The UFC returns to Pay Per View in 2018 and brings with it 2 title fights with the Heavyweight Title matchup having historic implications. Boston, Massachusetts will host the card, and it has the 2 heaviest weight class’s titles up for grabs. In the Main Event, Stipe Miocic (17-2 Heavyweight Champion) looks to set the all-time title defense record for the division against fast-rising star Francis “The Predator” Ngannou (11-1 #1 Ranked Heavyweight). If that wasn’t enough the Co-Main event features the return of Daniel “DC” Cormier (19-1 1 NC Light Heavyweight Champion) versus another fast-rising challenger Volkan “No Time” Oezdemir (15-1 #2 Ranked Light Heavyweight). Those heavy hitters headline a card that has 11 total fights. For the first Pay Per view of the year, it certainly looks promising. Let’s take a look at the fights on Saturday night.
We kick off the night on UFC Fight Pass with a Lightweight matchup between Islam Makhachev (14-1) and longtime UFC veteran Gleison Tibau (41-11). Islam Makhachev has won 2 straight in the UFC and brought his UFC record to 3-1 since joining in 2015. Makhachev’s grappling is his strong suit much like many of the fighters from Dagestan. We saw that in his last two fights where his grappling has gotten him to the judges and earned him his victories. He will have his hands full with Tibau but is he can work the pressure and wrestling game a three-fight win streak is his. After more than a 2 year USADA enforced layoff Gleison Tibau is finally set to return to the UFC. He returns on a 2 fight losing streak, and he needs to turn that around if he expects to make a late in career run towards the rankings. Having been in the UFC since 2007 Tibau has seen his fair share of ups and downs, but after this latest issue with the failed drug test he has to come out and prove he still can compete. He should have a decent shot if the fight goes to the ground considering his 13 career submission wins stand out. This one should be a solid matchup to start the evening. Prediction: Islam Makhachev via Decision.
The UFC debut for Matt “The Mangler” Bessette (22-7) is the featured Fight Pass Prelim as he takes on UFC vet Enrique “El Fuerte” Barzola (14-3-1). Despite losing on The Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series Matt Bessette had that loss overturned due to a USADA violation for IV usage by his opponent. He will now have his chance on the big stage. Prior to his stint on that show, Bessette had run off 7 straight victories and stopped all 7 opponents. Bessette can use his striking or ground game to get the job done. The question will become if the New England native can get past the UFC jitters and overcome the odds to win his UFC debut. Enrique Barzola has completed 2 straight decision victories in his last new appearance for a 3-1 UFC record. Barzola has seen the judges in all 3 of his UFC appearances, which is uncommon for his career prior to the UFC. Barzola will need to withstand the pressure, and avoid keeping this just a striking matchup. Expect a really interesting fight out of these guys. Prediction: Matt Bessette via Decision.
Two more Dana White Tuesday Night Contender series vets Dan “Danimal” Ige (8-1) and Julio Arce (13-2) kick off the FS1 prelims. After coming off a victory on The Contender series Dan Ige was unfortunately not awarded a UFC contract. However 6 months later he finds himself in the UFC and kicking off the UFC 220 FS1 prelims. Ige showed his heart and grappling ability when he walked away with a rear naked choke win. That was his 4th career submission victory. Ige is in a good spot facing another debuting fighter, and he may have a chance to take home his first UFC victory. Julio Arce also won on his episode of the Contender Series but did not receive a contract. It was Arce’s 5th straight win and now he is in the UFC. With 3 knockouts and 4 submissions, he is almost 50-50 finishes to decision victories. Arce will need to find a way to offset the skills of Ige if he wants to take home the victory. Prediction: Dan Ige via Decision.
The UFC Flyweight division is next and two Top 15 fighters face off as Dustin Ortiz (17-7 #10 Ranked Flyweight) and Alejandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja (18-2 #11 Ranked Flyweight). Dustin Ortiz rebounded from a submission loss with one of the fastest knockouts in UFC Flyweight history. In just 15 seconds he dispatched Hector “Kid Alex” Sandoval (14-4) and got back on the winning track. Ortiz has some serious power in his hands for such a lightweight fighter. That was his 7th career knockout and he proved that he is a dangerous knockout artist. If he can get that shot in against Pantoja he could make it another short night of work. Alexandre Pantoja is 2-0 in the UFC and last finished off Neil “2Tap” Seery (16-13) with a rear-naked choke. At 27 years old Pantoja is just entering the prime of his career, and he has proved to be able to finish off his opponent son the feet and mat. Pantoja is going to have to deal with Ortiz’s wrestling and if he can shake that off he could take down a Top 10 opponent and enter the Top 10 himself. Prediction: Alexandre Pantoja via Submission.
A rematch of a fight that ended prematurely in early December is up next as Sabah “The Problem” Homasi (11-7) looks to right the early stoppage as he takes on Abdul Razak Alhassan (8-1). Sabah Homasi dropped down after being hit with a big punch and grabbed for a leg when referee Herb Dean stepped in and called the fight. Homasi popped up immediately and contested the stoppage. Unfortunately those complaints fell on deaf ears that night, however, he has his chance at redemption Saturday. Homasi was doing rather well until that point. He was avoiding the big swinging shots and closing the distance making this fight his. If he can do the same and stay out of trouble Homasi will avenge the loss he thinks he shouldn’t have. For Abdul Razak Alhassan this is a tough spot to be in. Having to rematch a guy you fought just over a month ago and winning via TKO is tough to duplicate. Alhassan has some serious power in his hands, having only been out of the first round 1 time in his MMA career, and it came in his only loss. The power punching of Alhassan is what he has, and it can come out at any time. He will try and duplicate that knockout again, but he certainly has his hands full. There is no way of knowing if he would have finished Homasi before the fight was stopped early, but he certainly is going for a more definitive win this night. Prediction: Abdul Razak Alhassan via TKO.
Closing out the FS1 portion of the show we get Kyle “Crash” Bochniak (7-2) taking on another Dana White Contender Series alum Brandon “Killer B” Davis (8-2). Kyle Bochniak has gone 1-2 in the UFC and is trying to bounce back from a decision loss to Jeremy “JBC” Kennedy (11-0) back in July. He struggled with stopping the takedown from Kennedy and was stuck on the ground a majority of the matchup. Bochniak is still very early in his MMA career and has 2 knockout, 2submission, and 3 decision victories. If his takedown defense has improved he certainly has a chance to start of 2018 with a victory and get his UFC record back to 500. Brandon Davis received his UFC contract based on his 3 round decision victory on the 4th installment of the Dana White Tuesday Night contender series. He now makes his way to the UFC and will look to debut with a victory over a veteran. He has piled up 7 straight wins heading into the UFC, and he will look to add to his 3 knockouts and 2 submissions. This should be a fun one to lead us into that main card. Prediction: Brandon Davis via Decision.
A Top 15 Bantamweight clash kicks off our night on Pay Per View as Thomas “Thominhas” Almeida (22-2 #10 Ranked Bantamweight) takes on Rob Font (14-3 #14 Ranked Bantamweight). The 26-year-old Almeida has lost 2 of his last 3 fights in the UFC for his only 2 career losses. One was to former champion Cody “No Love” Garbrandt (11-1 #1 Ranked Bantamweight) and the other to streaking contender Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera (21-1 #4 Ranked Bantamweight). Almeida is still a growing fighter despite his wealth of experience, and those losses are something he most certainly has learned from. His 17 career knockouts are staggering for a guy fighting at 135lbs. He will need to find that rhythm that got him to the brink of a number 1 contender fight if he expects to find a Top 10 opponent next. Rob Font had a 2 fight win streak snapped in October to Pedro “The Young Punisher” Munhoz (15-2 1NC #11 Ranked Bantamweight). Font will have the home town crowd behind him, and if he can find the holes in Almeida’s striking defense that others previously have he may find himself vaulting into the Top 10 by the middle of next week. Prediction: Thomas Almeida via Decision.
The Light Heavyweights takes the cage next as Gian Villante (15-8) takes on Francimar “Bodeo” Barroso (19-5 1NC). Two losses in a row have Gian Villante searching for answers as he heads into the Octagon in Boston. His last time out he lost a razor-thin split decision to Patrick “Durkin” Cummins (10-4) whose face looked a lot like a guy who lost a UFC fight. Villante has 10 knockouts to his name, but he also has a solid ground game that does not get talked about. If Villante can land his punches a victory and getting himself back on track is absolutely a possibility. In September Francimar Barroso lost a unanimous decision to Aleksander Rakic (8-1). He has lost 2 of his last 3 fights but has shown some real flashes in his UFC fights. He avenged an overturned loss against Darren “The Dentist” Stewart (7-3) earlier in 2-17 and proved that he most certainly belongs in the UFC. He will need to avoid the big punches of Villante if he wants to get back on the winning end of the fights. Prediction: Gian Villante via TKO.
Massachusett’s own Calvin Kattar (17-2) will take the Octagon next to try and slow down the hype train of undefeated prospect Shane “Hurricane” Burgos (10-0). A unanimous decision victory over Andre “Touchy” Fili (17-5) for Calvin Kattar was about as solid of a debut as you can have. Kattar is a talented striker who has 6 career knockouts on his record. He will have his hands full with Burgos, but if he can close the distance and make this an ugly fight a victory most certainly could happen. A win for Kattar also would be his 10th in a row after coming to the UFC on a 9 fight win streak, something I’m sure he won’t relinquish easily. Shane Burgos has 3 straight victories in the UFC and with another win, on Saturday we could see a number in the rankings next to his name. Burgos striking was on display in his last time out when he took a decision from Godofredo Pepey (14-5) where he just dominated on the feet. Burgos is going to need to utilize that striking to keep the pressure on Kattar. This is a fight on one of the biggest stages that could push Burgos to that next level and start the ball rolling to being a real star in the UFC. Prediction: Shane Burgos via Decision.
The Co-Main event is next and it is for the Light Heavyweight Title as Daniel “DC” Cormier (19-1 1NC Light Heavyweight Champion) takes on Volkan “No Time” Oezdemir (15-1 #2 Ranked Light Heavyweight). Daniel Cormier has been one of the best Light Heavyweights of a generation. The only person that has been better and has had is number is the much-maligned Jon “Bones” Jones (23-1). Cormier is an Olympic wrestler and the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner. He is one of the best fighters the Light Heavyweight Division has seen. He is nearing the end of the road and has said as much. He has a ton of commitments outside of fighting with the UFC and a budding broadcast career. Daniel Cormier has taken punches from the hardest hitting Light Heavyweight’s out there and will need to do that again on Saturday and cement himself as the true Light Heavyweight Champion. Volkan Oezdemir turned a short notice 2-week turnaround to fight Ovince Saint Preux (22-10 # Ranked Light Heavyweight). He took that split decision victory in that fight. He followed it up with 2 first round knockouts of Misha Cirkunov (13-4 #7 Ranked Light Heavyweight) and Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa (17-3 #4 Ranked Light Heavyweight). He now finds himself 1 win away from holding gold in the UFC, a matchup he got based on a fan vote that Daniel Cormier put on Twitter. The UFC is a wild place in this era but opportunity has knocked and it could mean Volkan Oezdemir gets to the top of the mountain in just 4 career UFC fights. He will need to avoid the grappling and wrestling from DC which is a tall task, but if he does that he may send DC to the broadcast booth earlier than he expected. Prediction: Volkan Oezdemir via TKO.
In the Main event, Stipe Miocic (17-2 Heavyweight Champion) is looking to make history and derail the crazy hype around Francis “The Predator” Ngannou (11-4 #1 Ranked Heavyweight). The Heavyweight Title has only been successfully defended by a champion twice. 5 people have done that including Miocic. One is in the Hall of Fame Randy “The Natural” Couture (19-110, another held it during the early rise of the UFC Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (31-10 1NC), another still holds a Heavyweight title it’s just in professional wrestling in Brock Lesnar (5-3 1NC), and the other some would argue is the best Heavyweight of all time in Cain Velasquez (14-2 #4 Ranked Heavyweight). Stipe Miocic can break this 5-way tie, but he needs to avoid what people are considering the scariest Heavyweight on the planet. Stipe is an All-American wrestler, whose grappling has almost gone by the wayside as his striking and knockout power got him to the title and kept it on him. Stipe is riding 5 straight knockout wins and could cement himself as the best Heavyweight Champion in UFC history. Francis Ngannou has only been training in MMA in 5 years. During that time he went from being homeless to competing in France, to the UFC, and now is on the precipice of winning a title. Ngannou issued one of the most vicious knockouts in early December when he dispatched Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem (13-16 1NC #2 Ranked Heavyweight). The knockout was an absolute thing of beauty, and if he can replicate that on Saturday the UFC has its biggest star since the birth of “The Notorious” Conor McGregor(21-3 Lightweight Champion). This one fight alone is worth the price tag of the Pay Per View and it could relaunch a division that is in desperate need of some excitement. Prediction: Francis Ngannou via TKO.
The UFC is hoping for big things from Saturday night and the top of the card is most certainly where that hope lies. The challengers are most certainly alive and have a chance to make two titles change hands. The UFC needs a nice buy-rate to make up for some of the reported numbers that came out about a serious decline in viewership last year. Two title fights from one of the best cities for the UFC will most certainly be worth it, let’s just hope the card lives up to it.
