The UFC has been on a roll with epic card after epic card. Saturday’s festivities should deliver plenty more fireworks as we’ll see three champions on the main card. Let’s take a closer look at each of their bouts and see who is vulnerable and who’ll rise to the occasion.
Jan Blachowicz vs Israel Adesanya
Bovada Odds: Adesanya -245
Adesanya puts his Middleweight belt on the line in this one as he takes on Blachowicz. Adesanya is a perfect 20-0 in his MMA career and has mostly been untouchable. You’d be hard-pressed to find a time where he was legitimately in trouble in a fight. That’s why he’s the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the rankings.
What makes this fight intriguing is Adesanya is moving up to Light Heavyweight – possibly as a precursor to a fight with Jon Jones. We’ll have to see how he handles the size as Adesanya is often known for his speed. Blachowicz has won four in a row and eight of his last nine.
Megan Anderson vs Amanda Nunes
Bet365 Odds: Nunes -1200
Amanda Nunes is an absolute beast in the UFC as she’s a two-class champion in Featherweight and Bantamweight. She’s won 11 fights in a row and has barely broken a sweat in the process. Typically, she’s a huge favorite in her fights and she just mows down the competition. Her last two fights have gone to decisions, which she won unanimously, but 13 of her 20 career wins are by knockout. She has heavy hands.
As for Anderson, it’s hard to say if she really deserves a title shot. She’s won two in a row but beating Norma Dumont Viana and Zarah Fairn Dos Santos isn’t that impressive – even if those were first-round finishes. She lost to Felicia Spence before that and Spencer just lost to Nunes.
Anderson’s fights typically don’t last long as each of her last four have ended in the first round. We’ll see if she can get to Round 2 with Nunes on Saturday.
Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan
Intertops Odds: Yan -120
As you can tell from the betting odds, this bout is expected to be the closest of the bunch. Yan is the UFC Bantamweight Champion as is slightly favored but Sterling is right there.
Yan is an impressive technician and he enters Saturday’s affairs on a 10-fight winning streak. That includes a win over Jose Aldo at UFC 251 where he claimed the vacant title. He is precise with his shots and has power too – winning three of his last five by knockout.
As for Sterling, he’s a fast-riser in the division. He’s ranked No. 1 in the Bantamweight Rankings and enter Saturday’s contest on a five-fight winning streak. He’s riding high after beating Cory Sandhagen with a first-round submission at UFC 250 last June. That moved him up to 19-3 in his MMA career.
The margins in this fight are razor-thin. The oddsmakers are expecting a really tight battle between the two this Saturday.