Well folks, the “biggest fight in UFC history” is upon us. UFC 229 will be taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile arena this Saturday. The biggest pay-per-view star in UFC history, Conor McGregor, looks to reclaim his lightweight championship from one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Tony Ferguson is taking on Anthony Pettis in the co-main event which will presumably lead to a shot at the winner of the main event. Fight fans have been drooling at this matchup for almost a year now and it is finally upon us.
Without wasting any more time, let’s get into these predictions.
#8 Michelle Waterson (15-6) vs. #9 Felice Herrig (14-7): Herrig via unanimous decision
Waterson is heading into this fight undersized so I don’t like that off the bat. She has been very efficient with her takedowns throughout her UFC stint so I’d say she definitely wants to put Herrig on her back. Herrig, who is very solid in all areas, will want to drag this fight out and slow down the tempo. She used to experiment with professional kickboxing so I expect her to hold her own the feet. Her size and reach advantage does it all for me however. I know Waterson carries a lot of hype behind her but I’m going to take Herrig in this fight.
#2 Derrick Lewis (20-5,1NC) vs. #5 Alexander Volkov (29-6): Volkov via 3rd Rd. TKO
Both fighters have been on a tear over the last couple of years so it was really difficult to pick this fight. Lewis might have a strength advantage heading into this fight, not to mention he is probably the more aggressive fighter. We know Lewis is coming for his head. The guy goes for knockouts. Volvov, the former Bellator champion, is coming off three consecutive wins against Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, and Roy Nelson. I would not be surprised if Lewis just knocks Volkov’s head clean off, but I’m going to take the hotter fighter right now. Give me Volkov with a third round knockout. Either way, we know it isn’t going the distance.
#7 Ovince St. Preux (22-11) vs. #12 Dominick Reyes (9-0): St. Preux via 2nd Rd. KO
Look, I get that Dominick Reyes is undefeated with all of his UFC bouts ending in the first round. But the question we all need to ask ourselves is… who has this guy beaten? Ovince St. Preux is a seasoned UFC veteran who has faced numerous tough opponents during his professional tenure. He even shared the cage with Jon Jones at one point. The deciding factor for me here is that regardless of record, Reyes is not the physical specimen that St. Preux is. I’m interested in Reyes but I’ll take the season veteran in this one.
#2 Tony Ferguson (25-3) vs. #8 Anthony Pettis (21-7): Ferguson via 2nd Rd. TKO
I am beyond excited for this fight. Anthony “Showtime” Pettis is known for his wild imagination inside the octagon. The former lightweight champion has pulled off some of the craziest moves we will ever see in this sport. Benson Henderson will attest to that. Nonetheless, Pettis is out of his league here. Ferguson is extremely well-rounded and is dangerous everywhere. We’re talking about a fighter who is on Khabib and Conor’s level. Ferguson can arguably be called a top 20 fighter in the world at the moment. This will not be a close fight. Give me Ferguson all day.
[C] Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0) vs. #1 Conor McGregor (21-3): Nurmagomedov via 3rd TKO
This is it. The fight we have all been waiting for and the biggest MMA fight of all time. Conor “The Notorious” McGregor will face his toughest test to date. Coming into the UFC, the questions surrounding McGregor had to do with his ground game. Can Conor win a fight against an elite wrestler who will consistently go for the takedown? He beat Chad Mendes in 2015 after Chad wrestled him to the ground for two rounds.
The truth is that Chad took that fight on two weeks notice so it would have been interesting to see how he would have done with a full training camp. Khabib Nurmagomedov is no Chad Mendes. He sports a much larger frame and is as violent as they come. Khabib can land a trip from any angle once he grabs ahold of you. The conundrum here is that they are both each other’s kryptonite. While Conor may be at a large grappling disadvantage, Khabib is at a large striking disadvantage. Conor’s best shot to win is knocking Khabib out on the feet before he gets taken to the ground.
I do not have that much faith in Conor on his back with Khabib on top of him. The problem with this is Khabib is undefeated as a fighter in his professional career. If Khabib manages to take this fight to the ground, it could be over.
They are both two of the top fighters in the world, however I believe Khabib’s grappling can guarantee him a win over any fighter in his division if the fight gets to the ground. I mean, the guy wrestled a bear at eight years old. I am beyond excited for this fight. It is one of the most intriguing fights I can remember because of the crazy stylistic matchups, so I won’t be mad no matter the result of this fight because I love both fighters. Unfortunately, only one can win.
I’m going to take Khabib in this fight. I believe he is a top 3 fighter in the world and he will pencil that in on Saturday night.
