UFC 229 Fight Predictions

     Finally!  After an almost 2 year mma hiatus, Conor McGregor is back to grace us on a UFC card.  Let's take a look at some of the other fights on the card before the main event, shall we?

Womens Strawweight Bout 

Michelle "Karate Hottie" Waterson vs. Felice "Lil Bulldog" Herrig

     This event pits the Karate based striker, Waterson against Thai Boxing based striker, Herrig.  Waterson, with a very good wrestling and submission defense will look to keep it on the feet and use her speed and angled strikes to pick apart her opponent.  Herrig, who has a very good offensive wrestling game, will look to stay in mid-striking range and throw combos and feints to gain successful takedowns.  While each fighter will be able to hold their own against each other, the bigger fighter, Herrig should get some takedowns in this, winning the fight by decision.  

Mens Heavyweight Bout

Derrick "Black Beast" Lewis vs. Alexander "Drago" Volkov

     I just want to put it out there that I am a Derrick Lewis fan.  The guy has ko'ed some heavy hitters in the UFC such as Gabriel Gonzaga, Marcin Tybura, and even beating Frances Ngannou in a decision.  His opponent Volkov, undefeated in the UFC, has ko'ed Fabricio Werdum and Stefan Struve.  Being a heavyweight bout, anyone can knock anyone out.  Lewis, the heavier fighter will look to put this one away early, throwing heavy bombs when the opportunity arises.  Volkov, the taller and faster fighter will look to evade and tough out an early barrage, taking advantage of a tired opponent in the later rounds.  As this fight can go either way, I'd like to think Lewis will catch Volkov with some PIBs (punches in bunches) to stun him and then follow up with some bombs, earning a late round 2 TKO victory.  

Mens Lightweight Championship Bout

"Notorious" Conor McGregor vs. Khabib "Eagle" Nurmagomedov

     Let's get right into it.  While McGregor hasn't had an mma fight in about 2 years, he has kept in shape and stayed ready, keeping his tools sharp for when they are needed.  Khabib has stayed busy fighting at least yearly, maintaining an undefeated record since 2008.  Conor will look to keep his distance on the feet, looking to use his reach advantage and counter or catch Khabib shooting in for a takedown with a hard left.  Khabib, will look to pressure McGregor, moving forward and staying in close range while capitalizing on any chance for a takedown.  Conor is notorious for doing his homework on his opponents and getting under their skin (see what I did there?).  He will look to push Khabib's buttons, causing him to make a mistake.  Khabib will have a better chance of winning as the fight drags on to the later rounds, but this fight should end in Conor catching the Eagle with a hard shot around mid-round 3 for a KO victory.  

UFC 227 - Dillashaw vs Garbrandt 2

This will be a quick write up, as the only interesting fights on this card are the rematches in the main and co-main events.

Lets start off with the co-main event.  This rematch features the number one ranked pound for pound fighter in mma, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson against 2008 Olympic Wrestling gold medalist and TUF weirdo, Henry "The Messenger" Cejudo.  Cejudo (12-2-0) has complemented his high-level wrestling base with a quality striking game, garnering 6 TKO victories on record.  Mighty Mouse (27-2-1) is an exceptional fighter, excelling in all areas of MMA, showing no weaknesses.  The first match ended in an easy TKO victory for Johnson at 2:49 in the 1st round.  He is leagues above any current fighter in his weight class and will use speed and cardio to put Cejudo away in this rematch.  If "The Messenger" is having fight problems, I feel bad for him, son.  Mighty Mouse got 99 problems, but UFC aint one.  

The main event will be a rematch between T.J. Dillashaw (15-3-0) and Cody Garbrandt (11-1-0).  If memory serves, their first fight was a fast-paced striking bout where either fighter could have gotten KO'ed.  Dillashaw was rocked early by Garbrandt, who amped up the striking to seal the deal.  His overzealousness cost him the W, as TJ fired back with some shots that dazed Cody, paving the way for a TKO finish.  This rematch could again go either way, as both fighters are so evenly matched.  Cody's path to victory is keeping a calm and cool head, taking less risks such as pulling guard, and minimizing any mistakes.  T.J.'s path to victory will be goading Cody, and getting him angry enough to make mistakes.  I will be rooting for Cody in this one, as T.J. is a huge deuce.