UFC 251: Fight Island Predictions
The UFC returns this Saturday for the first in a series of events scheduled to take place over the next four and a half weeks, culminating in the highly anticipated rubber match between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. The next several events will be held in Abu Dhabi on the now famous, or infamous, Fight Island. With coronavirus shutting down most sporting events in the US, Dana White and the UFC believe they have found a workable solution overseas. The idea is similar to the NBA Orlando bubble, participants will go through rigorous testing before departing for the island and will be in isolation for the duration of their stay. In theory this will allow fights to go on uninterrupted while the US continues to bungle our pandemic response.
Unfortunately things have not gone off without a hitch as Gilbert Burns, originally slated to face Kamaru Usman for the Welterweight title, is out after testing positive for COVID-19. Perhaps a sign we’re not ready to bring back non essential events like this regardless of the precautions taken, but Jorge Masvidal has stepped in on just a few days notice to salvage the main event, having seemingly solved his compensation issues with Dana White and the UFC.. That leaves us with three title bouts, Rose Namajunas’ rematch against Jéssica Andrade and an opening fight featuring fan favorite Paige VanZant and 9-1 Amanda Ribas.
Our plan is to record a show immediately following the event in order to give our reactions but we wanted to also go on record with our predictions for UFC’s biggest event of the year. Keep scrolling to get our picks for Fight Island and leave your thoughts in the comments!
Usman VS Masvidal is particularly interesting as it features two skilled fighters both at the top of their games. Masvidal has gone from relative unknown to (relative) stardom after a string of extraordinary victories over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz. Despite being 35 years old with 48 career fights, this is Masvidal’s first shot at a UFC title. Usman is riding a 15 fight win streak, with dominant performances against Tyron Woolley and Colby Covington in his last two. This is the fight everyone wanted to see and it speaks to UFC’s continuous struggles selling it’s events to fans that it took Burns falling ill to get it on the card.
Brodny- Usman by TKO in the 4th
Sidique- Usman by Unanimous Decision
Jose- Usman by Submission in the 2nd
Eric- Usman by KO in the 5th
Tale of the tape from Holloway v Volkanovski 1
Arguably the most intriguing fight on the card is the rematch between Volkanovski and Holloway for the featherweight championship. Volkanovski took a competitive and entertaining fight via unanimous decision due in large part to his early work attacking Holloway’s legs. It robbed Holloway of his movement and ability to switch styles on the fly, making it a more predictable affair for the former rugby player. If Holloway finds a way to check or avoid those leg kicks, he’ll have a great shot at regaining his former crown.
Brodny- Holloway by Split Decision
Sidique- Volkanovski by Unanimous Decision
Jose- Holloway by Unanimous Decision
Eric- Holloway by Unanimous Decision
Yan VS Aldo is for the vacant bantamweight belt. Yan is 27 and ascending, having started 6-0 in the UFC. Aldo on the other hand has an impressive overall record of 28-6 but 5 of those losses have come in his last 8 fights. At the age of 33 Aldo’s best days are behind him. To me this fight looks like a coronation for Yan in one of the hottest divisions in the sport. I fully expect a spectacular win setting up a big time fight with someone like Sterling or a resurgent Cody Garbrandt.
Brodny- Yan by KO in the 2nd
Sidique- Yan by TKO in the 4th
Jose- Yan by Unanimous Decision
Eric- Aldo by Unanimous Decision
Rose Namajunas lost her belt to Andrade in a shocking upset a bit over a year ago. Andrade went on to lose the belt to Zhang Weili in less than a minute while Rose took some time away. Tomorrow Namajunas returns for revenge and I don’t see how a game but overmatched Andrade stops her.
Brodny- Namajunas by TKO in the 3rd
Sidique- Namajunas by KO in the 1st
Jose- Namajunas by KO in the 2nd
Eric- Namajunas by Unanimous Decision
The opening fight on the UFC 251 main card pits fan favorite Paige VanZant against 9-1 Amanda Ribas. VanZant has said she will leave UFC after this fight, dissatisfied with her pay and treatment. While not a great fighter VanZant has always had a big following and an up and coming prospect like Ribas could get a significant boost if she’s able to pull off the victory, which most expect she will.
Brodny- Ribas by Submission in the 2nd
Sidique- Ribas by Unanimous Decision
Jose- Ribas by Submission in the 1st
Eric- Ribas by KO in the 1st