UFC 185 is live this Saturday from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. It will be sure to entertain fans with a jam packed card complete with two title bouts.
Let’s take a look at the four bouts set to headline the card.
In a much-hyped and long-awaited bout at Heavyweight, it will be Roy “Big Country” Nelson taking on Alistair Overeem. Nelson has had a very up and down career since coming to the UFC and winning the The Ultimate Fighter Season 10. He is 7–6 in his UFC career, but has lost 3 of his last 4 fights.
Overeem made a name for himself in other organizations before coming to the UFC, most notably Pride and Strike Force, where he competed a total of 47 times before reaching the bright lights of the UFC. He is 3–3 in six UFC bouts and looks to earn his second consecutive win. I look for Overeem to win by decision over three rounds as I feel his reach will keep the heavy hitting Nelson at bay.
Also, I look for Overeem to keep Nelson at bay with a variety of leg strikes, which is the strongest part of his game. It will be a welterweight slugfest when former Welterweight champion Johhny Hendricks takes on Matt Brown. Both men are UFC veterans who can hit like a truck.
Hendricks has something to prove as he wants a third match in what is becoming a great trilogy with current UFC Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. Matt Brown is not to be overlooked however, as he has had a path of destruction of his own by winning 7 of his last 8 fights, in which 6 of the 7 wins were by knockout.
His lone loss was also to current UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler. I look for Hendricks to knock out Brown in the second round of this thriller. The co-main event will feature a UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship bout between the current champion Carla Esparza and top contender Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
I look for the upset in this one and predict it will be Jedrzejczyk taking the title from Esparza in a five round decision. The main event is headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between the current champion Anthony Pettis and top contender Rafael dos Anjos.
At 18–2, Pettis is one of the most dangerous and best and pound for pound fighters in the sport. Look for Showtime to make quick work of the scrappy Rafeal dos Anjos by submission as some thunderous blows leave dos Anjos on the canvas long enough for Pettis to sink in a submission victory.
Until next time fight fans! No Blood : No foul