The ever popular Kevin Holland battles UFC veteran Alex Oliveira in the second fight of the main card. These are two exceptional grapplers who are trying to recover from their respective 3 fight skids. Who takes the win?

View my other predictions here

I think this is an easy fight for Kevin Holland, let me tell you why. Holland is an astoundingly good grappler, in his last few fights he’s been outwrestled, sure, but his scrambling and submission threat is extremely good. He has an incredibly active guard which he was able to establish even against legendary grapplers like Jacaré Souza.

Holland is also a very efficient and deadly striker on the feet. He’s got sniper-like accuracy, and legitimate power in his fists. His unorthodox style also confuses opponents, and his height advantage usually gives him the reach in the comparatively small MW division.

Deadly accuracy from Holland vs Joaquin Buckley

Onto Alex Oliveira. Oliveira is on a different type of 3 fight skid, losing to mid-tier opposition. Oliveira has hit a decline in his career where he is alternating wins and losses with fighters he would’ve beaten in his prime. Maybe the competition has just caught up with him, or he doesn’t have what it takes to hang with the top dogs.

Unfortunately for him, Kevin Holland is one of the top dogs, and I see the fight going like this: Holland will light up Oliveira on the feet, who may or may not go for the takedown. Holland has been doing his wrestling preparations and it will be shown off in this fight. If he does get taken down, he has an immense submission threat, and great scrambles. He seems to win this fight wherever it goes.

My pick – Holland by UD

Oddschecker has Holland as a huge favourite, sitting at 3/10 (£10 for £13 back) to win out right. This is the safest pick in my opinion.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to drop a comment below!

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The ever popular Kevin Holland battles UFC veteran Alex Oliveira in the second fight of the main card. These are two exceptional grapplers who are trying to recover from their respective 3 fight skids. Who takes the win? Kevin Holland vs Alex Oliveira Prediction View my other predictions here I …

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Spanish phenom Ilia Topuria isn’t hiding his contempt for UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. “El Matador” puts his undefeated record on the line against “The Great” in the headliner of UFC 298 on February 16, and the pair haven’t been friendly in the buildup.

Topuria is already claiming to be the featherweight champion in his Twitter bio and is overlooking his Aussie opponent toward future matchups with Sean O’Malley and Conor McGregor.

This prompted Volkanovski to call out his “cocky” opponent for being too confident:

“He thinks he’s the man, let’s see if he is,” Volkanovski said in his Jan 5 YouTube video.”… I see his confidence, he’s a cocky, confident young dude… I am the king of this division [featherweight] and he ain’t taking nothing from me. I’m coming for that zero.”

In response, Topuria left a scathing rant for Volkanovski, telling him “It’s time to retire”:

“If you think someone can imitate me, that means that your last fight has left you with lasting effects! I will knock you out in the first round. You’re old, it’s time to retire. It is time to move on and make way for the new era of Topuria.”

Topuria via X, Jan 6

Volkanovski and Topuria face off.

The two featherweight sluggers will be able to settle their differences in their Anaheim main event on February 16. However, one other factor comes into play where Volkanovski is concerned.

Volkanovski is 35 years of age. Historically, fighters this age have a 0% title fight win rate in weight divisions below welterweight. “The Great” has already fallen victim to this once when he lost the rematch to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

As of January 2024, fighters aged 35+, in title fights, have a combined record of 2 wins, and 22 losses. Those two wins were owned by Tyron Woodley when he defended his title against Demian Maia and Darren Till. Other than that, no fighter at that age has won a title fight.

It’s quite a conundrum for Volkanovski since the numbers don’t lie. “The Great” has been one of the most dominant fighters in UFC featherweight history, and remains undefeated in that weight division (in the UFC). With two demolition jobs of fellow featherweight GOAT Max Holloway and an awe-inspiring first performance against Islam Makhachev, it feels like Volkanovski could put an end to this ‘UFC Veteran Curse’.

However, all greatness must come to an end, and MMA as a sport is as unforgiving as it has ever been.

Bookmark this website for more UFC, ONE, PFL, and boxing news & articles! Also check out The Fight Fanatic on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Ex-UFC fighter-turned-pundit Chael Sonnen has a theory for why the UFC welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards hasn’t been officially announced for UFC 300 yet.

Despite Edwards remarking that he’ll be defending his belt at the UFC’s tricentennial event, no news has come about of his booking. After some deliberation, Sonnen believes this could be due to the UFC having other plans for the British-Jamaican fighter.

“Coach Javier Mendez, owner and leader of the American Kickboxing Academy (ACA), came out in an interview and said that Khabib [Nurmagomedov] is back training,” Sonnen exclaimed on YouTube on January 12. “He said ‘Khabib always goes to practice but he only trains with me when he’s getting ready for a fight.’”

Sonnen believes Nurmagomedov’s return to training could correlate with Edwards’ delayed booking:

“There is some reason that Leon vs. Belal did not get made. It was expected and it was planned, something became available…” Sonnen continued. “This is nothing more than a rumor but it’s a rumor that came from coach Mendez…. Who says ‘I don’t train him unless it’s for a fight.’… [Dana White’s] not putting on UFC 300 without a title on top of the bill.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired on a win against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Zuffa Llc, via Getty Images

Nurmagomedov retired early in the eyes of many fight fans. Despite owning a record of 29-0, “The Eagle” only defended his lightweight throne three times before calling quits. He remains one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in the history of the sport with many remarking that he hadn’t faced the best competition there was to offer. If Nurmagomedov did return and defeated Edwards, it would cement his legacy as one of, if not the best lightweight fighter to ever grace the UFC.

However, the grounds on which Nurmagomedov retired make it tricky to call his return realistic. After the passing of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s father, the Dagestani phenom made a promise to his mother that he wouldn’t fight again:

“She doesn’t want me to go and fight without my father,” Nurmagomedov explained in his retirement speech. “But I promise her it’s going to be my last fight. And if I keep my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here [in the UFC].”

It would also be incredibly unfair for Muhammad, who has earned his rematch against Edwards whole-heartedly. “Remember The Name” is on a nine-fight win streak (discounting his NC to Edwards), and duly believes he’s next in line for “Rocky”.

Leon’s opinion doesn’t matter.. his coach doesn’t matter ..the only person I care about is Dana and he gave me his word.. that’s all that matters … we’re next and the fact that they’re showing fear only gives me more confidence ..you should be afraid

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 20, 2023

Bookmark this website for more UFC, ONE, PFL and boxing news & articles! Also check out The Fight Fanatic on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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The Ultimate Fighter Season 32’s featherweight tournament has concluded, with Mairon Santos scoring a one-shot knockout over Kaan Ofli at UFC Vegas 96 on August 25.

UFC vs. PFL: What’s the Difference?

Santos’ defense throughout the first round was impeccable. Ofli surged out of the gates with looping hooks and thudding low kicks, but Santos kept an intelligent guard and started to chip away with counter strikes. This would pay off in round two, as a hurt Ofli tried storming Santos, who leaned back and returned fire with a whiffing right hand and a left hook that spun Ofli’s head on his shoulders.

See the finish below:

With this victory, Santos wins the TUF 32 featherweight tournament and secures himself a spot on the UFC roster with a relatively lucrative contract. He should also have the leverage necessary to have a decent-name opponent for his UFC debut. The 14-1 featherweight finisher is certainly one to watch going forward.

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