Omarov (7-2)
-Anatoly Lyagu (5-1) vs. Abubakar Mestoev (4-0)
-Evgeniy Goncharov (5-2) vs. Daniil Arepyev (7-1)
-Alexey Valivakhin (10-5) vs. Ingishkan Ozdoev (0-0)

Die M-1 Challenge 76 main card airs live across Canada at 1 namiddag. ET and is headlined by a clash for the M-1 bantamweight championship. The full fight card includes:

-Movsar Evloev (6-0) vs. Alexei Nevzorov (12-2) – M-1 bantamweight title
-Khamzat Dalgiev (8-1) vs. Heliton dos Santos (15-5)
-Oos Nagibin (8-2) vs. Diego D’Avila (18-5)

-Sergey Morozov (6-2) vs. Fabricio Sarraff (22-9)

-Zalimbeg Omarov (7-2-1) vs. Elnur veliev (6-0-1)

Saterdag se UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: Swanson vs. Lobov PRELIMS air live on Fight Network across Canada at 8 namiddag. EN. The star-studded four-bout card includes:

-Thales Leites (26-7) vs. Sam ALVEY (30-8)
-Dustin Ortiz (16-6) vs. Brandon Moreno (13-3)

-Scott Holtzman (9-2) vs. Michael McBride (8-2)

-Jessica Penne (12-5) vs. Danielle Taylor (8-2)

Vir 'n volledige lys van Fight Network se uitsending skedule, besoek www.fightnetwork.com, Volg ons op Twitterfightnet, 'n bewonderaar op Facebook en besoek ons ​​op Instagramfightnet.
Bellator, boks, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Rich Bergeron, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale, UFC

FNU Gevegsport Wys: Johnson vs. Reis Preview, The Undertaker Retires, NASCAR Fights

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Rabble Rousin’ Rich Bergeron, “Psigiese” Tom Padgett en Tony “Die Tornado” Penecale discuss the news and events of the last two weeks in combat sports. From Rampage Jackson’s rough final fight in Bellator to Chris Weidman’s controversial loss to Gegard Mousasi we cover all the major MMA happenings. We also discuss the upcoming week’s boxing schedule and look back at some events in boxing from the last two weeks. We wrap up with a discussion about NASCAR and Bellator taking advantage of their common partnership with Monster energy drink. The two sports giants announced recently that Bellator will host fight cards at future racing events.

 

Stryd Network, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, UFC

Veg Network Presents KSW 38 & WIE 38 Live Doubleheader this Friday, April 7, Plus Live UFC® 210 Coverage on April 8

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TORONTO – Stryd Network, die wêreld se voorste 24/7 multi-platform-kanaal wat toegewy is aan volledige dekking van gevegsport, presents a thrilling live mixed martial arts doubleheader this Friday, April 7, begin met NSS 38: Live in Studio from Warsaw, Poland at 3 namiddag. ET followed by WIE 38: Ascensionvan Montreal, Canada at 6 namiddag. EN. Live fight coverage continues on Saturday, April 8 with the live PRE-FIGHT en POST-FIGHT shows for UFC® 210: CORMIER vs. JOHNSON 2.

NSS 38: Live in Studio will be televised live on Fight Network in Canada, die U.S. en wêreldwyd in meer as 30 lande in Europa, Afrika en die Midde-Ooste. Intussen, WIE 38: Ascension airs live on Fight Network in Canada and streams globally on UFCFightPass.com.

Afskop by 3 namiddag. EN, a pair of top Polish featherweight stars will headline NSS 38: Live in Studio, asArtur Sowinski (17-8) bots met Lukasz Chlewicki (14-5-1). In die mede-hoofren, Polish lightweightGrzegorz Szulakowski (7-1) welcomes Brazil’s Renato Gomes (20-9) into enemy territory. In other featured contests, Polish featherweight Roman Szymanski (9-3) meets Brazil’s Denilson Neves (11-4),Lukasz Rajewski (6-2) gesigte Sebastian Romanowski (11-7-1) in a battle of Polish featherweights, Kamil Selwa (10-5) tackles fellow Polish bantamweight prospect Anzor Azhiev (6-2), Antoni Chmiewlewski (32-15) en Lukasz Bienkowski (4-1) square off in a clash of Polish middleweights, meer Kamil Szymuszowski (15-4) en Grajcan Szadzinski (5-1) throw down in an all-Polish lightweight showdown.

WIE 38: Ascension gets underway at 6 namiddag. ET and will be headlined by a massive lightweight matchup between Ontario’s Jesse Ronson (16-8) and Montreal’s Derek Gauthier (8-6). The bantamweight co-feature pits Michael Imperato (7-2) teen Xavier Alaoui (7-1). In other marquee bouts, T.J. Laramie (5-1) neem op Alex Morgan (6-2) in 'n veergewig wedstryd, Speedy Gym product Dimitri Waardenburg (12-7) meets American bantamweight David Sachs (10-3), once-beaten Canadian middleweight Marc-Andre Barriault (6-1) sukkel Fransman Yacine Bandaoui (7-5), undefeated Canadian heavyweight Adam Dyczka (4-0) takes on debuting Bobby Sullivan (0-0), meer Tyler Wilson (1-0) gesigte Eric Daigneault (2-2) by 135 pond, Charles Jourdain (3-0) gesigte Mathieu Morciano (3-2) by 145 pond, Jeremie Capony (5-0) risks his perfect record against Kevin Genereux (2-2) by 155 pounds and highly touted flyweight prospect Tony Laramie (1-0) pursues his second professional triumph opposite undefeated Derek Falk (2-0).

Daarbenewens, Fight Network sal uitgebreide dekking van lewer UFC® 210: CORMIER vs. JOHNSON 2 Saterdag, April 8, begin by 1 namiddag. ET with four hours of Fight Network’s original series UFC IN 60showcasing main event and co-main event stars Daniel Cormier, Anthony Johnson, Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi. Op 5 namiddag. EN, UFC 210 COUNTDOWN goes inside the lives and gyms of four athletes preparing for pivotal battles.

Fight Network will televise the live UFC® 210 VOORGEveg-VERTONING by 7 namiddag. ET leading into live prelims on TSN2. The show features retired UFC contenders Kenny Florian and Yves Edwards working as desk analysts with host Karyn Bryant, along with reporter Megan Olivi conducting on-site fighter interviews.

At the conclusion of UFC® 210: CORMIER vs. JOHNSON 2, die lewendige UFC® 210 NA-GEveg-VERTONINGfeatures highlights, ontleding en na-geveg onderhoude.

Vir 'n volledige lys van Fight Network se uitsending skedule, besoek www.fightnetwork.com, Volg ons op Twitterfightnet, 'n bewonderaar op Facebook en besoek ons ​​op Instagramfightnet.
boks, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Rich Bergeron, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale

Maart 30, 2017 FNU Gevegsport Wys: King Mo vs. Rampage Preview, Arum says UFC will take half of Conor’s purse against Floyd

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Tom, Rich and Tony break down last week’s big fights and preview the upcoming week’s combat sports cards. The main focus is Bellator 175 in MMA this week. We also discuss some of the latest news, such as a claim made by Bob Arum that the UFC wants to take half of Conor MacGregor’s purse when and if he fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match. We also have a good laugh about Rampage Jackson being mad at King Mo Lawal for “fat shaming” him.. Rampage’s defense is vintage Cartman from South Park: “I’m not fat, I’m just big boned.”

Bellator, boks, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale

FNU Gevegsport Wys: UFC herhalings, Golovkin vs. Jacobs Results, Bellator 175 Voorskou

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Tom, Tony and Rich discuss the world of combat sports. Conor MacGregor will fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr. if you believe Dana White. We also chat about UFC Fight Night events featuring Jimi Manuwa and Kelvin Gastelum notching huge career wins. We look back at Golovkin vs. Jacobs and the unlikelihood of Canelo taking the fight with Golovkin now. We also preview King Mo Lawal vs. Rampage Jackson next Friday.

Luister na die onderstaande uitsending:

 

 

 

boks, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Premier Boxing Champions, Showtime, Showtime Boxing, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale, UFC

FNU KOMBAT SPORTSKOU: Lou Duva Tribute Show, Psychic Tom Padgett absolutely crushes UFC 209 Predictions, Garcia vs. Thurman Recap and Analysis

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Tony Penecale (verlaat) and Lou Duva (reg) at the Brockton, Massachusetts dedication of the Rocky Marciano statue.

Our show this week was dedicated to Lou Duva (above right with our co-host Tony Penecale). Lou died earlier this week at the ripe old age of 1994. He was a great friend to Rocky Marciano, a promoter of 19 wêreldkampioene, and a man who had all his irons in the one fire that lit his life: boks. The promoter/trainer/manager/legend appeared on the FNU Combat Sports show years back, but unfortunately the audio is grainy and spotty. If you listen closely the gems our talk contains outweigh the difficult spots to hear.

The full Lou Duva interview is here:

http://hosts.blogtalkradio.com/fightnewsunlimited/2009/07/03/joey-giambra-the-uncrowned-champion

I’m also posting a couple specific remastered clips here:

 

 

 

 

 

Tom, Tony and Rich also recap Garcia vs. Thurman, The latest on Mayweather vs. McGregor, UFC 209 and the many controversies attached, GSP’s dark warning about weight cutting, and Tony Bellew’s shocking upset of David Haye.

 

Here’s the tape: (THE TAPE DOESN’T LIE)

 

Bellator, boks, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Rich Bergeron, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale, UFC, stoei

FNU Gevegsport Wys: UFC, Bellator and Boxing Recaps/Previews; Dana The Drama Queen; Muhammad Ali Jr. Detained at Florida Airport; Transgender Wrestler Wins Women’s Wrestling Title in Texas

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Tom, Rich and Tony recap the major combat sports events from last week, including a major heavyweight showdown between Deontay Wilder and Gerald Washington, a successful title defense by Liam McGeary last Friday at a Dublin, Ireland Bellator show, and a superb comeback by Jarrett Hurd over Tony Harrison. We also look forward to the inaugural women’s featherweight title bout in Bellator tomorrow night and a star-studded UFC 209 fight card including two of the most anticipated co-main events in recent UFC history. Stephen Thompson gets his rematch with UFC Welterweight Champ Tyron Woodley in the main event while Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight for a shot to face Conor McGregor for the lightweight title in the co-main event. We also discuss GSP’s comeback fight against Michael Bisping, a transgender female on her way to becoming a male winning a Texas women’s wrestling title, and Muhammad Ali’s son being detained at a Florida airport in early February. Check out our first Full FNU Combat Sports Show hosted on YouTube:

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde

FORMER CAGE WARRIORS COMMENTATOR JOHN GOODEN SHARES HIS IRISH FIGHT NIGHT MEMORIES AHEAD OF CAGE WARRIORS’ RETURN TO DUBLIN

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VIR ONMIDDELLIKE VRYSTELLING
Dinsdag, February 28th, 2017

As we look forward to our long-awaited return to Dublin this weekend, the former voice of Cage Warriors remembers the raucous atmosphere of the Irish fight fans and recalls the moment he took a knee from a man who would go on to become the biggest star in the sport – Conor McGregor.

Before he started calling fights for the UFC, British play-by-play man John Gooden was the voice of Cage Warriors.

And nobody knows the passion of the Irish fight fans quite like John who, during the now-famous rise to prominence of Conor McGregor, ended up right in the thick of it with the legendary Irish fight fans during both of ‘The Notorious’ one’s Cage Warriors championship victories.

We chatted to Gooden at CW80 in London where he shared his memories of his Irish fight night experiences ahead of our return to Dublin this weekend for Cage Warriors 81.

“I think my first taste was the Helix when Conor won his first world title,” he began.

“I got injured – Conor kneed me in the face! But I stayed here to live to tell the tale!

“He jumped the fence. His fans were going absolutely bonkers, and I think if he didn’t go out, they were coming in. So strategically he did the right thing, although he sort of ran through me to get to them!

“But Josh (Palmer, Cage Warriors co-commentator) and I were covered in beer and it was just this melee of craziness. So that was really cool, because I can say I took a knee from Conor McGregor – which he apologised for, sowel!

“The Helix was an interesting venue. It was on different levels and the last time I was there the Irish were having mixed results. Then Conor came out and, as he does, rouses everyone and came away with the victory in the fashion that he did. That just put the capstone on the night and just made it celebratory.”

After that fight both McGregor and Gooden were UFC bound, where they would reunite in Dublin at the 3Arena for UFC Fight Night: McGregor v Brandao, an event that has gone down in folklore as one of the most raucous in UFC history.

“I’ve been over to Dublin twice (with the UFC) but the first time in 2014 – McGregor-Brandao – it’s gonna be difficult to top that,” Gooden smiled.

“The fans were SO good. The Irish fighters went 100%. They won, they won, they won and the crowd loved it. They got behind every single one and it was just a big celebration.

“Going back there, it was a sensory overload and I’m gonna take that to the grave with me.”

That event has been held up as the standard by which all fight night atmospheres are now judged, but there have been plenty of examples of the Irish fans’ passion since then, whether it’s at home for a host of different events, or on the road supporting their heroes overseas.

And on Saturday night the Irish fight fans have the opportunity to cheer on their boys on home soil once again at Cage Warriors 81. With a host of Irish fighting talent set for action, including Karl Moore bidding to capture the vacant Cage Warriors light-heavyweight title against American Josh Clark, we’re expecting another party atmosphere at the 3Arena.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.ie, priced €98, €38 and €24, with ticket holders also able to attend a special meet and greet session with our special guest fighters Neil Seery, Nicolas Dalby and the newly crowned Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion Karl Amoussou.

The bout will be televised live on eirSPORT 1 in Ireland, BT Sport in UK and Ireland, and streamed worldwide on UFC veg Pass.

CAGE WARRIORS 81: CONFIRMED BOUTS
Bout order TBC

PRO CARD
Karl Moore (7-1) v Josh Clark (10-3) – Cage Warriors light-heavyweight title (205£)
Catherine Costigan (5-2) v Wendy McKenna (1-0) – atomweight bout (105£)
Joe McColgan (3-0) v Arnold Quero (13-5, 1 NC) – lightweight bout (155£)
Darren O’Gorman (4-1) v Blaine O’Driscoll (3-1) – kapokgewig bout (135£)
Hughie O’Rourke (vir debuut) v Arann Maguire (0-1) – kapokgewig bout (135£)
Håkon Foss (7-3) v Martyn Harris (4-2) – weltergewig bout (170£)
Lloyd Manning (2-0) v Paul McBain (2-0) – featherweight bout (145£)
Eric Nolan (vir debuut) v Marcin Zembala (vir debuut) – catchweight bout (150£)

AMATEUR CARD
Bill Farrell v David Piotrowicz – lig-swaargewig bout (205£)
Richie Stack v Pawel Politylo – featherweight bout (145£)
Mark Gallivan v Makinde Adeyemi – weltergewig bout (170£)
Francis Treacy v Stephen Treacy – lightweight bout (155£)
Austin Lynch v Alex Brophy – kapokgewig bout (135£)
Colm O’Regan v Mateusz Kopyto – catchweight bout (161£)
Ivan Blanita v Gary Coffey – weltergewig bout (170£)
Gary Wallace v Darren Sarsfield – catchweight bout (161£)
David Whelan v Brandon Myers – kapokgewig bout (135£)
Adam Darby v Leon Hill – lightweight bout (155£)
Barry Hanna v Matthew Whyte – catchweight bout (132.2£)

For the latest Cage Warriors Fighting Championship news and updates, keep track of us on Facebook, Twitter en Instagram. View past CWFC action, free and on-demand, online via Cage Warriors TV.

Foto: John Gooden & Dan Hardy – Dolly Clew for Cage Warriors

www.CageWarriors.com

CAGE WARRIORS FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP is Europe’s leading and longest-running mixed martial arts promotion. An Irish-owned brand with offices in the UK & Ierland, CWFC is the sport’s fastest-growing organisation, having staged 80 events in 12 countries across three different continents since its establishment in 2002. Home to some of biggest stars of MMA’s past, present and future.
gemengde martial arts, Plaasmoorde, Rich Bergeron, UFC

UFC 209: Woodley vs.. Wonderboy and Khabib vs. Ferguson Preview and Prediction

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Deur: Rich Bergeron

UFC 209 is fast approaching with two dynamic fights headlining the card, including a highly anticipated rematch closing the show. Fans are itching for a solid fight card to watch after multiple disappointing Pay-Per-View events left them wanting more in recent months. This is a card that could definitely deliver the action-packed, adrenaline-filled spectacle fans have come to expect for the price of admission. Here are my previews and predictions for the two blockbuster fights at the top of the bill.

Stephen Thompson (13-1-1) gets another crack at the welterweight title against Tyron Woodley (16-3-1) in die belangrikste gebeurtenis. Even the odds makers (Check out the M88 sportsbook for more betting info) have a tough time predicting how this highly charged rematch will go. Woodley comes in as the slight underdog at +110 to Thompson’s -140.

Steeds, the Champion came close to finishing the first fight in the fourth round. Rather than continue with his powerful ground and pound approach against the in-trouble Thompson, Woodley switched to a failed choke attempt instead. Thompson was able to weather the storm and eke out the draw, but he also won three out of the five rounds on the scorecard. The experts who set the betting lines are obviously conscious of this and factoring it into their calculations.

Can Woodley put himself in position to get the knockout win this time or will Thompson make the right adjustments to win every round this time?

Voorspelling: Stephen Thompson made one glaring mistake in the first fight that led to Woodley having a huge chance to win by knockout. Woodley picked his spots and made the fight competitive, but with both fighters knowing so much about each other now he may not be able to repeat or improve upon his performance in the first fight. Intussen, Thompson is a skilled tactician, and he will focus on cage control this time around. He will use distance striking, superb defense, and constant movement to keep Woodley from doing any major damage this time around. Woodley of course has a chance to quiet all his doubters with one punch, but Thompson is the type of fighter who may not give the champ a chance to land that shot.

THOMPSON WINS BY UNANIMOUS DECISION

The co-main event will set the stage for Conor MacGregor’s return to the UFC cage. The Irish superstar will eventually face the winner of UFC 209’s co-main event: Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0) vs. Tony Ferguson (22-3). This fight could potentially upstage the main event, despite the fact that Khabib is a -205 favorite to Ferguson’s +165 odds to win. Both fighters have enough momentum going for them to earn a title shot without fighting each other, but that doesn’t make this bout any less exciting on paper. Ferguson is 12-1 in the UFC with his only loss coming against Khabib’s last opponent: Michael Johnson. Ferguson lost to Johnson in 2012 by unanimous decision while Khabib submitted Johnson via Kimura in the third round of their UFC 205 clash last November.

Both fighters have equally imposing strengths. Khabib smothers many of his opponents with crisp wrestling skills to match his more than capable striking and submission ability. Sambo and judo are also staples of Nurmagomedov’s intense approach to cage fighting. He is so well rounded that he has an equal number (8) of submission, decision and T/KO wins, and all of his decision wins are unanimous.

Ferguson is on a nine-fight win streak. He is more of a volume striker, and he used excellent boxing to impose his will on the opponents he’s dominated so far. He is also well rounded like Nurmagomedov and can use that superb striking to secure submissions on stunned opponents. Hy het 8 submissions to go with 9 T/KOs and five decisions.

PREDICTION: Ferguson may be on a tremendous run right now, but Khabib’s absolutely dominated every opponent he ever faced in his MMA career. McGregor may actually be rooting for a tie in this fight so he can have some extra time to negotiate a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. while these two contenders are setting up an inevitable rematch. Egter, ties are rare enough in the UFC that one here is far fetched to imagine. It’s much more likely that this fight ends up with one fighter on the canvas, out cold or too dazed to continue. All signs point to that fighter being Ferguson, leaving MacGregor with the prospect of having to prove his mettle by beating a man nobody’s been able to beat before. Natuurlik, anything can happen in that cage and anyone can have a bad night at the office, but perfection is hard to argue with.

NURMAGOMEDOV BY 2nd Round TKO