UFC 232 | Chad Mendes vs. Alexander Volkanovski Match preview, results and predictions

Chad Mendes is going to see a lot of similarities in this matchup with Alexander Volkanovski and also plenty of headaches.
The two featherweights are both compact and explosive fighters, with Mendes having a slight speed advantage and Volkanovski the longer reach. Mendes has made a career out of having great cardio and top control, plus elite wrestling that will make him Volkanovski’s toughest test to date.
In Volkanovski’s favor is not just his reach but also his patience and counter-wrestling. The Australian has shown that he’s comfortable grinding for takedowns against the fence and also capitalizing on his opponent’s mistakes when they try to shoot on him. Combined with his varied striking arsenal, he’s going to present some major problems for Mendes.
This is as close as any of the matchups on the main card, but I like Volkanovski to pull off the minor upset via decision.
Pick: Volkanovski

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Be Dana White's VIP Guest at UFC 232 in Las Vegas

FC and Omaze team up for UFC 232 campaign with proceeds benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.     A once in a lifetime opportunity! Enter to win a trip to Las Vegas for #UFC229 and join  @DanaWhite  on stage at the weigh-ins! https://t.co/hpjKKde67z   pic.twitter.com/eV4DPzjiY5 — UFC (@ufc) September 10, 2018 It’s finally here! The long awaited and highly anticipated matchup between undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor headlines UFC 229! Tickets sold out in a matter of minutes. This main event matchup will be the biggest event in UFC history and you’re going to be UFC President Dana White’s VIP guest! Dana will fly you and a friend out to Las Vegas for an epic, once-in-a-lifetime weekend. You’ll get to join Dana on stage during the weigh-ins at T-Mobile Arena and soak up the electric energy before the fight takes place on Saturday. You’ll h...
Read more

UFC 232 | Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson Match Preview and Predictions

Alexander Gustafsson is such a wonderful stylistic matchup for Jon Jones that you can understand why so many have been clamoring for him to get a second crack at becoming the first fighter to truly beat “Bones”. The lead-up to UFC 165 revolved around Gustafsson being able to match Jones’s measurements, not the most electrifying build, but an aspect that proved to be important when the two ended up going toe-to-toe for 25 minutes. What wasn’t spoken of enough was Gustafsson’s excellent agility and footwork; at times, he moves more with the grace of an NBA guard than a cage fighter. This is what allowed him to befuddle Jones in their standup exchanges and neutralize Jones’s wrestling. That said, I’m leaning towards Jones because he is at his best when facing the best competition. Some might forget that in the first encounter it was Jones who finished stronger, forcing himself to adapt and level up during the fight as it dawned upon him what a threat Gustafsson was. The same could...
Read more

UFC 232 | Carlos Condit vs. Michael Chiesa Live Preview and predictions

This could be an unpleasant experience for fans of “The Natural Born Killer”. The fan-favorite veteran has won just two of his last nine contests and he just hasn’t looked the same since losing a five-round split decision to Robbie Lawler in one of the most brutal fights ever at UFC 195. While he’s always been a game fighter off of his back, Condit’s grappling deficiencies have been badly exposed in his losses to Alex Oliveira, Neil Magny, and Demian Maia. Michael Chiesa isn’t quite the specimen that Magny is, but the former 155er is going to be comfortable size-wise against Condit and he may employ a strategy similar to Magny’s: Use his jab, close the distance, and get Condit down where he can’t open up with his spectacular striking. As stiff a challenge as this is for Chiesa’s first welterweight fight, it still feels like he’ll be too much for Condit on the ground and that will be enough for him to pick up a win and extend Condit’s career-worst s...
Read more