International fight week has finally arrived. The biggest week in MMA features one of the best UFC cards of the year on Saturday night. Alexander Volkanovski defends his featherweight title against interim champion Yair Rodriguez. The co-main event is a trilogy between flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja. Another must-watch fight includes Robert Whittaker taking on Dricus Du Plessis at middleweight. Rising stars Bo Nickal, Jalin Turner, Jack Della Maddalena, Cameron Saaiman, and Tatsuro Taira all look to shine in the limelight Saturday night to ascend to the top of their divisions.
The Featherweight Strap Goes To …
Alexander Volkanovski has looked unstoppable in his reign at featherweight. He is a perfect 12-0 at featherweight, including four successful title defenses. He tested his luck by moving up a division to become the double champ but fell short in a competitive fight with Islam Makhachev. Yair Rodriguez is a very unconventional fighter that is dangerous everywhere in the octagon. His only loss in the last seven years is to number-one-ranked featherweight Max Holloway. Alexander Volkanovski is a more skilled fighter; however, he will have to be careful for all 25 minutes of this fight. If Yair finds one mistake in Volkanovski’s game, he could secure the upset finish. Look for Volkanovski to pick his shots carefully and edge by Yair, winning by unanimous decision.
Moreno vs. Pantoja
Embed from Getty ImagesBrandon Moreno takes on Alexandre Pantoja for the third time in his career on Saturday night. This time around there is much more at stake, the flyweight belt. Pantoja is 2-0 against the champion. Moreno has looked like a whole different fighter after their last fight in 2018, going 7-1 in that span. Pantoja has won three straight and is looking to continue that streak in the biggest fight of his career. Although Moreno has improved tremendously, this is not a good matchup for him. Look for Pantoja to be too much for Moreno, stopping him late in the fight or cruising to a decision victory.
Whittaker vs. Du Plessis
Embed from Getty ImagesA title eliminator in the middleweight division between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis looks to be fireworks. Robert Whittaker’s only loss in the last ten years is to middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Whittaker is known as one of, if not the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC. Dricus Du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC, most recently knocking out top-ten middleweight Derek Brunson in a bizarre fight. Although Du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC, he has had trouble with his gas tank later in the fight. Du Plessis came out and said he had surgery to fix a sinus issue that restricted him from getting oxygen into his lungs. Even with a fully healthy and ready Du Plessis, he is no match for Whittaker. Expect a dominant performance from Whittaker on his way to another shot at Adesanya for the title.
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