Previewing The Biggest Fights & Finishes At UFC 172
UFC 172 is just hours away from hitting our screens, and the Baltimore-based card comes with some very high expectations. UFC President Dana White recently described the event as ‘probably the most stacked PPV ever’, and the main event between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira has been a long time coming.
There are also some thoroughly exciting matches elsewhere on the card, spreading nicely across the main and preliminary section of the evening. Here are my picks for the evening’s best fights and biggest finishes:
Glover Teixeira will break ‘Bones’
As much of a bookies favourite and dominant champ that Jones is, I just have a gut feeling that Teixeira is coming home with a knockout win. Just as Chris Weidman was the heavy underdog against Anderson Silva at UFC 162, I feel GT’s abilities are highly underestimated ahead of his bout with ‘Bones’. Be prepared for a shocking and emotional finish to the evening’s proceedings.
Joseph Benavidez and Tim Elliott will take ‘Fight of the Night’
The flyweights always come to fight, and what we have here is a case of two top-level guys with endless engines. Benavidez is as tough as they come, and already having challenged for the title twice will be a great advantage. His gym over at Team Alpha Male is an ever-improving environment. The southpaw from Wichita is a tricky opponent with a very game style.
Elliott put in a great show against current title challenger Ali Bagautinov, and I feel we are yet to see his best in the octagon. Three rounds of high-pace action is in the cards for JB and Elliott, and I’d have to give Benavidez the nod.
Anthony Johnson will rumble ‘Mr Wonderful’
Phil Davis has been climbing the ladder at lhw for a while now, but I think his ascent will stop (at least for now) when he faces the returning Anthony Johnson. ‘Rumble’ has some serious power and finishing ability, and I’m finding it hard to imagine Davis avoiding getting hit the whole fight. Davis’ grappling is his biggest play, but will it be enough to stifle Johnson’s striking?
Well, Rashad Evans’ influence during ‘Rumble’s’ camp may well be the difference maker here. If I had a mortgage to bet, it’d be going on a Johnson knockout for sure.
Also worth watching out for is Pride FC favourite Takanori Gomi as he goes up against Jackson’s MMA product Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Danny Castillo will look to fend off ‘Spaniard’ Charlie Brenneman, Luke Rockhold will probably smash Tim Boetsch at middleweight, and Max Holloway vs. Andre Fili is a fight to watch in my books. Bring on UFC 172!
