UFC 248 is tomorrow and us fight fans are in for a good one! Weili Zhang is putting her Women’s Strawweight belt on the line against one of the greatest women to ever do it, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The main event will feature the electrifying Israel Adesanya defending his middleweight strap against the Cuban Olympic wrestler, Yoel Romero. A lot of questions will be answered. Is Weili Zhang the real deal? Can Yoel finally win that elusive UFC gold? Is Sean O’Malley a future star? From start to finish, this Saturday should be full of fun fights to watch for casual and hardcore fans alike.
“Sugar” Sean O’Malley (10-0) vs ”El Teco” Jose Alberto Quinonez (8-3)
Bantamweight
Finally, the return of Sean O’Malley! After a couple of years off we get to see what the sugar show has planned for his comeback tour starting at UFC 248. The young and talented O’Malley looks to add to his undefeated record against Jose Alberto Quinonez. The UFC and Dana White are good about setting their prizefighters up in favorable fights. This one may not last long so you better not blink. Sean O’Malley wins by KO.
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“Cowboy” Alex Oliveira (19-8-1) vs Max “Pain” Griffin (15-7)
Welterweight
“Cowboy” Oliveira is a well-liked welterweight wherever he fights. He brings the action and fears no man. Max “Pain” Griffin loves the action all the same. These two cage warriors are going to get to work quickly in there. A win is needed for both of these men to keep relevance in the welterweight division. Alex Oliveira wins by submission.
Neil Magny (21-7) vs “The Leech” Li Jingliang (17-5)
Welterweight
In another welterweight place maker, we will see Neil Magny square off against Li Jingliang. Both men at the moment play the “gatekeeper” role in the division. This is Jingliang’s opportunity to move up the rankings. Is this Magny’s last chance to show that he still belongs among the top 15 of the division? Li Jingliang by KO.
Beneil Dariush (17-4-1) vs Drakkar Klose (11-1-1)
Lightweight
This is my sleeper for the fight of the night. These men are right there on the cusp of relevance in the lightweight division. Drakkar Klose is one of the hotter prospects in the UFC. He’s going to come out hungry. Dariush is a high-level martial artist so it’s not going to be an easy out by any means. I see a war-ready to start to get us ready for the two title fights of the night. Drakkar Klose by TKO.
“Magnum” Weili Zhang (20-1) vs “JJ” Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-3)
Women’s Strawweight Championship
The co-main event of the night will put two top female fighters against each other. The winner will be a step closer to the, “Greatest women’s fighter of all time” debate. Weili Zhang will face her toughest test to date when she steps into the cage with former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Before, during JJ’s title reign, many considered her the greatest woman to ever grace the strawweight division. She recently has blamed her recent struggles on personal life events and I totally get that. If you’re not focused outside of the ring, how can you be inside of it? Hopefully, all of Joanna’s personal life problems are behind her and she can get back to winning.
Weili Zhang is a relatively new face in the UFC. Magnum dominated Jessica Andrade in the first round to take the belt from her. Can she do the same against Joanna? The impressive 20-1 record proves Zhang is no slouch. But, I see Joanna winning the belt back and cementing a place in the UFC hall of fame. Joanna Jedrzejczyk wins by Unanimous Decision.
“The Last Style Bender” Israel Adesanya (18-0) vs “Soldier of God” Yoel Romero (13-4)
Middleweight Championship
Adesanya is putting his belt on the line against one of the more feared vets of the middleweight division, Yoel Romero. This contest at UFC 248 features my two favorite nicknames of the night, along with two fighters at the absolute top of their respective games. Israel, like his name states, is kind of a style bender in the octagon. He blends the arts of karate, Muay Thai, and kickboxing into one dangerous attack. Romero keeps it simple with his Olympic wrestling background. Although it’s easy to side with a wrestler of his level, Adesanya is a completely different fighter.
This fight is a complete toss-up for me. Styles make fights. It sounds cliche but this really will be about who’s game plan works and who makes the first mistake. Does Romero start to show his age? He is in his early 40’s after all. I feel like Izzy keeps his distance from the shorter Romero. He’s going to remain cool and collected while staying away from the heavy punches. Also, Izzy will be very cautious of the takedowns and ground game and won’t rush any crazy kicks or over-commit to a strike. With that being said I’m going to say this fight goes all five rounds. Israel Adesanya wins by a split decision.
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1 Comment
Great article!!