UFC 231 Predictions
First I would like to thank MMA Gods for letting Max Holloway make the weight and not fuck up once again.
Now here are predictions for co-main and main event because by now fights have already started and I have to do this quick.
As we all know, these two girls have faced each other 3 times, and Valentina won all 3, but that was in kick boxing. In MMA however, Joanna has been an absolute monster until Rose Namajunas came and beat the shit out of her... twice. But she's still Joanna, and this time she doesn't have to drain herself by cutting too much weight so it will be interesting to see her performing as 125-er.
On the other side we have Valentina Shevchenko who fought way bigger girls like Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes and I'm pretty sure that she wanted to fight Cyborg at one point. She's a favorite in this fight for a reason - she is bigger, stronger and in my opinion better striker than Joanna. I wouldn't be surprised if Joanna decide to take this fight to the ground, but I'm not sure that she can do anything there because let's not forget what Valentina did to Julianna Pena on the ground. I predict win for Valentina possibly by submission in the 4th round.
Fiinally we get to see this fight. Brian Ortega has ridiculous ground game so it's not surprising that people want to see him fight Khabib. Even if he's losing the fight he can surprise you with a jumping guard and you are basically fucked. I'm not sure about his striking abilities but let's not forget that uppercut that knocked out Frankie Edgar for the first time ever.
Max Holloway, on the other hand, is a total madman. He will stand and bang and he doesn't give a shit. He maybe seems reckless but he knows what he's doing. Those two fights against Aldo proved that Max is not just some brawler, he's very technical and he controls the distance perfectly even with his short reach. One of the best p4p for sure.
This fight can go to so many different ways. I can see Ortega submitting Max, but i can also see Max TKO-ing Ortega in the old fashion. So my prediction is Max by TKO in the 3rd round.