UFC 249
Tony Ferguson (25-3-0) vs Justin Gaethje (21-2-0)
The main event of UFC 249 features Ferguson vs Gaethje for the lightweight interim belt. Both fighters are known to welcome a brawl; I would not expect this fight to go the distance. And if Tony Ferguson is fighting, expect blood to be spilled.
Tony Ferguson is on a 12 fight win streak and has not been defeated in nearly nine years. His last four fights consists of victories over Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee and Rafael dos Anjos. Tony is currently on one of the most impressive winning streaks in UFC history and does not plan on stopping until he is the UFC lightweight champion of the world. As Tony would put it, Champ Shit Only. Ferguson is arguably the most well rounded fighter in the UFC with his NCWA national champion wrestling accolateds, 10th planet BJJ black belt, 12 wins by KO/TKO and 8 wins via submission. Tony is truly dangerous in every position.
Gaethje is currently on a three fight win streak with wins over Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and James Vick. Prior to his three fight win streak; Gaethje suffered back to back defeats with a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier and KO loss to Eddie Alvarez. Gaethje, a NCAA national champion continues to receive heavy criticism for not using his wrestling in MMA. It will be interesting to watch if he decides to utilize his wrestling in this fight against another solid wrestler who is extremely dangerous off of his back. You should expect Gaethje to do what he always does, stay in the pocket and throw heavy hands. This is why he is a fan favorite and in my opinion, this is his best chance to defeat Tony.
Prediction: Tony Ferguson secures the lightweight interim belt and the UFC matches Ferguson vs Khabib, again.
Henry Cejudo (15-2-0) vs Dominick Cruz (22-2-0)
The Co-Main Event features a bantamweight championship bout where Henry Cejudo will look to defend his belt versus Dominick Cruz. Recently, Cejudo has been on a tear. Since his loss to Joseph Benavidez in 2016, Cejudo has won all five of his fights including a flyweight title and a bantamweight title. He seems to get better every time he steps into the octagon. Cejudo has some insanely impressive wins under his belt; he dethroned the long time champ Demetrious Johnson, he flat-lined TJ Dillashaw in 32 seconds for the bantamweight belt and he TKO’d Moraes in the third round to defend his bantamweight belt. It would be really hard to justify Henry Cejudo not being in the top 3 pound for pound rankings.
Dominick Cruz is coming off a long lay away after being defeated by Cody Garbrant in a fight where he was picked apart. Cruz is not the most active fighter, having only fought four times since 2011, but he is confident in his beliefs that “ring rust” does not affect him. Cruz is a hard guy to game plan against, he is constantly moving in his unorthodox stance. Cruz has beaten so many legends since entering the UFC. He has wins over Faber, Dillashaw, Johnson and Benavidez. If I am being honest, I am not sure how Cruz got this opportunity. Don't get me wrong, Cruz is a great fighter that boasts an amazing resume but his last fight was in 2016 where he was picked apart by Cody Garbrandt who is currently ranked #9 in the bantamweight division. It would have been nice to see someone like Petr Yan or Aljamain Sterling get the shot they deserve.
Prediction : Triple C remains the Champ.
Francis Ngannou (14-3-0) vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-0-0)
Francis is riding a three fight first round KO streak against Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, and Junior dos Santos. If you’ve watched Francis fight in the past, you know why he is one of the most feared men in MMA. Since entering the UFC in 2015, Ngannou has been one of the most active heavyweight fighters. He has gone (9-2-0) in the UFC with eight victories by KO/TKO and one win via submission. Both of his losses were by way of decision.
Rozenstruik has made a name for himself in 2019 when he entered the UFC. He fought four times, winning all four bouts by KO/TKO. He has a dangerous left hand and is probably the only heavyweight fighter that can match Ngannou’s power. His KO win over Alistair Overeem with four seconds left in the fight is one of the most memorable KO highlights in recent time. Rozenstruik is hot right now and he will be looking for his fifth KO in a row against a dangerous Francis Ngannou.
Prediction: I’m going against my gut feeling and taking Ngannou simply due to the higher level of opponents he has faced.
Jeremy Stephens (28-17-0) vs Calvin Kattar (20-4-0)
This match up has fight of the night written all over it. With three losses in a row, Jeremy Stephens is looking to get back in the win column and move higher up in the Featherweight division. Currently ranked #7, Stephens has continuously fought high level fighters since entering the UFC 13 years ago. He rarely has a boring fight and always brings the intensity. Stephens has victories over legends such as Gilbert Melendez, Dennis Bermudez and Rafael dos Anjos.
Calvin Kattar is looking to prove that he is for real with all of the well deserved hype that surrounds his name. In his last fight against Zabit, Katter showed how good he can be. After losing the first two rounds, Katter swarmed Zabit and out classed him on his feet. Katter has some impressive wins. A few that stand out is his TKO victory of Ricardo Lamas and his UFC debut victory over Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili. Katter has some of the best boxing in the featherweight division and has a worthy opponent who is always down to stand and trade.
Prediction: Katter gets the win by out boxing Stephens.
Greg Hardy (5-2-0, 1 NC) vs Yorgan De Castro (6-0-0)
Every time I pick against Greg Hardy he wins. Every time I pick him to win he loses or the fight gets overturned by the commission because he is using an illegal inhaler in between rounds. I am not sure what to think of Hardy as an MMA fighter yet. Hardy has a record of (2-2-0,1NC) in the UFC. He has yet to fight a guy who has multiple victories in the UFC and usually gets pretty favorable match ups. Only one of his five UFC opponents is currently in the UFC. Hardy is a super athlete that has earned victories mostly due to his size, strength and athleticism. With that being said, in his last couple of fights you can tell he has developed a ton of MMA skills and I would expect him to have developed even further from his last fight in November of 2019.
Yorgan De Castro is coming off of a huge KO against Justin Tafa. Yorgan packs a ton of power in his punches and has won five of his six fights by KO/TKO. Yorgan won via TKO on Dana White’s Contender Series and his only fight in the UFC is the Justin Tafa KO. There are still a lot of unknowns in Yorgan De Castro’s game as we have only really seen him fight high level opponents twice. Pretty common theme in Greg Hardy’s opponents.
Prediction: Greg Hardy secures the victory.
Anthony Pettis (22-10-0) vs Donald Cerrone (36-14-1)
For the second time in their careers, Anthony Showtime Pettis and Donald Cowboy Cerrone will face off against each other. In the first match up between Pettis and Cerrone, Pettis won via TKO after delivering a deadly liver kick followed by a fury of punches. Both fighters have had a great career filled with highlight reel finishes making them some of the few fighters you must tune in to watch every time they step into the octagon. They are both at a similar part of their career and I absolutely love this match up.
Since winning the belt in 2013, Pettis has had a record of (5-8). This is completely due to the level of opponents he has faced. Showtime is a walking highlight reel with impressive victories at featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight against some great fighters such as Stephen Thompson, Michael Chiesa, Charles Oliveira, and Benson Henderson. Pettis is the most creative striker in the game and has very slick BJJ off of his back.
Donald Cerrone may be the most loved MMA fighter of all time for good reason. He constantly takes fights on short notice and is not afraid to fight anyone. Cowboy is coming off of three straight TKO loses against Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, and Conor McGregor. Cowboy has a stockpile of victories against great opponents such as Edson Barboza, Eddie Alverez, Benson Henderson, Matt Brown, and Al Iaquinta. Both fighters are as tough as they come, this should be a great stand up battle between two vets.
Prediction: Pettis earns a KO victory and KO of the night bonus.