UFC 205 – Preview Part Two

Probably the most excited fighter to be appearing on the NYC card!

New York native and former UFC middleweight champion, Chris Weidman, gets the chance to fire himself back in to contention in the middleweight division following the loss to Luke Rockhold that cost him his title.

Weidman faces Yoel Romero in a fight that could easily be a number one contender bout to see who Michael Bisping faces next. Weidman and Romero are returning from significant lay offs, albeit for very different reasons. Weidman has been on the sidelines recuperating from surgery on his neck, whilst Romero has been serving a suspension having tested positive for banned substances after his fight with Jacare Souza.

Both of these fighters will be desperate for the opportunity to take on the mouthy Brit, and both fighters having a style that could prove troublesome for Bisping. Woodman and Romero have very good grappling games, although Romero has the Olympic pedigree where as Weidman has an underrated submission game. So, with that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the fight stays on the feet. Romero is by far the more creative striker of the two, with Weidman being more conventional and with both fighters having shown KO power previously in the UFC, don’t expect the fight to make it the full three rounds… especially if Romero’s pace slows down in the second round, as he has in every fight of his UFC career. 

Prediction: Weidman by TKO round two

In what would have been a fight fan’s dream…

Donald Cerrone was originally scheduled to face Robbie Lawler on this card, instead he finds himself opposite Kelvin Gastelum, who may not be Robbie Lawler but isn’t exactly a walkover for Cerrone either.

Cerrone comes is on a hot streak at 170lbs, and after destroying a tough Rick Story in his last fight, ‘Cowboy’ is closing in on a shot at the welterweight title. Now that he no longer has to make the arduous weight cut to make the lightweight limit, Cerrone looks a rejuvenated fighter and so far in his run at welterweight we have seen him make light work of his opponents. Along the way, Cerrone has shown off his world class striking and his underrated grappling skills in the process.

As mentioned above, Gastelum is no walkover, and after winning The Ultimate Fighter at middleweight, he’s made a decent run of things at 170lbs – the win over Johny Hendricks arguably being his biggest scalp thus far. Unfortunately for Gastelum, Cerrone is on another level to where he is right now and whilst he can make things awkward for Cerrone – especially if he comes out and pressures his opponent early, not letting him find his rhythm – it could be a long night for Gastelum.

Prediction: Cerrone via TKO round two

Was it just a blip?

Miesha Tate gets the chance to show us that her awful performance in her attempted title defence against Amanda Nunes was nothing but a blip in her career, when she faces Raquel Pennington in the opening fight of the main card.

Tate will be keen to throw herself back in to the title mix, especially now that her arch nemesis, Ronda Rousey is back. Against Raquel Pennington, Tate has the perfect opportunity.

If the former champ can come out early and impose her wrestling on Pennington, and not get sucked in to a striking battle, she should walk away with the W.

Pennington is entering this fight with a three-fight win streak at 135lbs, including wins over Bethe Correira and Jessica Andrade, who are no slouches at bantamweight. However, when Pennington has faced the elite in the division, she has struggled – the Holly Holm fight being a prime example. Pennington is a decent grappler and isn’t adverse to a submission or two, however Tate has the edge on the canvas and Pennington’s best bet is going to be exploiting Tate’s rudimentary and often brawler type striking style and hoping she doesn’t get taken down and dominated on the canvas.

Prediction: Tate by unanimous decision

Part one of our UFC 205 preview is right HERE.
Check out our #SprawlStaffPicks for UFC 205 HERE.