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UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs Dos Santos - Jun 29 šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø


wandshogun09

Who wins and how?   

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Saturday 29th June in Minneapolis. The UFC is back with an ESPN show and a monster main event featuring two of the most scary yet loveable heavyweights in the history of combat sports.Ā 

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ESPNĀ MAIN CARD
Francis Ngannou vs Junior Dos SantosĀ 

Joseph Benavidez vs Jussier FormigaĀ 

Demian Maia vs Anthony Rocco MartinĀ 

Roosevelt Roberts vs Vinc Pichel

Drew Dober vs Polo ReyesĀ 

Alonzo Menifield vs Paul Craig
Ā 

ESPNĀ PRELIMS
Ricardo Ramos vs Journey Newson

Eryk Anders vs Vinicius MoreiraĀ 

Jared Gordon vs Dan MoretĀ 

Dalcha Lungiambula vs Dequan Townsend

Emily Whitmire vs Amanda Ribas

Maurice Greene vs Junior Albini

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Solid card that. Of course, it wasĀ supposed to be headlined by Woodley vs Lawler 2 but I actually prefer this. I was never that keen on the Woodley vs Lawler rematch to begin with. Undercard for this looks pretty good as well.Ā 

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So yeah, Francis Ngannou vs Junior Dos Santos tops the bill. This was originally on the UFC 239 card in July but when Woodley vs Lawler fell apart they shuffled the deck and moved this forward a few weeks. Itā€™s a hell of a fight. It was actually supposed to happen back in September 2017 but JDS got USADAā€™d. At least weā€™re finally gettingĀ to see it. Although I do have mixed feelings on it. Like I said, these have to be two of the nicest and most likeable men in MMA. The fact that one of them not only has to lose, but theyā€™re most likely going to do so by getting knocked out cold saddens me. On the plus side, itā€™ll be exciting to watch and at least if one of them does get stopped, itā€™ll be a good brother winning regardless. Friendly fire, if you will.Ā 

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But yeah, this fight is almost certainly ending with one of these men horizontally, isnā€™t it? Thereā€™s always that outside chance it goes the distance and is either a Hunt vs Bigfoot style war or a Ngannou vs Beast style snoozer. But the smart money is on this ending with a bang inside the distance. Theyā€™re both just too powerful and too dangerous. Iā€™ll be surprised if it goes past the second round, maybe wonā€™t even get out of the first. Ngannou most likely wins this but you never know with the heavies. With power punchers itā€™sĀ often a case of ā€˜whoever connects firstā€™, and thatā€™s even more the caseĀ at heavyweight. I just think at this stage, Ngannouā€™s bombĀ is the more likely to detonateĀ first. If Ngannou does win, and especially by knockout, itā€™s hard to see past him getting the next title shot after this Cormier vs Miocic 2 thing sortsĀ itself out. With back-to-back knockouts over Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, whoā€™d have a better case for a title shot? Mad to think, considering how the MMA world wroteĀ Big Francis off after the Stipe/Lewis losses last year.

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Joseph Benavidez vs Jussier Formiga is a fun flyweight co-main. The 125 division isnā€™t dead yet. Benavidez is actually on a really great run but nobody talks about him because Demetrious JohnsonĀ completely whitewashed him in their rivalry and took him out of the title picture. Heā€™s won 8 of his 9 fights since the last loss to DJ back in 2013. And the one loss was a split decision. He even has a win (although controversial)Ā over current champ Henry Cejudo and with the debate over the judging in that one, you have to think a rematch hasĀ legs if Benavidez stays in the win column here. Formiga is no cakewalk though. Black-belts in BJJ and Judo,Ā 23-5 MMA record, has won his last 4 and looked a right handful in his last 2 wins over Deiveson FigueiredoĀ and Sergio Pettis. This is a tricky fight andĀ a real potential banana skin for Benavidez.Ā 

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Demian Maia vs Anthony Rocco Martin might be one of Maiaā€™s good ones. I love Maia, like the 2 main eventers, he seems such a nice bloke that if you dislike him there must be something wrongĀ with you. But his fights always seem to go from one extreme to the other. Heā€™ll look amazing one fight, then have an absolute rotterĀ the next. He had 3 duds in a row against Woodley, Covington and Usman whichĀ was a proper shitty stretch for him. But he broke that chain and got back to looking his old self in his submission over Lyman Good last time out. Maia probably doesnā€™t have many fights left. Heā€™s 41 now and heā€™s hinted that heā€™s looking to just finish out his current contract and maybe hang the gloves up for good. Hopefully he has a few positive performances to go out on. Martin is decent. Heā€™s a BJJ black-belt himself, although obviously nowhere near the level of Maia in the grappling. Heā€™s 16-4 and coming off 4 wins. Heā€™s the type of guy Maia usually runs through though. And I hope he does.Ā 

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Drew Dober vs Polo Reyes could be alright. Not really a fan of Dober but heā€™s OK. Got subbed by Beneil Dariush in his last fight but was on a decent little run prior to that. Reyes is mediocre really, heā€™s never going to be a contender but heā€™s usually exciting to watch so this could be fun as a filler fight.Ā 

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Roosevelt Roberts vs Vinc Pichel has my interest. Roberts has looked every bit the prospect heā€™s been hyped as soĀ far. I think heā€™s got serious potential. Heā€™s 25 years old,Ā 8-0 with 7 finishes, lanky for the weight, aggressive, has shown skills in the standup and on the ground. Heā€™s pretty good. And Pichel is probably his hardest test to date. Heā€™s no world beater but heā€™s a tough, durable and fairlyĀ experienced scrappy fucker. Heā€™s a BJJ brown-belt, has KO power, heā€™sĀ 11-2 in MMA and was on a 4 fight streak before losing to Gregor Gillespie in his last outing.Ā 

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Alonzo Menifield vs Paul Craig should be worth a look. Menifield is another prospect off Danaā€™s Contender Series. 8-0 with 8 finishes, 5 of them in the first round. Scored an 8 second KO on DWCS to get in the UFC and stopped Vinicius Moreira in a round in his Octagon debut in January. Seems a likeableĀ guy in interviews as well. Craigā€™s been very hit and miss in the UFC. Came in unbeaten but heā€™s 11-3 now with some bad losses in there. Heā€™s kind of becomeĀ the master of the last minute, pulling a submission out of your arse comeback though. Heā€™s had a couple of those now. Like a lower level, Scottish Big Nog with the miraculous come from behind subs. This looks like a rough matchup for him. If he can get Menifield down he should do well but Craigā€™s striking looks pretty awful and I can see him getting clobbered before the grappling even becomes a factor.Ā 

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Sergio Pettis vs Ricardo Ramos is probably my frontrunner to bag FOTN. Pettis kind of has his back against the wall in this one. Heā€™s lost 3 of his last 4 andĀ comes into this fight off 2 consecutive defeats. Heā€™s a skilled fighter and stillĀ young at 25,Ā but heā€™s really got to make something happen soon if he wants to be relevant in the UFC. And Ramos is a tough fight for him on paper. Heā€™s only 23 years old, 12-2 and was looking like a potential breakout contender until Said Nurmagomedov stopped his fun in his last fight. Bit of a coin flip fight for me, this.Ā 

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Eryk Anders vs Vinicius Moreira should be an entertaining hoss fight. Two big heavy hitters. Both are coming off losses. Anders proper gotĀ his arse kicked by Khalil Rountree and Moreira got done in a round by Menifield. Can see this one being wild. Both might be fighting for their place on the roster. Especially with how the UFC are sacking fuckers willy nilly of late.Ā 

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Justin Ledet vs Dalcha Lungiambula isĀ ***WANDā€™S ONE TO WATCH*** purely because Iā€™m intrigued to seeĀ this Lungiambula blokeā€™s debut. Heā€™s 33, from Cape Town, South Africa. Heā€™s 9-1 with 5 finishes and heā€™s both the heavyweight and light heavyweight champion of the EFC promotion in Africa. Ledet should be a good first test for him. Heā€™s coming off that 15 second loss to Johnny Walker but heā€™s got some solid boxing and has about the same record as Lungiambula. Quite looking forward to this. Not that Iā€™m expectingĀ Lungiambula to go on a Goldberg run through the UFC roster or anything, but he could be a fun addition to the 205 division regardless. For a division that was so weak outside the top 3 or 4Ā for so long, 205 is really starting to get some depth now.Ā 

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Emily Whitmire vs Amanda Ribas is of no real relevance but could be decent. I remember Whitmire was onĀ TUF a few seasons back and had a sad story about being homeless and sleeping in her car or something. So itā€™s nice to see she seems to be out of that hole now. Sheā€™s only 4-2 but sheā€™s won her last 2 and subbed Aleksandra Albu in one minute in her last fight. Ribas is making her UFC debut here. SheĀ actually signed back in 2017 but before she could set foot in the cage she was handed a 2 year suspension by USADA. She protested her innocence throughout and USADAĀ later lifted the suspension and ruled that it was another case of contaminated supplements. So Ribas is finally fighting. Sheā€™s 25 years old, has aĀ 6-1 record with 5 finishes.Ā 

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Maurice Greene vs Junior Albini might be perversely entertaining. One of those wild, sloppy heavyweight slobberknockers. Greene was on TUF, heā€™s a big old bastard at 6ā€™7ā€ and has a record of 7-2 with 5 finishes. If you remember Albini at all itā€™s probably as the big chubby nappy wearer. Heā€™s probably gone with another loss here. Heā€™s lost his last 3 in a row and was stopped in his last 2.Ā 

Edited by wandshogun09
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It will be interesting to see what happensĀ if JDS can weatherĀ the early storm. Ngannou's past two victories have been almostĀ instantaneous knockouts. Will NgannouĀ wilt after 5 minutes or so, and allow JDS to cruise to victory? Or will Ngannou be dangerous throughout?Ā 

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The shows just come around so quick don't they? Jim being the first reply to a thread in a month, with this only being two days away says a lot about the nature of how thick and fast these events seem to be happening. It's got the potential to be a belter of a fight though. I'm not sure what happens.

The Co-Main event podcast had a good discussion about it this week. Does JDS want to have a stand up fight with big Francis' bungalows? Should he try and channel Stipe Miocic? But look at the last two men to try and take Ngannou down early. . .Blaydes and Cain lasted about one minute total. JDS best chance of winning may be to try and weather some shots early by sticking and moving for two-three rounds, moving in and out with leg kick/jab combos and hoping he doesn't have to take a properly clean shot until Francis tires a bit, and then turn it into a grappling match after that. It's an intriguing one.Ā 

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Ngannou is gonna be coming in with that confidence he had before fighting Stipe again, he's waxing folks. Im quite fancying JDS to pick him apart though on the feet down the stretchĀ if he can avoid early bombs i think JDS can do it.

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A couple of interesting looking weigh in photos.Ā 

We have Alonzo Menifield looking as comfortable as a pig in shite while he's stood on the scale.Ā 

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Just look at that man. Not a bother to him.

Then there's Joseph Benavidez. He's a bit different. Here, he's looking as if he's about to audition to play a POW in the latest war film heading into production.Ā 

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Ā 

Edited by WeeAl
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Ngannou is just a scary, scary man.Ā 

It still feels like a strong wrestling game plan will always win out against him, but jesus this guy's starched the likes of JDS, Cain and Overeem with ease. He deserves another shot without doubt.Ā 

Sign me up.Ā 

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I'd love to see DC v Ngannou. DC seems to always have the number of big punchers, but Ngannou is a different type of scary. Stipe had to be part Ninja and part lucky for the opening 2 minutes of his fight with aĀ tornado, before said tornado wilted into a light breeze.

Of course, decent chance it's Stipe v Ngannou 2 next. I assume Ngannou has been busy correcting his flaws in that time and remaining active, while Stipe pissed off and had a sulk.

Edited by ColinBollocks
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2 hours ago, Silky Kisser said:

this guy's starched the likes of JDS, Cain and Overeem with ease.Ā 

In a combined 3:19, for fuckā€™s sake! 3 of the best heavyweights in MMA history, and heā€™s done them in basically an ad break.Ā 

Ngannou is getting the next title shot. First and foremost, he deserves it. Talk about rebuilding from a slump. Watching that loss to Stipe at the start of last year, then seeing him looking lost and gun-shy against the Black Beast in his next fight, itā€™d have been easy to dismiss him as a flash in the pan. But heā€™s got it back over his last 3Ā fights big time. First round finishes of Blaydes, Velasquez and Dos Santos is a hell of a rebound.Ā 

Thereā€™s nobody else he can beat to earn that title shot now. Itā€™s his. Either way itā€™s a hard fight against Cormier or Stipe. But I wouldnā€™t be shocked if he caught either of them and put them out. I could see Cormier being too crafty for him but heā€™s also got one foot in retirement. And Stipe, he fought brilliantly against Ngannou the first time but Iā€™m not sure he can repeat that performance. Interesting fights either way. Although if DC beats Stipe again, does he even stick around or does he just hangĀ up the gloves? With the Brock fight seemingly dead in the water, I just canā€™t see him hanging on to face someone like Ngannou. At that point I think heā€™d just retire, unless the talk of a third fight with Jon Jones picks up steam again.Ā 

Felt bad for JDS. Thought heĀ was looking pretty good in the opening exchanges with the leg kicks and stuff but Ngannou got to him early and that was that.Ā 

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54 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said:

Although if DC beats Stipe again, does he even stick around or does he just hangĀ up the gloves?

Dana wants DC to have three more fights before retiring, but DC saidĀ if the Brock fight isn't he wants Stipe and Jones before hanging up his gloves. However, Dana has a habit of offering DC the right amount of money to stick about, so maybe Dana gets his three fights.

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I only see big Francis fighting Miocic next. Either Miocic is the undisputed champion, having beaten DC, or it's Ngannou Vs Stipe for the vacant title. I can't imagine DC fighting anyone but Jon Jones after the Miocic fight. What a comeback Ngannou has made from those losses to Stipe and Lewis. The big man is back on track in a major way. I feel bad for JDS, but that was always going to be the case in this fight - I didn't want either man to lose, but somebody was going to get stopped.Ā 

There were a lot of finishes on this show overall, it was pretty exciting from top to bottom. A big statement from Benavidez, a much needed rebound win for Eryk Anders after he's had a tough time of things, and Alonzo Menifield capitalised on Craig's missed spun kick in a big way. Dalcha Lungiambula had a really solid debut, with a powerful grappling game which clearly wasn't the only discipline that he had power in.Ā 

Ricardo Ramos and Journey Newson was a very entertaining scrap and I have no idea how Newson withstood that elbow at the end of the third. What a shot he took. Drew Dober flattened Polo Reyes as well, so I imagine he'll have a bigger name opponent next as well.Ā 

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been away all week so only caught up last night. Ngannou has the aura back doesn't he. Unreal. Its a shame that stinker with The Black Beast sits in the middle of his run now because outside of that (not counting the Miocic loss because all that did was highlight a major flaw in his game) hes building the most insane resume in heavyweight MMA. Overeem, Arlovski, Velasquez, Blaydes and JDS all starched in under a round.

With Miocic/DC confirmed and Ngannou seemingly healthy, where do we go next? Blaydes surely isnt an option. Run the Overeem fight back? Blagoi Ivanov?

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