The day is finally here where the UFC returns to the great city of Chicago for one of the most stacked cards of the year. UFC 225 is the host of some of the sport’s more anticipated bouts, featuring the rematch between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero for the Middleweight Championship, and an Interim Welterweight Championship bout between the former Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos and the controversial Colby Covington.
That’s just the beginning of what promises to be an explosive night of fights as also on the card Heavyweight titans Curtis Blaydes and Alistair Overeem square off in a contest that all but promises a finish. Even the Fight Pass prelims are packing some star power as former Flyweight Championship Contender Joseph Benavidez looks to continue his march back towards title contention as he takes on Sergio Pettis, another of the division’s top contenders. This card also features a redemption fight for two of the sports up and comers, as Mike Jackson and Chicago’s own CM Punk look to seek their first victories inside the octagon. Here we break down these 5 marque fights and make our predictions on who walks out of Chicago with a win under their belt.
No. 5. Joseph Benavidez vs. Sergio Pettis
A win for Joseph Benavidez tonight could be all he needs to get him one more shot at champion Demetrious Johnson. In order to get that win Benavidez will have to get past one of the division’s tougher tests in Sergio Pettis. Pettis, younger brother of former Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis, is looking to rebound from his loss against fellow Flyweight Henry Cejudo and make a claim for himself as far as title contention goes.
Benavidez is going into the fight as a favorite over Pettis, but his lay-off of almost a year and a half could play against him once the cage door closes. However, Pettis would arguably still be facing his toughest challenge yet in Benavidez, who poses a lot of problems for Pettis, especially if Pettis isn’t careful during submissions. In the tool set of Benavidez we see not only some of the hardest punches in the Flyweight division, but also a submission game that is second to none. It’ll be a statement within itself if Pettis can get this fight to the judges and hang with the division’s elite.
Prediction: Joseph Benavidez via Submission
No. 4. Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes
For the next fight we head to the prelims for a Heavyweight showdown that should not disappoint. Former Heavyweight Championship contender Alistair Overeem looks to prove that he still has some fight left in the tank as he takes on Chicago native Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes is coming off quite possibly the biggest win of his career against Mark Hunt, straight into the biggest test he could have at this point in his career. Overeem’s record of fighters he has knocked out or finished reads like a murder’s row that most fighters couldn’t dream of replicating.
The two men are closer in some betting odds than you would expect, which could be due to Overeem’s last fight where he lost in dramatic fashion to one of the division’s more feared fighters, Francis Ngannou. The Reem is looking to put his last performance behind him and add another highlight reel knockout to his record, does Blaydes have what it takes to take out the old guard and solidify that the New Era of Heavyweights is here to stay? If Blaydes does have a way to win, it might rely on his wrestling background, and making Overeem fight a long and drawn out fight.
Prediction: Curtis Blaydes by decision
No. 3. CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson
Chicago will also be home to one of the bigger redemption fights in recent memory, where both CM Punk and Mike Jackson get one more chance to chase their dream of fighting in the UFC. Both men hold an unflattering 0-1 record inside the sport and will have a lot of eyes on them once they make their walk to the cage. Part of why this fight is so noteworthy has to do with the incredible star power of the Second City Saint himself, CM Punk. Punk made waves a few years ago when he departed from the WWE and decided to pursue a career in the sport of MMA. The UFC brass was happy to make Punk a deal that would see him take his journey under the sport’s biggest spotlight, which for some would be a daunting task within itself.
Fast-forward a few years and a less than stellar debut, Punk is set to right the wrongs of his past and show the world he is meant to be inside the octagon. Mike Jackson is the man standing in Punk’s way and has taken every chance possible on social media to get into Punk’s head before the fight and create some hype for himself. Many are giving Jackson the edge, claiming that he has more experience, but both men are closer in that regard than media outlets would like to admit. Amateurs of the sport, only one of these fighters can say they train out of one of the sport’s top gyms in Roufusport. Training with former and current champions at Roufusport for the past few years if nothing else should give Punk the mental edge over Jackson.
Leading up to the fight, it seems as Punk is more focused on Jackson than Jackson is on Punk. Jackson has already started to make future fights with himself, signaling out a potential bout with Artem Lobov as something he would enjoy, and even a boxing match with Conor McGregor. It’ll be up to Jackson on whether he can turn those dreams into a reality, but if he isn’t careful Punk could end up playing spoiler.
Prediction: CM Punk via decision
No. 2. Interim Welterweight Championship: Colby Covington vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
If you wanted to find one of the most hated fighters in the sport currently, look no further than the brash mouthed, Star Wars spoiling, Welterweight brute Colby Covington. For all the flack Covington gets for his antics, not enough praise is given to him for his ability to self-promote and back up his trash talking inside the octagon. Colby has racked up wins against some of division’s top stars, including a victory of Demian Maia, who many thought would beat Covington.
Covington steps into the octagon against a former Lightweight Champion, and someone who has also been tearing through the Welterweight Division, Rafael Dos Anjos. A few short years ago, Dos Anjos was on top of the world in the Lightweight Division and once Eddie Alvarez took his crown, few thought that RDA could make it back to championship contention. Rafael has proved his doubters wrong and even stepped up in weight to do so. No longer struggling with the energy depleting weight cut to the Lightweight Division, we are seeing a more efficient Dos Anjos that might just prove to tough of a task for Covington to overcome.
Predictions: Rafael Dos Anjos by Knockout
No. 1. Middleweight Championship: Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero
Our main event for the night is a rematch between two of the best fighters in the world in the Middleweight Division. Robert Whittaker looks to hold on to his championship gold as he takes on Yoel Romero one more time, in what could be Yoel’s last shot at the championship. Whittaker comes into the fight as a favorite over Romero largely due to his performance in their first match up, which Whittaker took by decision. Romero is coming off his knock out performance over Luke Rockhold and thinks he has finally patched the holes in his game that should secure his victory over Whittaker.
Age doesn’t always determine who will win a fight, as sometimes the experience that comes with age proves to be the deciding factor. In this case, age might be working against Romero, who is coming up on 40 years, which isn’t always best in this sport. Especially, when going against an animal the likes of Whittaker, who gets significantly better after every performance. Consider that in their last match up Whittaker was able to beat Romero while having an injury, it makes Whittaker all the more impressive.
Romero is no doubt a championship caliber fighter, and probably has a few more years in his tank, but that might not be enough to knock Whittaker of the top of the mountain.
(Editor’s note: Due to Romero missing weight this contest will no longer be for the Middleweight Championship, but has not changed the prediction.)
Predictions: Robert Whittaker via Decision
Agree with our predictions for UFC 225 or do you see certain fights going a different way? Leave your opinion in the comment section below! Don’t forget to tune in and watch UFC 225 as it promises to be one of the biggest cards of the year. Also, check out all the other great content on Kwinn Pop!