Best believe UFC 292 this Saturday will be fireworks! Two straps are on the line in addition to the climax of the TUF Finals that contribute to a fantastic prelim card. The main event of the evening will be the much-anticipated bantamweight title match between current champion Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling and second-ranked “Sugar” Sean O’Malley. These two have taken to Twitter for the past few months leading up to this fight creating intensity to the showdown.
There is no love lost between these two and it will be a great fight. Sterling won a questionable split decision over a tough Henry Cejudo a few months back to retain his belt. He is running back another title defense rather quickly in this one. O’Malley is 16-1, with an NC. Sterling is 23-3 and has a very impressive resume over his last five fights. This will be a classic striker vs wrestler showdown. O’Malley has come out and said that his game plan is to not let Sterling get a hold of him. Sterling tends to not cover up when shooting for a takedown, which could be extremely costly in this fight. Look for O’Malley to adjust to this flaw in Sterling’s game after the first round. O’Malley will find a knee to the head and stop Sterling in his tracks for a late second-round finish.
No Change for the Women’s Strap
Weili Zhang defends her strawweight belt against Amanda Lemos in the co-main event. Zhang is coming off a flawless victory over former champion Carla Esparza. She showed just how complete she is as a fighter in that fight. Lemos has won seven out of her last eight fights. Lemos is a counter striker who loves to throw front and leg kicks to control the distance. This will be her first title shot and second five-round fight. She has no experience past the third round, which could be an issue on Saturday night. Look for Zhang to put the pressure on more as the fight progresses. Zhang will secure a takedown in round three before ultimately submitting Lemos.
Conor Protégé
Ian Garry gets his first true tough test against top-ten gatekeeper Neil Magny. The Boston crowd will be going wild for the Conor McGregor protégé. Garry looked very calm and collected in his last fight against Daniel Rodriguez. He controlled the pace and found an opening to take out Rodriguez early in round one. Magny is coming off a split-decision win over Phil Rowe just seven weeks ago. Magny looks to be past his prime. His only chance of winning here will be to hold Garry in the clinch for 15 minutes. Garry is the much younger fighter and will take advantage of this. Garry will find his targets and continue to build his momentum at welterweight with a second-round knockout.
TUF Finals
TUF Finalists in the bantamweight and lightweight divisions go at it for the UFC contract that everyone is dying for. Conor McGregor’s long-time teammate Brad Katona attempts to be the first two-time winner of TUF as he faces Cody Gibson at bantamweight. Gibson has showcased his disdain for Katona on the show and should fuel his hunger to stop Brad’s aspirations of winning again. The Boston crowd aligns with Team Conor, creating an electric atmosphere. Gibson is the lengthier fighter, which will give Katona a hard time having success in the clinch like he normally does. Katona will get irritated at this, changing up his game plan. Gibson will take advantage of this, cruising his way to becoming The Ultimate Fighter.
The “Other” TUF Final
The lightweight TUF Final might lack the spectacle of the bantamweights, yet it promises to be a great match. Two former UFC fighters look to get back on the roster. From the TV series, Kurt Holobaugh seemingly looks like he possesses the edge over his opponent, Austin Hubbard, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Hubbard had seven fights in the UFC, going 3-4. He won the LFA Lightweight Belt in 2018, before his promotion to the UFC. He may not have what it takes to be a star in the top ranks of the UFC but can take a few shots and break you down over the course of three rounds. With that being said, it looks like Holobaugh just wants it more than everyone else. He went out there as the last ranked fighter on the show and proved both teams wrong. Holobaugh will not back down from any challenge. Look for him to show his toughness Saturday night in a hard-fought victory over Hubbard.
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