UFC 252 takes place on Saturday and it’s set to be a great PPV card as the main event is between two of the greatest heavyweights of all time as current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic takes on Daniel Cormier for the third and final time. Also, on the card is Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera as the co-main and Junior Dos Santos takes on Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
#12 John Dodson vs #15 Merab Dvalishvili – Bantamweight Bout
Kicking the main card off is a bantamweight battle between two top-ranked fighters as John Dodson takes on Merab Dvalishvili. John Dodson has been a huge name in the UFC since he made his debut back in 2012 after earning his contract through The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale when he beat T.J Dillashaw. Since then he’s gone on to fight some of the best fighters in the world like Demetrious Johnson, Marlon Moraes, Petr Yan and others. His last fight was a win against Nathaniel Wood and Dodson will be hoping another win in this one will really help him break into the title shot picture.
Standing in the way of Dodson’s title hopes is the 15th ranked bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili. Merab has been a high riser since joining the UFC back in 2017 and even though he lost his first two bouts in the company, he’s currently on a 4-fight win streak heading into this one. Just as his nickname states, Merab is a machine when he’s in the octagon and his cardio is scary, never letting his foot off the gas and constantly pressuring his opponents. With a win in this one, Merab will put his name alongside some of the best bantamweights in the world right now.
This fight is a fantastic way to kick the main card off, this will be a highly paced fight where both guys never stop throwing hands and working for a win. It’s a tough one to call but I think Dodson will get the win, I think his striking has drastically improved recently and I think Merab may have an issue with that.
Herbert Burns vs Daniel Pineda – Featherweight Bout
For the next fight, we’re staying in the featherweight division as Herbert Burns welcomes Daniel Pineda back to the UFC. Herbert Burns made his name and earnt his UFC contract during season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series after he beat Derrick Minner in the first round, since then Herbert has been successful in his 2 UFC bouts, beating both Nate Landwehr and, more recently, Evan Dunham. Burns has been really impressive during his UFC career and with another win here, he could really throw himself into the featherweight mix.
Daniel Pineda is an MMA veteran who was initially with the UFC from 2012-2014 where he really struggled to show why there was hype around him from his time in other promotions. Pineda has enjoyed a lot of success since he left the UFC in 2014 and now has a career record of 26-13, with 18 submission wins. Pineda will want the fight to go to the floor tonight as he looks for his 19th submission win in his career.
This is set to be a really good, technical fight between two great submission and ground fighters. Pineda has the experience advantage over Burns but I’m picking Burns to take the win in this one. Burns has been on a roll since he joined the UFC and I feel he’s in a much better place within his career in this one.
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#5 Junior Dos Santos vs #6 Jairzinho Rozenstruik – Heavyweight Bout
For the third fight of the main card, we move up to the heavyweight division as two top-ranked fighters do battle in Junior Dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Dos Santos is an MMA and UFC legend and one of the best to ever do it. Since making his UFC debut in 2008, Dos Santos has gone on to fight guys like Fabricio Werdum, Cain Velasquez, Roy Nelson, Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem and countless others. One of the purest strikers we’ve ever seen, Dos Santos’ career record stands at 21-7 with 15 KO/TKO wins. He’s currently on a two-fight losing streak against Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes but he’ll prefer this matchup.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik has become one of the quickest risers in the UFC heavyweight division ever since he made his debut back in 2019 and has numerous spectacular KO wins to his name over the likes of Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem. He got embarrassed in his last fight against fellow hard-hitter Francis Ngannou as he was knocked out within 20 seconds and he’ll be looking to get some dignity back with a win against a legend like Dos Santos.
This fight is a really intriguing one for both fighters, Dos Santos has struggled against younger fighters in recent times but Rozenstruik is coming off an embarrassing loss in his last fight and he may have lost a lot of confidence. Personally, I think Rozenstruik will win this one, I think he’s got too much power in his strikes and Dos Santos won’t be able to stay out of danger long enough.
#14 Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera – Bantamweight Bout
For the co-main event of the evening, we move back to the bantamweight division as young star Sean O’Malley takes on Marlon Vera. Sean O’Malley has been nothing short of a superstar in recent times for the UFC and has enjoyed a lot of hype surrounding him since he popped up in season one of Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2017. Since then he’s gone on to win during The Ultimate Fighter 26 and won his first three UFC bouts. His current record is 12-0 and his last fight was a spectacular walk-off knockout of Eddie Wineland back in June of this year.
Marlon Vera has been in the UFC since 2014 and has won the hearts of fans given all of his fights have been violent brawls that usually stick in the memory of fans around the world. Before his last fight, Vera was on a 5-fight win streak and unfortunately lost that during an absolute war with Yadong Song back in May of this year. Vera looks a violent fight, keeping it on the feet and just throwing hands with anyone he shares the octagon.
This fight is set to be a really good fight between two guys who love to stand and bang. This is the first time O’Malley will be facing good competition and so he needs to win to convince some fans of his skills, whilst Vera has a chance to make a real name for himself off the back of a huge rising star. It’s a tough one to call and honestly, I’m backing Vera for the win, I think his willingness of never backing down will scare O’Malley.
(C) Stipe Miocic vs #1 Daniel Cormier – Heavyweight Title Bout
The main event of the evening may be the biggest fight of all time as two heavyweight greats meet for the third and final time to truly determine who the greatest heavyweight of all time really is and who will be the heavyweight champion going forward. Stipe Miocic, in my opinion, will and always will be the best heavyweight in UFC history, he’s broken so many records in the division and beat the best of the best consistently over his career.
Stipe’s striking is something we’ve never truly seen at heavyweight, he’s incredibly technical with his strikes, his boxing is elite but he still holds some of the most powerful strikes people have seen. We’re talking about a guy who completely derailed Francis Ngannou’s hype train and killed his confidence for over a year. With a win, Stipe cements his name as the true GOAT at heavyweight.
Daniel Cormier is one of the biggest stars the UFC will ever have, he’s been a light heavyweight champion, a heavyweight champion and has broken all kinds of records in his time, and has now took over as one of the best commentators the UFC have. Cormier shocked the world in the first fight when he knocked Stipe out in the first round, but suffered almost the exact same fate in the second fight. Cormier has said heading into the fight that he will use his wrestling background much more in this fight and that could be the turning point for Cormier.
I really don’t know how to call this one but I genuinely can’t think of a fight that had this much behind it. Whoever wins not only comes out of it as the heavyweight champion but can say they’re the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time. Cormier may have the upperhand if he uses his wrestling to a great success but Stipe isn’t the worst on the ground. Personally, I want Stipe to win and if he doesn’t, I’ll still see Stipe as the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time.
