We have an action-packed card tonight for the 25th anniversary of the birth of the UFC. The first UFC was November 12, 1993 where Royce Gracie dominated the card and introduced the world to the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Now 25 years later every MMA fighter has Jiu jitsu in their training. I would like to take a second and thank the three men who created the UFC, first is promoter Art Davie, next is the creator Rorion Gracie, and finally is Royce himself. I’ve had many conversations over the years with Royce (being a student of his) and how much everything has changed. He said it best, “its no longer style vs style, but athlete vs athlete.” Tonight, we will see the best MMA athletes on the planet put it all on the line.

In our Main event we have Daniel Cormier squaring off against Derrick Lewis. DC is a 2-division belt holder and is also undefeated in heavyweight. Derrick is coming off a last minute 3rd round KO against Volkan just a few short weeks ago. This is going to be a great fight between two guys that will leave it all out there. In the co-main we have former champ Chris Weidman taking on late replacement Jacare Souza. Both guys are looking to make a statement and get their name out into the mix for a future title fight. We start the action off on UFC Fight Pass for the early prelims.

 

UFC FUGHT PASS EARLY PRELIMS 6:15 PM

Adam Wieczorek 10-1 vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima 15-6

Adam has three KO/TKO six submissions, and one decision win. He has six 1st round wins and is riding a nine-fight win streak. He has great conditioning, and a solid overall skill set. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Marcos has twelve KO/TKO two submissions, and one decision win. He has twelve 1st round wins and is 4-3 in his last seven fights. He was a member of Team Sonnen on TUF Brazil 3. He is a former kickboxing champion. He has a win over Paulo Filhio.

What a great way to start the night off. Adam will look to get inside and try and take this fight to the ground. He will need to outwork his opponent and grind him down. Marcos will look for another KO. He will look for either a combination that leads to the cage and look for the big finish or ground and pound. He will need to try and stay away from the guard game of Adam.  I see the fight going the distance and Adam picking up the win.

 

Brian Kelleher 19-9 vs Montel Jackson 6-1 - CANCELLED

Brian has seven KO/TKO eight submissions and four decision wins. He has eight 1st round wins. He has won nine of his last eleven. He holds a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. He has a win over Renan Barao. He has a Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus.

Montel has five KO/TKO and one decision win. He has three 1st round wins. He has a blue belt in Jiu jitsu. He has a great ability to adapt fast in a fight.

I see this fight as a mismatch. Brian just has so much more experience than Montel. Brian will look to take it to the ground and use some ground and pound to soften up his opponent and then go for the submission. Montel needs to keep this fight on his feet. He will need to stay away from the ground work of Brian. In the end I see Brian just being dominate in the fight and picking up the win.

 

Shane Burgos 10-1 vs Kurt Holobaugh 17-5

Shane has four KO/TKO, four submissions, and two decision wins. He has five 1st round wins. He has some grappling background and has competed in several NAGA and Grapplers quest events. He has two Fight of the Night bonuses.

Kurt has five KO/TKO, eight submissions, and four decision wins. He has nine 1st round wins and is on a four-fight losing streak. He has a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has a Fight of the Night bonus.

I like this matchup. Shane will have to be careful going to the ground. He will need to try and keep the fight standing and wear down his opponent. Kurt will look to take the fight to the ground and start to use his Jiu jitsu and get a submission. I see this fight being a great back and forth battle between the two as well as stand up and ground work. In the end I see the fight going to a decision and Kurt with the win.

 

Matt Frevola 6-0 vs Lando Vannata 9-3-1

Matt has one KO/TKO, three submissions, and two decision wins. He has three 1st round wins. He holds a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. He has a very well-rounded game.

Lando has four KO/TKO, four submissions, and one decision wins. He has seven 1st round wins. He wrestled for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He also is a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. He does have a loss early in his career to Tony Ferguson. He has three Fight of the Night, and one Performance of the Night bonuses.

Good matchup for both. Matt is riding a six-fight undefeated streak coming in. He will need to be cautious taking it to the ground, as his opponent has an excellent ground game. He will look to keep it on his feet. Lando will look to secure a takedown and start to use his ground game. This will be an exciting even matchup. I see it going the distance and Matt continuing his winning ways.

 

PRELIMS FOX SPORTS 1 8:00 PM

Lyman Good 19-4 vs Ben Saunders 22-10-2

Lyman has nine KO/TKO, three submissions, and seven decision wins. He has six 1st round wins. He is also 5-1 in his last six fights. He is a former Bellator Welterweight Champion. He has wins over Nah-Shon Burrell, Hector Urbina, and Mike Dolce. He hasn’t fought in over a year. He is well rounded.

Ben has eleven KO/TKO, six submissions, and five decision wins. He has twelve 1st round wins. He has a black belt in Jiu jitsu. He also has a 17 second submission win. He has wins over Court McGee, Marcus Davis, Joe Riggs, and Jake Ellenberger.

Tough matchup for Lyman to have after a year off. He will need to settle into the fight and not gas himself out. He needs to keep the fight on his feet and avoid the dangerous ground game of Ben. Ben needs to push the pace and wear his opponent down. Ben needs to get it to the ground and look for a submission. In the end Ben will just outwork Lyman and get the win.

 

Julio Arce 15-2 vs Sheymon Moraes 10-1

Julio has three KO/TKO, five submissions, and seven decision wins. He has two 1st round wins. He is on a seven-fight win streak. Was a 2011 Golden Gloves Boxer and is also a former kickboxing champion.

Sheymon has five KO/TKO, and five decision wins. He also has two 1st round wins. He has won three of his last four. He is a three-time Brazilian Kickboxing Champ, and a two-time Muay Thai Champ. He is a purple belt in judo, and a blue belt in Jiu jitsu.

Good matchup. Julio will need to take the fight to the ground and avoid the world class striking of Sheymon. If Julio keeps it standing he will need to be very technical and not waste any punches or kicks. Sheymon will look to get into some type of clinch. He will use his Muay Thai in the clinch and or use his judo and take the fight to the ground. I see the fight going the distance and Sheymon on top.

 

Sijara Eubanks 4-2 vs Roxanne Modafferi 22-15

Sijara has two KO/TKO and two decision wins. Both of her KO’s have come int the 1st round. She was on Team Alvarez for TUF 26. She holds a black belt in Jiu jitsu. She is a seven-time IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Champion. She has great top pressure.

Roxanne has four KO/TKO, five submissions, and thirteen decision wins. She was a member of Team Tate TUF 18 and a member of Team Gaethje TUF 26. She has a brown belt in both Jiu jitsu and judo. She has a Fight of the Night bonus.

Great matchup. Sijara already holds a victory over Roxanne. They are both very evenly skilled and should be a great back and forth battle. Sijara will use her world class Jiu jitsu to stay on top of Roxanne and look for a submission. Roxanne needs to use her striking and reach to keep the fight standing. She is a veteran and a pioneer of women’s MMA, so she knows how to adapt quickly. In the end I see Sijara with the win.

 

Jason Knight 20-5 vs Jordan Rinaldi 13-6

Jason has three KO/TKO, thirteen submissions, and four decision wins. He has eight 1st round wins. He has won four of his last seven fights. He has wins over Alex Caceres, and Dan Hooker. He has two Performance of the Night, and one Fight of the Night bonuses. He has a good ground game.

Jordan has one KO/TKO, eight submissions, and four decision wins. He has five 1st round wins. He has a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has won six of his last eight fights. He holds a win over Dennis Bermudez.

Good matchup. Jason will look to take the fight to the ground and use his Jiu jitsu and look for a submission. Jordan will most likely have the same game plan. This fight will be decided on the ground and will come to a battle of sweeps and reversals. Who ever makes that crucial error will lose. I see the fight going all three rounds with Jason on top.

 

MAIN EVENT PPV 10PM

Derek Brunson 18-6 vs Israel Adesany 14-0

Derek has eleven KO/TKO, three submissions and four decision wins. He has fourteen 1st round wins and has won nine of his last thirteen. He is a former three-time Division 2 All American Wrestler. He has wins over Lyoto Machida, Ed Herman, Chris Leben and Uriah Hall. He has lots of speed and power. He has one Performance of the Night, and two Fight of the Night bonuses.

Israel has twelve KO/TKO and two decision wins in his undefeated career. He has five 1st round wins. He was 75-4 as a Kickboxer and 5-1 as a pro boxer. He is a blue belt under World Champion Andre Galvao. He has a win over Brad Tavares. He has two Performance of the Night bonuses.

Great way to kick off the PPV. Derek will need to get in quickly and take the fight to the ground. He does have good striking, but his opponent is superior in that category. Israel needs to avoid the takedown and work on his kicks to setup his punches. I see this being a potential slug fest with Israel on top.

 

Karl Roberson 6-1 vs Jack Marshman 22-7

Karl has two KO/TKO, three submissions, and one decision wins. He has five 1st round wins.  Is a Glory Kickboxing Veteran. He has a win over Darren Stewart. Has great standup.

Jack has thirteen KO/TKO, five submission, and four decision wins. He has ten 1st round wins. He has won eight of his last ten. Is a purple belt in Jiu jitsu and has excellent boxing skills.

This is a mismatch, Karl just doesn’t have the experience that Jack does. He does have some Glory Kickboxing experience, but the rounds are much shorter and you only strike. He will need to use his kicks to keep Jack away from any takedowns. Jack is a solid well-rounded fighter that will look to take the fight to the ground. I see him doing some ground and pound and eventually getting the win tonight.

 

David Branch 21-4 vs Jared Cannonier 10-4

David has six KO/TKO, seven submissions, and eight decision wins. He has six 1st round wins and has won twelve of his last thirteen fights. He is a two-time Pan Am Champ in Jiu jitsu. He holds a black belt under Renzo Gracie. He is a former Middle and Lightweight Champion in WSOF. He has wins over Thiago Santos, Jesse Taylor, and Yushin Okami. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Jared has six KO/TKO, two submissions, two decision wins. He has six 1st round wins. He has great footwork and boxing which allows him to cut angles and strike. He has a Fight of the Night bonus.

David will look to get inside and go for a takedown. He will out grapple Jared on the ground. Jared needs to keep the fight standing and be a counter puncher. He needs to avoid the world class grappling of David. In the end I see David getting a quick victory tonight.

 

Co-Main

Chris Weidman 14-3 vs Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza 25-6

Chris has six KO/TKO, four submissions, and four decision wins. He has six 1st round wins. He is a former UFC Champ. He has defeated Phil Davis and Ryan Bader will wrestling in college. Is the 2009 Brazilian US Jiu Jitsu Champ. He has wins over Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida, Damian Maia, and Anderson Silva twice. He has a dominating ground game with big takedowns. Also, is a very technical striker. He has one Performance of the Night, two Fight of the Night, two Knockout of the Night, and one Submission of the Night bonuses.

Jacare has seven KO/TKO, fourteen submissions, and four decision wins. He has eighteen 1st round wins. He has won elven of his last fourteen.  He is the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. He is a Jiu jitsu world champion as well as an ADCC Champion. He holds a black belt in Jiu jitsu. He has wins over Gegard Mousasi, Yushin Okami, Vitor Belfort and Derek Brunson.

This is an amazing fight and could be a min event one for sure. Chris has an amazing takedown game that he will look to use. But he will also need to ensure he stays on top of Jacare if it goes to the ground and use lots of pressure and ground and pound. Jacare will look to use some strikes to setup some type of takedown. He as well will look to use some ground and pound to soften Chris up and look for the submission. I see this fight going two rounds and Jacare with an upset.

 

MAIN EVENT

Daniel Cormier 21-1 vs Derrick Lewis 21-5

DC has ten KO/TKO, four submissions, and seven decision wins. He is 14-0 as a heavyweight. He is also the current UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion. He has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. He is a two-time Olympic wrestler. He has wins over Dan Henderson, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Alexander Gustafson, Anthony Smith and Anderson Silva. He has a huge takedown game and really favors a high crotch takedown. He also has a big over hand right he setup as well. He has good cardio for a bigger guy. He is a ground and pound specialist and uses his pressure to help pass guard.

Derrick has eighteen KO/TKO, one submission, and two decision wins. He has seven 1st round wins. He has won nine of his last ten. He has lots of power, and a huge over hand right that devastates people. He has a huge heart and never stops. He has wins over Travis Browne, Roy Nelson, Francis Ngannou, and Gabe Gonzaga. He just came off a huge come from behind last-minute KO against Volkov.

This is going to be fireworks. DC will look for his high crotch takedown and start some ground and pound. He will also push the pace and wear the big guy out. There is going to be roughly a 30-pound difference, so DC will have the cardio. He will also look to back the fight into the cage go for a double leg and work some strikes up against the fence.

Derrick will look to stay on his feet and try and control the tempo. He needs to avoid going to the ground at all costs. DC will just out work him and drain all his energy. Derrick needs to setup combinations and not always look for that one big punch to end the fight. He needs to be smart on his aggression and striking against the lighter faster opponent. In the end I see the fight going three to four rounds and DC still the Champ.


 

CASH

  

GPP

 

CORMIER

9600

 

BRUNSON

7100

SOUZA

7700

 

GOOD

9500

VANNATA

8900

 

LEWIS

6600

MARSHMAN

7500

 

WEIDMAN

8500

BRANCH

9300

 

BURGOS

9000

MORAES

7000

 

CANNONIER

6900