But if he does, a superfight between GOAT contenders could still be on the table. Nothing like two profoundly large and powerful men to take your mind off a global pandemic. Anthony PettisCurrent Streak: Ige rides an excellent five-fight win streak, while Barboza has lost two straightX-Factor: Barboza’s jump kneeHow these two match up: Fireworks! Add in the fact that Ige already has the offensive style to frustrate Barboza, and I expect we’ll see “Junior” back at Lightweight next time out ... if he even makes weight this time. What layoff? “The Train’s” raw aggression leaves him wide open to both strikes and takedowns, and Elkins is always happy to spam the latter. So long as he isn’t pulled into the same sort of lull that led him to throw just 69 strikes in 15 minutes against Akhmedov, Cumming should land the more telling blows and control the grappling exchanges to win a slow-paced battle. The fighters head to Brazil! } Though Chikadze showed a nice sweep and improving takedown defense, he visibly faded once Emmers began to push the pace, and Davis has the toolset to put Chikadze through the grinder in similar fashion. Jung tried to aggressively look for openings, but had to settle for landing the occasional strike. JOHN PHILLIPS VIA UD (30-25, 30-25, 30-25), GILLIAN ROBERTSON DEF. Though two inches taller than Brown, he faces a reach disadvantage. Brown just looks to be more seasoned and more versatile with his striking. 4 Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 38 Saturday night. This is likely to be a scrap, but there’s a couple reasons I lean towards Yadong. 265 lbs. He’s also a single kick or knee away from walking off with a huge knockout win, and he arguably deserved the nod over the highly-ranked Paul Felder last time out. He ultimately made his UFC debut in February of last year, and though he fell to Markus Perez, he got on the scoreboard with an anaconda finish of Jun Yong Park six months later. Chikadze’s upset loss to Austin Springer on the Contender Series delayed his Octagon debut until last September, when he took a decision over fellow alumnus Brandon Davis. And “Shockwave’s” powerful right hand is nowhere near enough of a game-changer to make up for the wrestling gap. @CruteJim with a STATEMENT on Fight Island. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. With Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, UFC will soon have a vacant 155-pound title. Twelve of his 18 stoppage wins have come by submission. MMA Mania, UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, UFC Vegas 8 predictions: ‘Smith vs Rakic’ late ‘Prelims’ undercard preview, Gaethje Believes Khabib Was ‘In A Bad Spot’ Before Submission Win. She’s still a solid fighter with the tools to exploit Cifers’ ongoing difficulties in the ground. Anders can relate to ups-and-downs, as he rose quickly before hitting a 1-4 skid. For more news and notes on UFC on ESPN 8 click here. Casey’s success in this fight depends entirely upon her ability to keep it standing. Ortega and Zombie are starting to trade! Unless Baeza can hobble him early with low kicks or land clean on Brown’s infamously fragile midsection, Brown overpowers him in a Fight of the Night brawl. In addition, Vera struggled badly against John Lineker and Douglas Silva de Andrade when those two stepped to him and imposed their physicality. When a torn ACL scrapped that, Brown took on Ben Saunders in November, knocking out his fellow TUF veteran with ground-and-pound late in the second. Thales LeitesCurrent Streak: Both men have won two straight boutsX-Factor: Jotko’s general inconsistencyHow these two match up: Contrary to the fight above, there’s a real chance this one is a stinker. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 9 p.m. At his best, the Hawaiian is a fearsome offensive boxing machine who can punish the body like few others. Jones Goes On Twitter Rant After Khabib Dubbed P4P #1. Like Casey, she enters the cage this Saturday on a 1-3 skid, most recently dropping a decision to Montana De La Rosa. Barboza hit plenty hard at Lightweight and stuffed the majority of the takedowns that came his way. This move to Featherweight is a bad idea though. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 9 p.m. Davis admittedly doesn’t have Emmers’ wrestling pedigree, but he does have some takedowns in his back pocket, and the fact that he’s a much sharper striker than Emmers should allow him to compensate. Maki Pitolo (13-6) — who flatted Justin Sumter with body shots on “Contender Series” — rebounded from his debut loss to Callan Potter with a second-round mauling of Charles Byrd in June. While I do think Cummings would be best served getting his weight in check and returning to 170 pounds — where he can better bring his size and strength to bear — I like his chances here. Most of his fights came against low-level opposition and ended quickly; all he’s really shown of his striking are the sort of face-first punching flurries Fabricio Werdum enjoys and all we’ve seen of his wrestling is the ability to defend Martinek’s poor shot. Previewing Sunday’s Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays World Series Game 5 odds and lines, with MLB betting picks and predictions. UFC on ESPN 16 predictions (MMA Junkie) Pena confident, eyes title shot in future (MMA Junkie) MMA Junkie – The latest UFC/MMA coverage; Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. The judges scored it 50-45, 50-45, and 50-45. The busiest week in UFC history comes to an end as UFC on ESPN 8 will take place in Jacksonville, Florida. Prediction: Martin via second-round technical knockout. The run was not to last, and he now finds himself in the midst of a three-fight losing streak. We are working with them to enable your sports experiences again as quickly as possible. The Bloody Elbow team has made its predictions for UFC on ESPN 8, and we all believe Walt Harris will beat Alistair Overeem in Saturday’s main event. GADZHIMURAD ANTIGULOV VIA TKO (PUNCHES) R2 4:58, FARES ZIAM DEF. night (May 16, 2020), pitting knockout machines Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris against one another in yet another Jacksonville main event, both on ESPN+ and big ESPN. MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 8 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. The bout might feature a lot of slow clinch work, but Anders’ left hand does enough damage that he earns the nod. “After that … UFC Vegas 8’s current main card bouts are guaranteed violence, and the undercard doesn’t look too shabby, either. “Trail Blazer” is towering, unfairly rangy, and is capable of doing some real damage when his head’s on straight. See you Saturday, Maniacs! Even with his recent struggles, Pitolo figures to be the better boxer and have enough grappling chops to either keep it standing or hold his own on the mat. It’s “Veteran vs. Prospect” this Saturday (Aug. 29, 2020) when Anthony “Lionheart” Smith and Aleksandar Rakic attempt to rebound from recent setbacks at each others’ expense in UFC Vegas 8’s ESPN+-streamed main event. UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, will also host the return of Robbie Lawler against towering contender Neil Magny and the long-awaited rematch between Light Heavyweight finishers Magomed Ankalaev and Ion Cutelaba. Yadong has the strength and power to impose a similar game plan, though Vera will remain dangerous until the final bell. [ Tune in on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/4Zlfsb2iVl, WINNER: JONATHAN MARTINEZ VIA UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), ANDREWS PREDICTION: THOMAS ALMEIDA VIA UD. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Additional care sites to be set up in El Paso as COVID-19 surges, The fast food favorites from the year you were born. Andrews: Krause outworked a valiant Silva with an injured knee. This Saturday (May 16, 2020), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remains in Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., for UFC on ESPN 8. Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 8 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. [ B2YB @ToyoTires ] #UFCFightIsland6 pic.twitter.com/FKxcFo690v. ET. Since making his UFC debut he has been a bit underwhelming, … @Gamer_MMA & @Guram_DZE leave with something extra. Andrews Prediction: Thomas Almeida via UD.