With UFC 225 a full go, Sin City Sports Mockery UFC writer Sina Pahlevan gives you his picks and analysis heading into Saturday night’s tilt in Chicago.
[C] Robert Whittaker (20-4) vs. [#1] Yoel Romero (13-2)
Every time I think about this fight I get the chills. Romero simply defies human logic. This man is a 41-year-old physical freak of nature who has the ability to do ANYTHING he wants inside the octagon. Despite his age, Romero can be considered one of the most physically talented fighters in the UFC. Oh, and I forgot to mention that he was an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling. The brutality and explosiveness you see when you watch a Romero fight is absolutely absurd. When looking at the entire middleweight division, it’s kind of hard to pick against the guy in any fight. Any fight, except for one. Whittaker has “future star” written all across his forehead. If I were to design a fighter to beat Romero, I’d need precise technical ability on the feet, the ability to defend the takedown, quickness, and a jaw. Well, Whittaker has all of that and then some. Whittaker beat Romero the last time they stood across from each other in the cage, even though he injured his leg early in that fight, to win the interim middleweight championship. I’m not 100 percent sold on this fight just because that random variable of insanity I keep talking about will be ever so present in any fight with Romero in it, but I’m going to go ahead and take Whittaker for this fight. I’m going to bet on Whittaker’s fight IQ and technical ability to put Romero away. PICK: Whittaker by unanimous decision.
[#1] Rafael Dos Anjos (28-9) vs. [#4] Colby Covington (13-1)
Everyone has to have SOME level of interest in this fight. Covington has drawn a lot of attention to himself this past year with his blatantly disrespectful statements and controversial actions. Everyone seems to hate Covington. Literally everyone, but maybe that’s what he wants, who knows? What we do know is that his trash talking isn’t the only thing that has gotten him to this point. His talent has too. Sporting a 13-1 professional record, and coming off a win against Demian Maia, Covington is currently on a roll. He’s a former NCAA division I wrestler and a two time Pac-10 conference champion, so we know he’s going to be looking to put Dos Anjos on his back. The thing is Dos Anjos is a brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt so I don’t know if that’s necessarily the smartest thing to do for Colby Covington but I wouldn’t advise him to stand and trade with Dos Anjos anyway. Dos Anjos can be as quick and explosive on the feet as anyone in the 170 lb. division (just ask Anthony Pettis). When looking at this fight logically and analyzing it talent-wise, I’m inclined to pick Dos Anjos… but I just can’t. I have no explanation for this but for some reason I really believe Covington is going to rise to the occasion and pull out a win. I’ll take Covington by unanimous decision, but wouldn’t be surprised by a split decision win. PICK: Covington by unanimous decision
Holly Holm (11-4) vs. Megan Anderson (8-2)
The UFC is trying extremely hard to build up the women’s featherweight division. Holm has fought most of her career at 135. She moved up to 145 only recently when she fought Cyborg, so I am a little surprised that she decided to stay at this weight. Fighting bigger girls might not be as fun, in my opinion. Anderson has fought at featherweight most of her career so she will be a lot more comfortable at this weight than Holly will be. Nonetheless, I’m going to take Holly in this fight. Not just because she’s a household name, but because this matchup could be very advantageous for her. Anderson tends to lean towards her Muay Thai in her fights and I just don’t know if fighting Holly on the feet is going to work out for her. Not only is Holly Holm one of the best female boxers of all time, but she is surrounded by some of the best coaches in the world at Greg Jackson’s gym, who will undoubtedly put out an efficient game plan to take out Anderson. PICK: Holly Holm by 3rd round KO.
[#9] Andrei Arlovski (27-15, 1 NC) vs. [#12] Tai Tuivasa (9-0)
We all love (and need) a good heavyweight fight every now and then, just like we all love and need a good Andrei Arlovski fight every now and then. A legend in this sport, and a man who has been in more brawls than just about anyone in the UFC, Arlovski is coming off two consecutive wins after dropping five fights in a row. Every time we think Arlovski’s career is over, he pulls off the unimaginable and revives his career somehow. To put it simply, the man is a brawler. Unfortunately, as much as I love the guy, I can’t pick him to win this fight. The 25-year-old Tuivasa is looking like not only one of the most promising prospects in the heavyweight division, but one of the most promising prospects in the UFC. The guy holds a 9-0 professional record, finishing each one of his fights in the first round. Tuivasa has a boxing and kickboxing background and has even fought at the amateur boxing level, so the talent is certainly there on the feet. Pure power and ferociousness at the heavyweight level is what you see in a Tuivasa fight, no matter the opponent. Arlovski’s brawling style isn’t going to do him any justice Saturday night. PICK: Tuivasa by 1st round KO.
CM Punk (0-1) vs Mike Jackson (0-1)
Want to hear something funny? CM Punk in the UFC. This fight is on this card for entertainment purposes and ticket sales, that’s it. CM Punk, a former WWE star, has very minimal experience in MMA, losing his debut fight the last time he fought. CM Punk is in the UFC because of his name, not because of his talent. Jackson is probably only in the UFC just so CM Punk can beat him and garner more attention. Both of these fighters aren’t UFC level fighters and there is a minuscule amount of tape on both of them so I’m going to ahead and take Punk. The UFC is going to try and build CM Punk into some sort of figure to help improve their revenue. I just don’t see how an winless Jackson beating a former WWE star like CM Punk would help the UFC in any way. PICK: CM Punk by unanimous decision.
