BJJ Scout Breaks down Usman vs Burns

 

BJJ Scout Breaks Down McGregor vs Poirier 2

 

-149 Naga adult expert finals: outside heel hook

from yesterday:

Upcoming February UFC Bouts : Numerous title fights & other match-ups of note

 Now that the air has left the balloon that is McGregor vs Poirier 2, and the likelihood that Khabib is not returning seems even more certain, we can look ahead:

In 2 weeks we've got Overeem vs Volkov. Both guys are always just on the cusp of fighting for the title, as is anyone who can string together 3-5 wins in the UFC HW division. Franke Edgar fights Corey Sandhagen on the same card. Edgar is coming off a split decision win over Pedro Munhoz, and prior to that 2 losses to Chan Sung Jung and Max Holloway. Sandhagen hopes the win over Edgar proves he is among the elite as he has wins over the likes of Assuncao, Lineker, and Moraes but is in waiting mode as title shots take forever to come around in the bantamweight division. He lost what was likely a title challenger eliminator in a quick loss to Aljamain Sterling who himself is now waiting on Petr Yan to face him after beating Jose Aldo. 

The week after that, we've got Usman vs Burns. I think Burns puts his striking, takedowns, and submissions together too dynamically to be stifled by Usman. Tho', Usman has shown he is willing to lock his hands and just press you into a cage standing up for 5 rounds if need be. On that card, Munhoz faces Rivera, and Weidman faces Urijah Hall. I really wish Weidman would take a break from facing dynamic strikers, but here we are. 

Toward the end of February, we get Blaydes vs Lewis, in a fight long in the making. Blaydes will try to ragdoll Lewis and Lewis will try to KTFO Blayes. Oleinik is also on the card. 

To close out the month of February, we get Blackhowicz vs Adesanya in a champ moving up a weight class event that should be one of the record books. We get 2 other title fights on that card with Petr Yan facing Aljamain Sterling and Nunes vs Anderson. 

UFC 257 Letdown/Hangover: The money that won't be made

 

A collective sigh escaped a lot of people's mouths seeing Conor slumped in round 2. I don't think Khabib was gonna come back TBH, but the game is fickle and the folks who now forgot his starching of Aldo and Cerrone, act like he's washed up because he got caught in a fight he won the first round et cetera. 

I'm bummed for the fight that might've been and the blockbuster of the lead-up to a Khabib sequel. I don't think Khabib sees any upside to fighting a punch heavy wrestler like Chandler who he will argue has only 1 win in the UFC. I've always thought a guy with a punch heavy attack, and stronr wrestling would be tough for him, but I doubt we'll see him come back for Michael Chandler. It also leaves us in this limbo of Gaethje has a loss to Poirier, Poirier is 1-1 with McGregor, I don't care what Nate Diaz wants to do because he's been gone for what feels like ages, and Khabib has beaten the top 3 guys. Hooker is now 0-2 in his last 2, and I don't think he wants a Gaethje fight after these 2 most recent losses. Lightweight is kinda a mess if we're being honest. Folks will stump for a trilogy/immediate rematch, and I don't doubt that having seen Poirier up close the next fight will be much closer (and likely longer) but either Khabib should move on from the UFC or decide he's going to face someone regardless of who it is. The marketing feels inauthentic when the champ does and says things that suggest no one is worthy of facing him. That may be the perception but saying that then charging folks 60+ dollars for a fight one of the combatants is saying is not meaningful lands poorly with audiences to some extent. Elsewhere at lightweight the forgotton guy is Charles Oliveira who no doubt deserves a crack at the title but is not the guy Khabib is going to come back to face. I think a fight between Poirier and Oliveira for the title makes sense in the event Poirier and McGregor don't run it back. 

Chandler did the best thing he could've done which is come in, and violently crush a top tier guy. When I picked Hooker for this fight I did not expect him to immediately start the fight backpedaling, and sure enough, he pulled away directly into the path of an oncoming looping hook. 

Elsewhere on the card: McMann seemed tired or slow to react with her back taken and her handfighting did her in eventually giving up the RNC. Tsarukyan showed real precision in mixing up his striking, takedowns, submission hunting, and top control against Matt Frevola. Brad Tavares looked very good coming off a long layoff and thwarting takedowns, getting back to his feet, and punishing Antonio Carlos Junior on the feet. 

UFC 257 Picks: McGregor vs Poirier 2 et al

 Much like 2020, we get a McGregor fight to start off the year. Perhaps we won't have a multi month sport sabbatical from Covid this year round. 

Poirier vs McGregor - Much like was suggested by both parties in the Countdown special, Poirier needs to drag this fight out ala Nate Diaz, and McGregor wants to cleanly tag Poirier and put him away. Poirier has put away punch centric fighters like Gaethje, and done well against Eddie Alvarez et cetera, but McGregor, even as a punch centric fighter has that precision/accuracy that really leads to finishes, as cliched as it might sound. I think the added mileage of Poirier's subsequent fights versus Conor's much less strenuous fight schedule, looks like an advantage to McGregor. I think McGregor puts Poirier away in the 2nd or 3rd round, punches against the fence, much akin to their first fight but a bit more drawn out to get there. 

Hooker vs Chandler - it's always interesting to see guys come in and test themselves against the top tier of the UFC. Ben Askren and others have tried it and had mixed results over the years. At any rate, I think Hooker is as stern a test for Chandler as there is, but Hooker's multi-faced approach to striking will prove equal to Chandler's power punching and wrestling. I actually don't feel super confident in a pick for this one, I'm inclined to pick Hooker because I think this fight plays out a lot like Poirier vs Gaethje did. 

Hooker by stoppage from knees leading to a TKO in the 4th round. 

Dan Hardy UFC 257 Breakdown: McGregor vs Poirier 2