The three criteria on which these fights will be judged are action, competition, and skill level. A 10/10 ranking indicates a near perfect fight booking while a 5/10 indicates an average fight, so anything higher than that is above average on paper.

1. Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler – 10/10

Poirier and Chandler could put on a Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 281 and this fight is many fans’ most anticipated fight of the winter. Both men have put on remarkably violent and entertaining showings against all of the other members of the ‘Lightweight Circle of Violence’ which also includes Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira. However, during fight week it has seemed that Chandler has alluded to using his wrestling, saying, “I’m not here to win Fight of the Night, I’m here to get my hand raised.”

‘Iron Mike’ has not won a fight on the back of his wrestling in many years, but it is possible he takes Dustin down, as Dustin does not have the college wrestling resume of someone like Justin Gaethje, who stuffed Chandler’s takedowns when they fought a year ago. Even in that scenario though, the fight is still elite in terms of all three of action, competitiveness, and skill level. Cardio remains a question mark for Chandler while Dustin’s cardio has always been a strength of his, but power and wrestling are two great equalizers that Michael Chandler always possesses.

Poirier’s Best Fight: vs Justin Gaethje

Chandler’s Best Fight: vs Eddie Alvarez 1

The post Opinion: Ten Best Fights of UFC 281 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Arnold is currently on a nine-fight win streak and much of the public attention is on him after his impressive stoppage of Dan Hooker, while Calvin lost a very close decision to Josh Emmet. So what do the numbers say about this fight? Let’s take a look. I don’t see why not. 

It is fair to assume that most of this fight will occur on the feet. Kattar, in that regard, is a prolific striker with excellent output. He is not the best boxer in the UFC, as he once suggested, but he is up there with the best. 5.19 strikes landed per minute, great footwork, head movement, and a clean jab.

What is not spoken about enough is that Kattar is a powerful puncher. Five of his opponents hit the canvas after getting punched, and four were stopped. Are there any advantages on the Allen side when it comes to striking? Few, and those come with asterisks. Allen is sound defensively, as he absorbs 2.22 strikes per minute, but to beat Calvin, he needs volume, and Allen doesn’t have it on the paper. Landing 3.31 strikes per minute is not enough to beat Kattar.

Power-wise, Arnold is somewhat of a heavy hitter, but outside of the Hooker TKO at UFC London back in March, nothing suggests he will stop Kattar. I believe the opposite will transpire. Calvin Kattar will pressure Allen, land harder, and eventually, find a finish in the later rounds. 

Official Prediction: Calvin Kattar by TKO in Round 5  

UFC Vegas 63 takes place this Saturday, October 29, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Calvin Kattar meets Arnold Allen in the main event on ESPN+.

The post UFC Vegas 63: Is Calvin Kattar Being Disrespected? Yes. appeared first on Cageside Press.

The two 135’ers lock horns this coming Saturday, with one of them guaranteed to turn their bad luck into some good momentum. Since 2020, both fighters have had six fights cancelled each, with them previously scheduled to meet in the cage at the end of last year.

Barcelos’ last outing was against Victor Henry back in January this year and Jones’ last appearance was against the extremely impressive Javid Basharat in March. Both men in question were defeated in their respective bouts, heightening the stakes in this meeting even further. Prior to his back-to-back losses, Barcelos had only tasted defeat once before and it was back in 2014, whereas Jones has always struggled to string together a good run of victories.

Rewinding back to the Brazilian’s last fight, he was completely out-struck by Henry, 222 to 134. Not only that, but he also only secured a single takedown out of an attempted seven, finishing at a 14% success rate. He just couldn’t get his offence going. In his fight before that against Valiev, he exhibited how hard it is to get him down to the mat. Valiev attempted six takedowns in their 15 minute fight, not securing a single one.

Switching to “5 Star” Jones, the theme was pretty similar during his last outing. He was marginally out-struck by Basharat 89 to 62 with Javid being the more comfortable of the two in the striking department. As well as that, Jones attempted three takedowns in that fight, not being able to secure one.

In Barcelos’ win over Taha, he did a great job in the first round of eating away at Taha’s lead leg. Not only this, but he also entered his exchanges by throwing a front kick to back Taha up.

There is no doubt that Barcelos is the more seasoned of the two, and his vast amount of experience could play dividends in this match-up. The former LFA featherweight champion has an arsenal of different attacks and strong sides of his game that he could utilise in this fight. Jones’ nature of coming up short, in eight losses three have been via split decision, curbing his bad luck could be something he struggles with, especially against someone of Barcelos’ ilk.

Jones may look to make his 3″ reach advantage pay by staying on the outside, and it is interesting to note that in two of Barcelos’ losses, he was at a reach disadvantage.

The 35-year-old Brazilian currently finds himself as the favourite (-250) to get back into the winning column, with Jones’ + (+200) money being something that may tempt fans into backing the underdog.

In 21 fights, Jones has never had his lights turned out, and in 16 victories for Raoni, eight have came by way of knockout. My prediction is that Raoni Barcelos’ experience will pay off during this fight, and I see a world in which he gets it done by submission. Failing that, I can see him sailing to a decision victory — but this main card affair will be one of watch, with both men highly motivated to turn things around.

The post Barcelos vs. Jones: Two Bantamweights Looking to Curb Their Bad Luck Lock Horns at UFC Vegas 61 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writers	Murphy vs. Tate	Burgos vs. Jourdain	Schnell vs. Sumudaerji	Jingliang vs. Salikhov	Waterson vs. Lemos	Ortega vs. Rodriguez
Chris Prawdzik (84-42)
Gabriel Gonzalez (77-42)
Alex Behunin (72-43)
Jay Anderson (76-50)
Dan Doherty (65-45)
Eddie Law (67-55)
Jamie Theodosi (15-5)
Mike McClory (3-2)

The main event of UFC Long Island is between two featherweights who know how to deliver entertainment as Brian Ortega faces Yair Rodriguez. Ortega is coming off a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski in which he came dangerously close to submitting the champion. Rodriguez has earned a Fight of the Night bonus in his last three appearances and is looking to rebound from a loss against the most recent title challenger, Max Holloway. Ortega was picked by five of eight writers.

The co-main event features Amanda Lemos, who has quickly established herself as one of the best strawweights in the world, against Michelle Waterson. Lemos was on a five-fight win streak with three stoppages before running into former champion Jessica Andrade, who submitted her in the first round. Waterson is returning to strawweight after an unsuccessful attempt to move to flyweight as she was defeated by Marina Rodriguez. All but one writer picked Lemos.

The always entertaining Li Jingliang faces Muslim Salikhov on the main card. Jingliang has won four of his last six fights but ran into the buzzsaw that is Khamzat Chimaev in his last appearance. Salikhov, a Russian fighter known as The King of Kung Fu, is on a tear with five straight wins in the UFC. Salikhov was picked by five of eight writers.

Talented flyweights square off as Matt Schnell takes on Sumudaerji. After a two-fight losing streak, Sumudaerji has won three straight, including a 44 second knockout. Schnell has struggled after a four-fight win streak, losing in three of his last four appearances (one loss was overturned to a no contest). All but one writer picked Sumudaerji.

An early pick for Fight of the Night is in the featherweight division as Shane Burgos battles Charles Jourdain. Burgos got back in the win column after two Fight of the Night losses with a win over Billy Quarantillo last time out. Jourdain has won three of his last four with a submission over Lando Vannata most recently.

Opening the UFC Long Island main card will be former champion Miesha Tate and former title challenger Lauren Murphy. Murphy won five straight fights to earn a flyweight title shot, where she was shut down by Valentina Shevchenko in her most recent appearance. Tate returned from four-year retirement last year and has gone 1-1 since then. Tate was unanimously picked.

The post UFC Long Island – Ortega vs. Rodriguez: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writers	Munhoz vs. O'Malley	Lawler vs. Barberena	Strickland vs. Pereira	Volkanovski vs. Holloway	Adesanya vs. Cannonier
Chris Prawdzik (77-40)
Gabriel Gonzalez (71-39)
Jay Anderson (70-47)
Dan Doherty (62-44)
Eddie Law (61-52)
Jamie Theodosi (9-2)				`

UFC 276 is headlined by a great middleweight title fight between champion Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier. Adesanya returned to middleweight after his attempt to win a light heavyweight belt came up short. Since then, he’s defeated both Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker. Cannonier, a former heavyweight, defeated both Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson to earn a shot at the belt. Adesanya was unanimously picked.

The co-main event is the third fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway for the featherweight title. Volkanovski won the first two fights between the featherweight greats and has since defeated Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega. Holloway re-entered the title picture with wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. Cageside Press was split at three picks apiece.

Sean Strickland attempts to keep climbing the middleweight ladder when he takes on kickboxing great Alex Pereira. Strickland has won six straight fights to enter the top five of the division. Pereira, who defeated Israel Adesanya in a kickboxing match, is 2-0 in the Octagon with knockout and is on a fast track to a title fight if he is able to get by Strickland. Cageside Press is split at three picks apiece.

Former champion Robbie Lawler faces brawler Bryan Barberena on the main card. Lawler was able to stop a four-fight losing streak with a win over the ghost of Nick Diaz last time out. Barberena is on a two-fight win streak, defeating Matt Brown last time out. Barberena was picked by four of six writers.

Opening the main card of UFC 276 is Sean O’Malley facing a tough test in Pedro Munhoz. Munhoz has struggled recently, losing four of his last five against the upper-echelon of the bantamweight division. O’Malley has knocked out all three of his opponents since the lone loss of his career. All but one writer picked O’Malley.

The post UFC 276 – Adesanya vs. Cannonier: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Picks	Curtis vs. Vieira	Maness vs. Nurmagomedov	Moises vs. Giagos	Parisian vs. Baudot	Magny vs. Rakhmanov	Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot
Gabriel Gonzalez (69-35)
Chris Prawdzik (73-38)
Alex Behunin (61-39))
Dan Doherty (59-41)
Jay Anderson (65-46)
Jamie Theodosi (3-2)

Arman Tsarukyan and Mateusz Gamrot are on the fringe of the top 10 of the lightweight division and are known for their exciting fighting styles. They headline UFC Vegas 57 as Tsarukyan comes in on a five-fight win streak while Gamrot has stopped his last three opponents. Coincidentally, both fighters lost in their UFC debuts before going on win streaks. Tsarukyan was picked by four of six writers.

The co-main event features top prospect Shavkat Rakhmonov taking on veteran Neil Magny. Rakhmonov is 15-0 in his career, stopping every opponent he has faced. Magny has won five of his last six fights with all of those contests going the distance. Rakhmonov was unanimously picked.

Heavyweights take center stage as Josh Parisian faces Alan Baudot. Parisian is 1-2 since joining the promotion through the Contender Series. Baudot is still looking for his first victory in the Octagon, losing in all three of his appearance (one loss was overturned after). Cageside Press was split at three picks apiece.

Thiago Moises and Christos Giagos square off on the main card. Moises has lost his last two fights after building up a three-fight win streak. Giagos recently had his two-fight win streak snapped by tonight’s headliner, Arman Tsarukyan. Cageside Press was split at three picks apiece.

Umar Nurmagomedov looks to continue his rise against Nate Maness. Nurmagomedov is 2-0 in the Octagon with a pair of submissions. Maness is 3-0 since joining the promotion, stopping his last two opponents. Nurmagomedov was unanimously picked.

Opening the UFC Vegas 57 main card will be Chris Curtis and Rodolfo Vieira. Curtis is 2-0 in the Octagon in a very impressive way, knocking out Brendan Allen and Phil Hawes. Vieira, a BJJ world champion, is 3-1 in the UFC with all of his wins coming by submission. All but one writer picked Curtis.

The post UFC Vegas 57 — Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writers	Marquez vs. Rodrigues	Ismagulov vs. Kutadeladze	Buckley vs. Duraev	Means vs. Holland	Cerrone vs. Lauzon	Kattar vs. Emmett
Justin Gibbons (71-35)
Chris Prawdzik (70-36)
Gabriel Gonzalez (65-34)
Alex Behunin (59-36)
Dan Doherty (57-38)
Jay Anderson (62-44)
Eddie Law (54-48)
Jamie Theodosi (0-0)

The main event of UFC Austin is a featherweight battle between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. Kattar most recently derailed the rise of outstanding kickboxer Giga Chikadze to get back in the win column. Emmett is on a four-fight win streak, most recently defeating Dan Ige and Shane Burgos. All but one writer picked Kattar.

The co-main event is a delayed matchup between longtime veterans Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon. Food poisoning for Donald Cerrone on the day of UFC 274, when this fight was originally scheduled, pushed the contest to Austin. Cerrone is winless in his last six fights while Lauzon is 2-3 in his last five. Cageside Press was split at four picks apiece.

Another matchup of strikers takes place as Tim Means faces Kevin Holland. Means has won four of his last five, taking out Nicolas Dalby and Mike Perry most recently. Holland stopped a three-fight winless skid with a TKO against Alex Oliveira. Holland was unanimously picked.

Plenty of action is expected when Joaquin Buckley battles Albert Duraev. Buckley has knockouts in three of his last four wins, with the lone loss in that span being a knockout as well. Duraev is coming off an impressive UFC debut victory over Roman Kopylov and is 15-4 in his career with 12 finishes. Duraev was unanimously picked.

Talented lightweights will square off when Damir Ismagulov faces Guram Kutadeladze. Ismagulov is 20-1 and has won all four of his fights in the Octagon. Kutadeladze has not fought since his very impressive debut victory over Mateusz Gamrot in October 2020. All but two writers picked Ismagulov.

Opening up the UFC Austin main card will be Julian Marquez and Gregory Rodrigues. Marquez is 3-1 in the Octagon with three submissions. Rodrigues, a former LFA champion, is 2-1 since joining the promotion. Rodrigues was unanimously picked.

The post UFC Austin – Kattar vs. Emmett: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writers	Maddalena vs. Emeev	Zhang vs. Jedrzedczyk	Shevchenko vs. Santos	Teixeira vs. Prochazka
Justin Gibbons (70-32)
Gabriel Gonzalez (62-33)
Chris Prawdzik (67-35)
Dan Doherty (54-37)
Jay Anderson (59-43)

The main event of UFC 275 features light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira defending his belt for the first time against Jiri Prochazka. Teixeira has won six straight fights, with a rear-naked choke against Jan Blachowicz last time out winning him the title. Prochazka, a former RIZIN champion, has knocked out former title challengers Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes in his two appearances in the Octagon. All but one writer picked the challenger Prochazka.

The co-main event belongs to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, who is defending her crown for the seventh time. Of her six title defenses, Shevchenko has four TKO stoppages. Taila Santos takes her shot tonight, winning four in a row after a split decision loss in her debut. Santos submitted Joanne Wood last time out. Shevchenko was unanimously picked.

Former strawweight champions Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk face off after their epic battle. Zhang is 0-2 against former champion Rose Namajunas since then. Jedrzeczyk has lost four of her las she tries to meet. All but one writer picked Jedrzejczyk.

Opening the main card will be Jack Della Maddalena and Ramazan Emeev. Della Maddalena won by knockout in his first appearance in the UFC cage. Emeev is 5-2 in the Octagon and most recently had a split decision loss to Dany Roberts. Della Maddelana was picked by three writers to four for Emeev.

The post UFC 275 – Teixeira vs. Prochazka: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writers	Anders vs. Park	Viana vs. Ricci	Njokuani vs. Todorovic	Ponzinibbio vs. Pereira	Holm vs. Vieira
Chris Prawdzik (63-28)
Justin Gibbons (62-29)
Alex Behunin (52-32)
Gabriel Gonzalez (53-31)
Dan Doherty (47-33)
Jay Anderson (53-38)
Eddie Law (48-43)

The main event of UFC Vegas 55 features Holly Holm making her return to the cage after a one and a half year layoff. She comes in on a two-fight win streak after defeating Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana in her most recent fights. Ketlen Vieira is her opponent and Vieira comes in having won two of her last three bouts. All but two writers are picking Holm.

The co-main event pits the unorthodox Michel Pereira against the powerful Santiago Ponzinibbio. Pereira has won four straight fights with one of the wins being a stoppage. After a two-year layoff, Ponzinibbio returned last year and went 1-2. Ponzinibbio was picked by four of seven writers.

Chidi Njokuani returns to the Octagon after only needing 16 seconds in his debut against Marc-Andre Barriault in February. Njokuani will be facing Dusko Todorovic. Todorovic is 2-2 in the UFC with three of his four fights ending with a knockout. Njokuani was unanimously picked.

Polyana Viana takes on Tabatha Ricci in a strawweight bout. Viana is on a two-fight submission streak after losing three consecutive bouts. Ricci is 1-1 in the Octagon and is 6-1 overall. All but two writers picked Viana.

Opening the UFC Vegas 55 main card will by Eryk Anders and Jun Yong Park. Park is 3-2 in the Octagon but is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Gregory Rodrigues in October. Anders has had an odd UFC career with a record of 6-6 with one no contest. He’ll be looking to bounce back from a submission loss in his last appearance. All but one writer picked Anders.

The post UFC Vegas 55 – Holm vs. Vieira: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writers	Hadley vs. Nascimento	Camacho vs. Torres	Chookagian vs. Ribas	Grant vs. Smolka	Spann vs. Cutelaba	Blachowicz vs. Rakic
Chris Prawdzik (61-24)
Justin Gibbons (57-28)
Alex Behunin (49-29)
Gabriel Gonzalez (48-30)
Dan Doherty (44-30)
Jay Anderson (50-35)
Eddie Law (48-37)

The main event of UFC Vegas 54 pits Jan Blachowicz against Aleksandar Rakic in a light heavyweight battle. Blachowicz recently had his five-fight win streak come to an end as he lost his title to Glover Teixeira by submission. Rakic is 6-1 in the Octagon, riding a two-fight win streak with wins over former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. Rakic was picked by four of seven writers.

The co-main event is between light heavyweight strikers Ion Cutelaba and Ryan Spann. Spann has lost two of his last three fights, both via stoppage. Cutelaba is 1-1-1 in his last three with a win over Devin Clark last time out. Cutelaba was picked by four of seven writers.

Bantamweight scrappers Davey Grant and Louis Smolka face off. Grant has earned performance bonuses in his last four bouts, going 2-2 in that span. He’ll be looking to snap a two-fight losing streak against Smolka, who is 3-3 since returning to the UFC in 2018. All but one writer picked Grant.

Former flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian takes on Amanda Ribas. Chookagian has gone 4-1 since losing in that title fight to Valentina Shevchenko and has won three straight fights. Ribas got back in the win column with a decision victory over Virna Jandiroba in her last fight, pushing her UFC record to 5-1. All but two writers picked Ribas.

The always entertaining Frank Camacho faces Contender Series veteran Manuel Torres. Camacho has lost four of his last five fights, four of which have ended in a stoppage. The debuting Torres is 12-2 in his career with 11 stoppages. All but two writers picked Torres.

Top flyweight prospect Jake Hadley makes his promotional debut at UFC Vegas 54 against Allan Nascimento. Hadley is 8-0 with six stoppages in his career. Nascimento is looking to bounce back from a loss in his promotional debut. All but two writers picked Hadley.

The post UFC Vegas 54 – Blachowicz vs. Rakic: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.