After crowning a new heavyweight champion last week, the UFC returns to action with a pair of heavyweights as the headliner in the UFC’s first-ever event in Idaho on July 14, 2018, at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos welcomes promotional newcomer Blagoy Ivanov to the UFC in the main event of UFC Fight Night 133.
Dos Santos won the UFC heavyweight title by knocking out Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 in 2011. He made one successful title defense against Frank Mir before losing the belt to Velasquez in a rematch. The two would fight for a third time at UFC 166 and Velasquez won the grudge match. Cigano has a record of 18-5 with 12 knockouts and 2 submission wins.
On his way to winning the UFC heavyweight title, Dos Santos won nine fights in a row. That currently stands as the longest winning streak in the history of the UFC heavyweight division. Dos Santos is coming off a loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 and his fight after that was called off after a potential USADA violation. But after being cleared of intentionally using PEDs, Cigano is back on the fighting trail again.
Dos Santos’ opponent is former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion Blagoy Ivanov, who enters this match-up with a record of 18-1 with 6 knockouts and win via submission. His lone loss was a rear naked choke submission at the hands of former M-1 Global heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov.
The 31 year old Bulgarian is also a decorated Combat Sambo practitioner, having won the gold medal in the World Championships in 2008. Ivanov nearly died in 2012 after a stabbing incident at a Bulgarian bar. He was on a medically induced coma for two months but after he made a remarkable recovery, he came back to fight. He isn’t just fighting now. He is doing so against the highest level of competition in the UFC.
Dos Santos relies heavily on his striking game as he has what is considered as one of the better boxers in the sport of MMA. Not many heavyweights are able to keep up with him in the stand up not only because of his boxing prowess but also because of his natural punching power. Two-thirds of his 18 wins have come via knockout so that’s pretty obvious.
Cigano is deadly when he is applying the pressure on his opponent and letting his hands fly. When he starts to connect, he gets more confident and usually, he ends up getting the stoppage. The worry with Dos Santos though is that his chin hasn’t held up recently as his last three losses were by knockout. So if this would turn out to be slugfest, there’s a possibility that he’s going to get dropped.
Ivanov isn’t your typical UFC newcomer who needs to time to get acclimated to his new environment. This 31 years old Bulgarian has been around the business since 2007 and already has 18 fights under his belt. According to global-mma.com, he is the 2nd best heavyweight outside of the UFC.
Like Dos Santos, Ivanov has good boxing background and loves to strike. He has excellent power in both hands and is a very good counter puncher. But unlike Dos Santos, he is very comfortable fighting in the canvass and in fact has recorded six submission victories.
Ivanov is definitely a live underdog given he has good wins over quality opponents and compared to Dos Santos, he is the more balanced fighter. While we can say that he is a striker at heart, Ivanov has six wins by submission and for a heavyweight, that’s a very impressive number.
But while he fought in Bellator and the WSOF, Ivanov hasn’t faced the kind of opposition that Junior Dos Santos has bested. He is making his UFC debut and he’s making it against a former UFC heavyweight champion. That’s a tough assignment, really.
Cigano has the advantage in reach and he is also the better pure striker between the two. Dos Santos’ throws the cleaner combinations and has the higher knockout rate. If this becomes an exclusive striking battle, Junior Dos Santos should emerge victorious. We think it’s going to end up that way so we’re picking Junior Dos Santos to beat Blagoy Ivanov on strikes.
Dennis Bermudez looks to stop a three-fight losing streak when he takes on fellow contender Rick Glenn at UFC Boise on July 14, 2018.
Bermudez was once one of the elite featherweights in the UFC and was near a title shot during his peak. But Dennis is a menace no more as he has lost five of his last seven fights, including three in a row after winning 14 of his first 17 MMA fights.
The former Ultimate Fighter season 14 competitor has a record of 16-8 with four knockouts and 3 submissions. In his most recent fight, Bermudez lost via split decision to Andre Fili at UFC on Fox 27 last January. It was his second consecutive loss via split decision. He is hoping to avoid a fourth straight loss that will definitely put his UFC future in question.
Rick Glenn is a former Professional Fighters League (PFL) featherweight champion. The 29-year-old Marshalltown, Iowa native has an MMA record is 20-5-1 with 11 knockouts and 5 wins via submission. However, he is only 2-2 in his UFC career. Glenn is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Myles Jury at UFC 219 last December.
Glenn made his promotional debut as a lightweight but after losing to Evan Dunham at UFC Fight Night 94, he moved down to featherweight. The Gladiator has won two of three bouts at featherweight and is looking to barge in the UFC featherweight rankings with a victory over Bermudez.
Dennis Bermudez is a well-conditioned athlete who likes to go for takedowns and who executes a very good ground and pound game. He’s the kind of fighter who seems to get better as the fight goes longer as he’s won nine of eleven bouts that went the full distance.
The Menace is averaging 3.6 takedowns completed per 15 minutes and lands 4.59 significant strikes per minute. However, Bermudez has not won a fight since a unanimous decision victory over Rony Jason in August 2016. After being on the wrong end of back to back split decisions, frustrating is creeping in and all pressure in on Bermudez to break out of his losing streak.
Rick Glenn is a balanced fighter who has good background in both boxing and wrestling. He can hold on his own in the standup game and can be very competitive off the canvass. He earned the nickname Gladiator for his killer instinct and toughness inside the cage.
The 29-year-old Glenn lands an average of 4.43 significant strikes per minute but completes just an average of 1.0 takedown per 15 minutes fight at a low 16% takedown accuracy. 55% of Glenn’s victories are via knockout and he’s only been finished twice in his MMA career.
Although both fighters are coming off a defeat, Rick Glenn may have the mental edge here as Bermudez’ confidence is running low after three straight losses and back to back split decision wins. Glenn is also the harder hitter between the two and he has a six-inch height advantage and a four-inch reach advantage over Bermudez.
But desperation could bring back the menace in Bermudez. He needs this win more than Glenn does. With his experience, he has the ability to control the pace of this fight and take it where he wants. By landing several takedowns and hurting Glenn with his ground and pound attack, this is a fight where Bermudez should get back on track. We’re picking Dennis Bermudez to defeat Rick Glenn in this bout.
Chad Mendes returns to action for the first time in two years and takes on Myles Jury at the main card of UFC Fight Night 133.
Chad Mendes has a record of 17-4 with seven knockouts and two wins by submission. Mendes is a former three-time title challenger, losing twice to Jose Aldo and once to Conor McGregor in an interim title bout. He has lost three of his last four bouts and is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Frankie Edgar in December 2015.
Mendes was suspended by the USADA for two years after testing positive for a banned substance which he blamed on a peptide that was included in the psoriasis treatment that he had been taking. At age 33, the Team Alpha Male standout is looking for one more run at a world title.
Myles Jury picked up a couple of good wins in 2017 after taking the entire 2016 off. The 29-year-old Hazel Park, Michigan native has a record of 17-2 with 8 knockouts and 5 victories via submission. He has lost just twice in his last eight bouts and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Rick Glenn at UFC 219 last December.
Prior to the UFC, Jury fought for California’s King of the Cage promotion. He entered the UFC picture via The Ultimate Fighter 13 tournament. However, he tore his ACL in the first episode and was sidelined for a year. He competed again at the TUF 15 where he lost in round 3.
The first half of Chad Mendes’ MMA career was built by his NCAA Division 1 All-American wrestling background. Then he became more comfortable with his stand up game and the knockouts kept coming. In his peak, Mendes became a dangerous fighter anywhere he fought. But mostly, he used his wrestling to wear down his opponents and then finished them off with his striking abilities.
But Mendes isn’t just coming off a long layoff here, he was also at his worst before he was suspended, losing three of four bouts. However, if the old Mendes shows up, his wrestling will be too good for Jury. Because of that, Jury won’t go for takedowns, which are an essential part of his game. Once Jury decides to fight on his feet, it will be Mendes fight to win.
While Mendes loves to make his fights rugged and dirty, Myles Jury is a very technical fighter. When he is within range, he loves to circle while throwing kicks and jabs. Jury owns a nasty front kick and against an aggressive fighter like Mendes, that is going to be a key in this fight.
He is also a good grappler who produces nice takedowns and has five wins by submission. Jury doesn’t have Mendes’ wrestling pedigree but he’s tough as nails and is a very decent grappler. In fact, he’s very much willing to wrestle non-stop. Against Mendes though, Jury might think twice about going to the ground.
For Jury to win, he must be able to hurt Mendes with his strikes or else, Mendes is just going to run right through him and bully him around the cage. McGregor knocked out Mendes by targeting his body. With his kickboxing, Jury can replicate the Irishman’s game plan. If he can do that, Jury has a good shot at winning this bout.
As for Mendes, he’s got to drag Jury to a rugged fight but in doing so, he must not be too aggressive that he’s going to be countered consistently or nailed with Jury’s front kick. The main factor here is Mendes’ long layoff and poor form prior to the suspension. Ring rust is real and Mendes is no exception. We’re picking Myles Jury to beat Chad Mendes.
Former bantamweight title contender Cat Zingano makes a quick turnaround as she hopes to break out of a three-fight losing streak against Marion Reneau at UFC Fight Night 133.
Cat Zingano owns the distinction of being the last fighter to defeat current UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Zingano got dominated in the first round of that fight but came back strong in the next two rounds to score a TKO win over the Lioness. But that was way back in 2014 at UFC 178 and things have since changed.
The win led to a title shot against Ronda Rousey. Zingano lost to Rousey and what followed was back to back losses and a period of inactivity. Before coming over to the UFC, Zingano was flyweight and bantamweight champion in the Fight To Win and Ring of Fire promotions.
Age has always been a factor for Marion Reneau. She began her mixed martial arts career at the age of 31 and when she tried out for the Ultimate Fighter 18 show, she was told that she was too old for the tournament. But she persevered and this PE teacher would not be denied.
After fighting for smaller promotions, she was signed by the UFC in 2014. Her UFC career didn’t start well as she went 2-2 in her first four bouts. But she’s not lost in her last four fights, winning thrice and figuring in a draw once. Reneau is one of the oldest fighters in the promotion but no question, she’s still pretty much alive in the title hunt.
When she is in good form, Zingano is an excellent athlete who possesses great takedown ability. When she’s on the ground, she can fight from either top or bottom position. She’s also an elite striker who has good knockout power, producing stoppages in three of her last four wins.
But the thing with Cat Zingano is her inactivity. Zingano only has one fight in her resume since July 2016. You’ve got to be concerned about her current form and her level of confidence especially that she’s already 36 years old. Other than that, what we know is that she was one of the best bantamweights two years ago.
Like Zingano, Marion Reneau is getting up there in age. But this 41-year-old is coming off a February bout over Sara McMann, which she won via submission. She’s a tough as nails fighter who has a proven chin and who has never been stopped in her career. Her takedown defense is suspect but overall is solid defensively.
Offensively, Reneau does a good job darting in and out with her strikes. She uses leg kicks to keep her opponents’ attack at bay. Reneau also has decent power in her punches as she’s recorded knockouts in half of her victories. Again McCann, she proved that if given an opening, she can be dangerous with her submission moves.
As a UFC fan, you’d love to see Cat Zingano return to prominence. She was one of the top female fighters a couple of years ago but after losing to Ronda Rousey in 14 seconds, she has never been the same. On the other hand, Marion Reneau has looked better as she’s aged.
But since Reneau has never been stopped before, Zingano needs to be near perfect for fifteen minutes to beat her. While Zingano is, without doubt, skilled to do that, she just hasn’t been active enough to pull it off. I’d really love to see Cat Zingano get another crack at the belt but that is less likely to happen. Age is just a number in this fight. We’re picking Marion Reneau to beat Cat Zingano.
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