Set your alarm clock early for UFC this Saturday. A rare 11:30 A.M. start in Charlotte has the potential to be a banger of a card. The main event features rising star Jailton Almeida taking on veteran Jairzinho Rosenstruik. Two top light heavyweights in Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker battle in the co-main event. We also get to see top prospect Ian Garry face his toughest challenge yet when he faces Daniel Rodriguez.
The Big Boys Are Headlining
The heavyweight main event between Jailton Almeida and Jairzinho Rosenstruik is must-see TV. Do not blink during this bout, as it can end at any time. Almeida is unbeaten in the UFC. He has looked invincible at both light heavyweight and heavyweight. As a smaller heavyweight, he is able to use his athleticism to deteriorate his opponent. No one has any answers for Almeida, with all four of his wins coming by stoppage. Rosenstruik will have to catch him early in the fight for him to have a chance at defeating Almeida. Look for Almeida to use the first round to figure out Rosenstruik until ultimately stopping him in round two of the UFC event finale.
Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker look to get back into the top five at light heavyweight in the co-main event. Both fighters have had a rocky road in the last three years. Smith went from fighting Jon Jones in 2019 to getting dominated in two fights in 2020. He has come back strong, winning three of his last four. Walker was looked at as the next big thing at light heavyweight in 2019. He was 4-0 until getting knocked out by the knockout artist himself, Corey Anderson.
Walker has won two straight and is looking to get back into title contention. Both fighters love to brawl with a combined 35 knockouts. This fight is not going the distance. The main advantage in this fight is experience. Anthony Smith has fought everyone you can fight in this division. Walker will be nothing new to him. Look for Anthony Smith to use his experience and break down Walker into a third-round stoppage.
McGregor’s Protege
A main card fight to look out for is a welterweight bout between Ian Garry and Daniel Rodriguez. These two fighters also love to stand and bang. Neither fighter has been knocked out before. It will be interesting to see if someone’s chin gets cracked in this fight. Ian Garry is 11-0 and is looking to be Ireland’s next champion. He has followed in Conor McGregor’s footsteps with his heavy trash talk to his opponents. Rodriguez is not like the rest of Garry’s opponents though.
D Rod is as tough as nails and will not back down to anything. Garry showed in his last fight that he is not invincible, getting knocked down in the first round. He ended up winning that fight, but it opened up a hole in his game. Rodriguez has great value at +240 and can definitely brawl it out for three rounds with Garry. Look for Rodriguez to be too mature for the young Irishman and squeeze out a split-decision victory.
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