There’s a long weekend of fights ahead of us so we won’t keep you long.
Conor McGregor v Jose Aldo is obviously the main course but there are plenty of nibbles to get down you before Saturday night and we’re not playing favourites.
We’ve picked the winners for UFC Fight Night 80 which includes Paige and Sage and fighters of age (sorry, Jim Miller. The rhyme was there).
Bourbon Ben Kiely: 141-79
Darragh The Quizmaster Murphy: 140-80
Rose Namajunas v Paige VanZant
BK: I’m a bit surprised Namajunas is the underdog for this one. Well, clearly I have no right to be as I do think she is going to lose the fight. I have the feeling Paige will overwhelm her with her fan-friendly, aggressive striking game.
VanZant via TKO (round three)
DM: Ben’s surprised, I’m flabbergasted that Rose is the underdog here. When you compare Namajunas to all of VanZant’s previous opponents, you see just how big a step up this is for 12 Gauge.
Granted, the UFC are using the smaller octagon for this event which benefits Paige and her desire to close the distance on Namajunas but I think Namajunas is just too technical on the feet. The hype train ends here.
Namajunas via TKO (round one)
Jim Miller v Michael Chiesa
BK: Smaller Octagon favours the power puncher. The only time Chiesa will be on the mat is when he lands flat on his ass after taking a vicious haymaker to the dome.
Miller via TKO (Round two)
DM: Again, shocked that Jim Miller is the underdog here. He owns some pretty similar weapons to Joe Lauzon who was the last man to beat Chiesa, only Miller’s got heavier hands.
We’re in for some exciting exchanges on the mat but Miller’s ground game is not to be sniffed at.
Miller via submission (round one)
Sage Northcutt v Cody Pfister
BK: Everyone knows that Pfister is a jobber and Zack from Saved by the Bell is going to run right through him. I only hope that they keep him on the roster so they can finally book the fight everyone’s been calling for. Pfister v Kuntz.
ManZant via TKO (round one)
DM: If this goes beyond the first round, Pfister might actually have a chance as Yosdenis Cedeno possesses a comparable style to Sage and Cedeno was out-gritted back at UFC 189.
Unfortunately for Pfister, it won’t go beyond the first round.
Sage via KO (round one)
Elias Theodorou v Thiago Santos
BK: Theodorou is too marketable to lose this early into his UFC career.
Theodorou via TKO round three
DM: Elias Theodorou has spent some time training with Ray Longo in the run up to this and that’s bloody good enough for me.
Theodorou via decision
