The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will host Ultimate Fighting Championship 245 Saturday night, which will be headlined by three title fights on the main card. The last time the UFC booked three title fights on the same card was back in 2017. Saturday’s bouts will close out 2019 for UFC’s pay-per-view. The Cayman Compass enlisted the help of Cayman boxing head coach Floyd Trumpet and 3-1 Pro MMA fighter Floyd Moxam to break down the three history-making title fights, with Compass sports journalist Seaford Russell Jr., a two-time silver medallist for Copa Jiu Jitsu, also weighing in.
The first title fight on the card features a rematch between two-division women’s champion and future hall of famer Amanda Nunes (18-4) defending her bantamweight belt against former women’s featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie (9-3) who is on a five-fight win streak.
FLOYD MOXAM PREDICTIONS
Winner: Amanda Nunes
How: Round 2 TKO
Reason: “On paper, it would seem that de Randamie is the better striker. She boasts an undefeated record as a pro kickboxer and is on a five-fight winning streak, with a 16-second destruction of her last opponent. Nunes is now in the discussion of being the greatest female fighter of all time. I believe Amanda Nunes will use her boxing to close the distance on de Randamie and use her superior grappling to take the fight to the ground and score another TKO win by way of ground and pound.”
FLOYD TRUMPET PREDICTIONS
Winner: Amanda Nunes
How: KO in round 2 or 3
Reason: “Nunes is the more complete fighter and is well-rounded compared to the challenger.”
SEAFORD RUSSELL JR. PREDICTIONS
Winner: Amanda Nunes
How: Round 1 KO
Reason: “I must agree with Moxam on the fact that Nunes will close the distance. However, I don’t think she will try to grapple de Randamie. I believe Nunes will counter de Randamie during an exchange of blows and de Randamie will get caught.”
The second title match, which is positioned as the co-main event, will see featherweight champion Max Holloway (21-4) defending his title for the fourth time against Australian contender Alexander Volkanovski (20-1) who has been on a rampage lately, defeating the likes of former champion Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes and Darren Elkins.
FLOYD MOXAM PREDICTIONS
Winner: Max Holloway
How: Unanimous decision
Reason: “Volkanovski has the type of pressure game that would seem to cause Holloway trouble. Volkanovski has never been past the third round so it will be interesting to see if he is able to maintain his frenetic pace in rounds 4 and 5, where Holloway’s striking output tends to increase. Holloway’s boxing is some of the best in MMA; he strings together smooth punching combinations and uses his footwork to create various angles when he is counter striking. Unless Max Holloway gets clipped early, I see his high-volume striking being the difference in the fight, especially in the later rounds.”
FLOYD TRUMPET PREDICTIONS
Winner: Alexander Volkanovski
How: Decision
Reason: “Volkanovski’s pressure will be too much for Holloway.”
SEAFORD RUSSELL JR. PREDICTIONS
Winner: Max Holloway
How: Unanimous decision
Reason: “Holloway is much taller than Volkanovski and will surely use his reach to out-strike the Australian throughout the fight. However, Volkanovski carries the power coming into this fight so if Max isn’t careful, it could be lights out, but I don’t think Max will allow that to be an option.”
The headline title fight will see welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (15-1) defending his title against archrival and former interim champ Colby Covington (15-1). These two have had several altercations outside the octagon over the last four years and on Saturday the two will have a chance to settle the beef. It’s a fight destined to blow the roof off the arena.
FLOYD MOXAM PREDICTIONS
Winner: Kamaru Usman
How: Split decision
Reason: “In my opinion, this is the hardest pick of the three championship fights on the card. Both fighters have a great wrestling base and tend to outwork their opponents. Usman should have the power advantage, but Colby has a higher striking output. Both fighters have decisions in each of their last fights, but I think Kamaru will edge out the victory after five rounds.”
FLOYD TRUMPET PREDICTIONS
Winner: Kamaru Usman
How: Submission
Reason: “If the fight goes to the ground, Usman will dominate as he is a very good transitional fighter.”
SEAFORD RUSSELL JR. PREDICTIONS
Winner: Colby Covington
How: Submission via rear naked choke in round 4
Reason: “This is a tough one. Both guys are fairly equal. I think Covington has the conditioning advantage heading into this fight and will win the scrambles on the ground, to which Usman will make a mistake by giving his back and Covington will capitalise for the upset.”
If you’re looking to watch UFC 245, be sure to check out some of the local bars and restaurants on Island. The main card kicks off at 10pm.
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