UFC 225 preview and predictions

UFC 225, Chicago, is arguably the biggest card of the year to date. Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker will put his middleweight belt on the line in a rematch against Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero.

Not only that, fight fans will see Rafael Dos Anjos face off against the divisive Colby Covington for the interim welterweight title.

Whittaker vs Romero – Middleweight Title
Robert Whittaker comes into the fight with the confidence of knowing that he has already defeated Yoel Romero at UFC 213, which ultimately led to him being awarded the middleweight title in strange circumstances.

But make no mistake, Whittaker is the deserved champion. He’s been out of the octagon for almost 12 months with injury and illness, but should come into this fight in as good a shape as ever.

An Olympic silver medallist, it’ll be interesting to see how Romero approaches this fight. Whittaker’s takedown defence is excellent having stuffed 86 per cent of takedowns in his UFC career to date. But Romero’s skills go far further, with devastating fists and a deadly knee.

Whittaker’s strengths lie in his accurate striking, very heavy hands and the right head kick he throws in a combination, where opponents often duck into while avoiding punches. He also has a very good straight ‘Sparta’ kick to keep the range.

This will probably be Romero’s last chance at getting the elusive title he so badly craves. At 41 years of age, he is physically an enormous middleweight, but if he can’t get the win, surely, surely his body begins to slow. Either way, a third shot at Whittaker won’t be an attractive option in the future.

Prediction: Robert Whittaker will put on another clinic, out striking Romero and largely keeping his wrestling at bay. Whittaker will pick Romero apart with his unorthodox striking, and getting the KO/TKO in the fourth round.

(AP Photo/John Locher)

Rafael Dos Anjos vs Colby Covington – Interim Welterweight Title
RDA is a legend of the sport. He is a former lightweight champion who’s defeated the best the division had to offer (Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, “Cowboy” Cerrrone). Since losing the title and moving to welterweight, he has defeated Neil Magny and Robbie Lawler.

Covington, on the other hand, has a 13-1 MMA record, but this only includes Demian Maia of credible top 10 opponents, and Maia is certainly on the decline. He has made many headlines with controversial (to be polite) statements.

He relies on his wrestling to control opponents and this will no doubt be his game plan against RDA, who is aggressive and throws strikes in large volumes.

Prediction: Rafael Dos Anjos’ experience and well rounded MMA skillset will prove far too much for Covington.

RDA will come out hard and fast and catch Covington with a flurry of punches after forcing him against the cage late in the first round.

This sets up an intriguing encounter against current champion Woodley in the near future.

Holly Holm vs Megan Anderson – Women’s Featherweight
Anderson makes her UFC debut after moving from Invicta FC against former champion in Holly Holm, who spectacularly knocked out… what’s her name again? Uh-erm, oh, right, Ronda Rousey.

The interesting thing about this fight is that the winner is likely to face Chris Cyborg, who may well actually be a cyborg. We are still awaiting confirmation either way.

Anderson is a powerful striker and on a four-fight win streak before joining the UFC, all via KO. She also hasn’t found in about 18 months which could very well play into Holm’s hands if she’s a little slow out of the blocks.

Holm needs less introduction, though if you don’t follow the sport closely, you may not know that she has gone 4-1 since that incredible, career destroying head kick that she laid on Rousey.

To highlight the lack of depth in the division, she got a title shot despite her less than impressive recent streak. Though she did manage to survive the five rounds against Cyborg, which is practically a win.

Prediction: Holly Holm will keep Anderson at range with her precision boxing. It could get a little scrappy at times if Anderson pushes the pace, but Holm’s experience will see her through in a 29-28 (x3) points decision victory.

Not a bad result for Anderson or the UFC, because she is not quite ready to fight Cyborg.

(AAP Image/Joe Castro)

Andrei Arlovski vs Tai Tuivasa – Heavyweight
Australian Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa is quickly becoming a favourite within the MMA community. He’s young, has character – did you see him do the “shoey” after his last win? Plus he is 7-0 all coming via first round knock out.

Arlovski will enter the octagon as the far more experienced fighter with a record of 27 – 15. He’s fought the who’s who of the division, but against the top contenders have all been losses (Ngannou, Miocic, Overeem). He’s a dangerous striker and a decent grappler.

Prediction: I’m going to say this is the card where “Bam Bam” arrives and establishes himself as a genuine top 10 contender and a real fan favourite.

There’s a lot of hype here in Australia, but the US is where he needs to make a name for himself and Chicago is the perfect chance for that.

Tuivasa will come out and set the pace as he so often does, and the cement fists will come too hard and too fast, rocking Arlovski to the floor.

I also predict another shoey, hopefully this time in the cage.

CM Punk vs Mike Jackson
I’m hesitant to even write about this fight. CM Punk shouldn’t even be allowed to fight in the UFC, let alone on the main card after an embarrassing debut.

Yes, he will probably (I assume) boost PPV buys, but that’s about all. He has a WWE wrestling background, which adds up to about nothing inside the octagon.

As for Jackson, well, he’s also 0-1 and I know next to nothing about him. Apparently he’s an okay striker.

The stakes are equal for both fighters; a loss will be the end of the UFC dream for both fighters, though a win to either, particularly Punk, won’t really count for a whole lot.

Prediction: I hope with all my heart that Punk walks into a heavy blow and is put to sleep within 90 seconds. Is this likely? I have absolutely no idea. But let’s end this ‘experiment’ now.