Friday night, the UFC comes to audiences live on pay-per-view with UFC 207. Headlined by returning superstar Ronda Rousey, the card has gone through some late changes that have hurt the depth, as names like Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum and Jessica Andrade all fell off the event in the last stages of the lead-up.
In the main offering, UFC Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes is set to make her first title defense since impressively tearing the belt off of Miesha Tate. Her first assignment is Rousey, the former dominant champion who has stepped away from MMA for a bit, leaving many question marks up in the air about her abilities and psyche.
In the co-feature, the male version of the UFC Bantamweight Championship is up for grabs, as Dominick Cruz defends his belt against exotic challenger Cody Grabrandt. Garbrandt has been knocking out people left and right on his march to the title, giving Cruz what should be a fun title defense.
Also on the card are names such as TJ Dillashaw, John Lineker and Johny Hendricks, among others. Overall, despite the injury blow to the card, it should be a great night of fights. With that, let’s take a look at UFC 207 and make some predictions.
Main Card
Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey
The main event sees the return of one of the biggest stars in MMA history, as former champion Ronda Rousey looks to return to her seat of glory when she takes on now-champion Amanda Nunes. There are a lot of questions about Rousey since her layoff following her knockout loss to Holly Holm. Is her head in the game or has she already checked out? Seeing how competitive she is, I think she will be ready. Don’t count out Nunes, though. She’s a good striker and can hang on the mat with any lady she takes to the cage with. I actually think this is a tough fight to call. If classic Ronda shows up, she should win a contentious bout. If she shows up with any doubt, Nunes will retain her title. I will still go with Rousey here.
Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt
The co-main event will see the bantamweight strap defended, as Dominick Cruz looks to continue his welcome-back tour in impressive fashion against hot top contender Cody Garbrandt. Garbrandt is a heavy-handed striker that has knocked out four of his five opponents in the UFC. His last two knockouts were his most impressive, as he blasted through Takeya Mizugaki and Thomas Almeida in devastating fashion. Cruz is easily the best bantamweight of our time who, without extended periods of injuries, may be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. On the feet, if he can stick and move like he always does, he can stay out of the power range of Garbrandt. Garbrandt is a great bantamweight, but nobody holds a candle to Cruz, who retains.
TJ Dillashaw vs. John Lineker
Bantamweight contenders will go it at in the next bout with a possible title shot on the line, as former champ TJ Dillashaw takes on the ultra-dangerous John Lineker. This is a matchup of speed vs. power. Dillashaw is the speed, as he has great footwork, movement and technique on the feet. He also has a big wrestling advantage. Lineker represents the power, as every strike he throws is with the intent of knocking his opponent unconscious. This fight reminds me of the fight between the Spanish Armada (Lineker) and the Royal British Navy (Dillashaw). In that fight, the Brits were victorious, which signifies a win for Dillashaw in this bout.
Louis Smolka vs. Ray Borg
The flyweights will collide in the next bout, as Hawaiian Louis Smolka meets up with the underrated Ray Borg. Smolka is a striker who is coming off a major upset loss to Brandon Moreno. There, he was grounded and submitted, which gives the blueprint for Borg’s victory here. Borg is a great grappler and probably a better submission artist than Moreno, really giving us an insight into what will happen in this bout. Borg grounds Smolka and eventually finishes him in an exciting affair.
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