UFC 200 Preview & Predictions

UFC 200: Cormier vs Jones II is shaping up to be one of the most exciting UFC cards of all time with 7 out of the 10 fighters on the main card being either current or former champions.  With some hard hitting fighters on the prelims as well, it is one stacked card from top to bottom. Here’s everything you need to know about the fights along with our predictions.

 

(Picture courtesy Wikipedia)

Early Prelims

Diego Sanchez (28 – 8 – 0) vs Joe Lauzon (24 – 12 – 0)

I’ve followed Diegeo “The Nightmare” Sanchez’s career from his time on the first The Ultimate Fighter and after a great start to his career (17-0) he has had a mixed record. Joe Lauzon is a very exciting fighter with 13 post fight bonuses to his name (second highest in the UFC) but is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Evan Dunham. When he’s in the zone, Sanchez is insanely fun to watch, check out his battle with Gilbert Melendez if you need any proof of that statement. This one could well be the slobber knocker of the night. A little known fact is that Daniel Bryan's catchy Yes movement was actually inspired by Sanchez. 

Prediction: Joe Lauzon who has more in his arsenal

Gegard Mousasi (38 – 6 – 2) vs Thiago Santos (13 – 3 – 0)

Mousasi is a very solid fighter who has racked up notable wins over Dan Henderson, Mark Munoz, Costas Philipou among others and has only 6 wins going to the judges scorecard. That’s extremely impressive when you consider the number of fights that he has had. I haven’t seen Thiago Santos in action but the #15 ranked Middleweight is coming off 4 wins in a row.

Prediction:  Gegard Mousasi

Jim Miller (25 – 8 – 0, 1 NC) vs Takanori Gomi (35 – 11 – 0, 1 NC)

Make no mistake about it, both these fighters are very talented and their records speak for themselves. Jim Miller has lost 4 of his last 5 and most recently came up short against Diego Sanchez. The former Pride Lightweight Champion, the Fireball Kid is coming off 2 straight losses and his last match was against Joe Lauzon. Both fighters really need the victory here and will come out swinging for the fences.

Prediction: Jim Miller though Gomi will put up a tough fight 

Prelims

Sage Northcutt (7 – 1 – 0) vs Enrique Marin (9 – 3 – 0)

Sage is incredibly just 20 years of age and he has all the potential to become a future UFC star. He is very skilled in the Octagon, has a great look and is just oozing with charisma. Seriously, just watch him give an interview. Enrique Marin is an unknown so it will be interesting to see what he brings on fight night. If Sage can get a few more wins under his belt, be prepared for the UFC marketing machine to get fully behind him in 2017.  

Prediction: Super Sage Northcutt to continue his journey to superstardom

T.J. Dillashaw (12 – 3 – 0) vs Raphael Assuncao (23 – 4 – 0)    

#1 ranked former Bantamweight champion T J Dillashaw, fresh from losing his title to Dominic Cruz earlier this year, faces off against #3 ranked Raphael Assuncao who has rattled off 7 straight wins. The most intriguing aspect of this win streak is that he won a split decision over TJ though this was before Dillashaw’s epic performance to upset Renan Barao to capture the gold. Will history repeat itself?

Prediction: TJ Dillashaw to cement his title rematch

Johnny Hendricks (17 – 4 – 0) vs Kelvin Gastelum (12 – 2 – 0)

How the mighty have fallen. It wasn’t that long ago that Johnny Hendricks faced off against GSP and everyone thought he had done enough to become the new Welterweight champion. It wasn’t to be though but he then beat Ruthless Robbie Lawler for the vacant title before losing it to him in his first defense. Since then he is 1 – 1 with a devastating recent loss to Stephen Wonderboy Thompson. With wins over Nate The Great Marquardt, Jake Ellenberger and Rick The Horror Story, Kelvin Gastelum is no pushover but he might be outmatched if Big Rigg can get his weight loss act together.

Prediction: Johnny Hendricks though it depends entirely on his weight cut program. 

Cat Zingano (9 – 1 – 0) vs Julianna Pena (8 – 2 – 0)

Cat Zingano has UFC wins over the two women who are on the main card at UFC 200. She’s that good. Her only loss came to then champion Ronda Rousey in a much hyped blink and you miss it 14 second performance. Pena has been successful in the UFC but she probably isn’t at the same level as Cat.
Prediction: Cat Zingano for the easy win

Main Card

Cain Velasquez (13 – 2 – 0) vs Travis Browne (18 – 3 – 1)

2 time Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez looks to bounce back into title contention after his embarrassing title loss to Fabricio Wedum in his home country of Mexico. Though out of the title picture, Hapa though has quietly fought and beaten top Heavyweights including Matt Mitrione, Brenden Schaub, Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem, Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve. That’s a very impressive resume to say the least. Cain has all the tools necessary to regain the gold and a victory over Travis will put him in line for a match against current champion Stipe Miocic for the UFC’s hottest title.

Prediction: Cain Velasquez who is the more talented and all rounded fighter to set up a title match.

Frankie Edgar (19 – 4 – 1) vs José Aldo (25 – 2 – 0) 

Jose Aldo’s Featherweight title reign of 1848 days is third on UFC’s all-time list to only Anderson Silva and GSP and he successfully defended his title 7 times including once against Frankie Edgar in 2013. That's right, 1848 days! His often overlooked 18 fight win streak came to a crashing halt when he squared off against the  brash Irishman Connor McGregor and got knocked out in shocking fashion in just 13 seconds. Former Lightweight champion Edgar is on a roll with 5 consecutive wins ever since he lost to Aldo. It is tough to predict how a once dominant champion like Aldo recovers from his crushing title defeat and if he can hold it together mentally, he should be back in world class form.      

Prediction: Jose Aldo to set up the big money title rematch with the Irish sensation Connor McGregor.

Miesha Tate (C) (18 – 5 – 0) vs Amanda Nunes (12 – 4 – 0)

After coming up short against Ronda Rousey twice, it took a Holly Holm title switch and a third title challenge for Cupcake to finally wrap UFC gold around her waist. Amanda will put up a good fight but Miesha should retain her title. More than the match, the question of what is next for the Women’s Bantamweight champion is on everyone’s minds. Does Rousey earn an automatic rematch against Miesha if she decides to return to the Octagon? What if Holly Holm loses her match against Valentina Shevchenko in July?

Prediction: Miesha Tate to set up title rematches against either former champion Holly Holm or Ronda Rousey.

Brock Lesnar ( 5 – 3 – 0) vs Mark Hunt (12 – 10 – 1)   

The return that nearly broke the internet. The Beast versus the Super Samoan. I wrote about the WWE’s big cross over gamble in an earlier post but this is about the UFC’s match making strategy. A win for Hunt will move him up the ranks and could potentially justify a title shot for the ever popular walk away knock out specialist. If he does lose though, it could help clear up the muddy Heavyweight scene.

For Lesnar, a victorious return will help solidify his claim that it was his diverticulitis that held him down in his first run and leave the doors open for another return if the money is right. A Lesnar loss doesn’t harm the UFC in any way. Regardless of the outcome, the buy rate for the PPV will definitely go up with the inclusion of this potential barn burner.

Prediction: Mark Hunt with the walk away KO victory.

Daniel Cormier (C) (17- 1 – 0) vs Jon Jones (I-C) (22 – 1 – 0)

Without a shadow of a doubt, this is UFC’s biggest grudge match right now. If it were the WWE, Cormier vs Jones II would be the main event at WrestleMania, that’s how important this match is. Jon Jones is quite possibly the greatest MMA fighter of all time. He brings innovative offense, a long reach and abundant talent inside the Octagon. The only blemish on his record is because he was disqualified in a match against the clearly outmatched Matt the Hammer Hamill for using illegal 12 to 6 elbows. The build up to the first match between John Jones and Daniel Cormier brought out the deep rooted hatred that they had for each other which ended up in the much publicized media scuffle.

  

Jones’ dominance of the Light Heavyweight division in the UFC though has been marred by his less than perfect record outside of it and he was a pale shadow of his former self in his scrappy 5 round fight against Ovince Saint Preux to win the Interim title. DC, who was on commentary, was spot on when he said that he could have easily beaten Jon Jones in that form. Daniel Cormier has beaten everyone else the division and when he won the vacated Light Heavyweight belt, he was very clear that he was looking forward to the rematch with the former champion.  

Will we see another mediocre performance from Jon Jones? Or will we see the return of the dominant, near unbeatable monster who has dismantled most of his opposition with the greatest of ease in the Octagon? If so, who will be able to dethrone him? Or will DC prove to himself and the world that he is now the better fighter and silence the critics? If yes, how soon can we have Cormier Jones III? Questions, questions and more questions!   

Prediction: Jon Jones who completes his road to redemption by burying his demons once and for all.

(All images courtesy UFC.com)