UFC 229 LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS ONLY ON PPV

We have a star-studded lineup. The main event for tonight has been in the works for a few years now. There is some bad blood between these two fighters. We have Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor for the lightweight belt. There has been an exchanging of words in the past with these two and it didn’t let up this past week at press conferences. They also have an issue stemming back when McGregor attacked a bus that Khabib’s teammate was on Artem Lobov. This attack when Conor threw a hand dolly at the bus shattering a window and causing several fighters to get pulled off the card due to medical reason. So, this fight is very personal for both as it all started off with a he said she said type of beef.

Also, we have former interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson taking on Anthony Pettis which will be a very exciting fight. We have a battle of UFC beauties in Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson vs Felice “Bulldog” Herring. Also, we have Pettis’s younger brother Sergio taking on a veteran in Jussier Formiga. We also have 2 long time vets squaring off against each other in Gray Maynard vs Nik Lentz.

As always, we start the action off on UFC Fight Pass for the early prelims.

 

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS 6:15PM

Ryan LaFlare 13-2 vs Tony Martin 12-4

Ryan has four KO/TKO three submissions and six decision wins. He has four 1st round wins. He is having a well-rounded game. He has a purple belt in Jiu jitsu, and has a boxing and wrestling background.

Tony has eight submissions and four decision wins. He has five 1st round wins and has won four of his last six fights. He holds a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has four finishes with a kimura.

Will be a good fight for both. Ryan will need to keep the fight standing and avoid the dangerous ground game of Tony. He needs to utilize his boxing and keep Tony away. Tony will look to go for a clinch of some type and take the fight to the ground and start hunting for a submission. In the end I see Tony with another win.

Gray Maynard 14-7 vs Nik Lentz 20-9

Gray has two KO/TKO and twelve decision wins. He is a long time UFC Vet. He hasn’t fought in over a year. He wrestled for Michigan State and was a three time All American for them. He has wins over Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar, and Jim Miller. He has two Fight of the Night bonuses.

Nik has nine KO/TKO eight submissions and thirteen decision wins. He has won seven of his last eleven fights. Nik wrestled for University of Minnesota. He has great takedown defense, and strong leg kicks. He has one Performance of the Night and three Fight of the Night bonuses.

This will be an interesting fight. We have two high level wrestlers going at it. Gray will need to settle in quickly since its been over a year since his last fight. He needs to control the tempo. Nik will look to push the pace and work some clinch work. I see this fight being contested mostly on their feet but they both will attempt to take each other down. In the end I see the fight going the distance and Nik with a win.

Lina Lansberg 8-3 vs Yana Kunitskaya 10-4

Lina has four KO/TKO and four decision wins. She has two 1st round wins. She is a former Muay Thai champ. She has wins over Lucie Pudilova and a loss to Champ Cris Cyborg.

Yana has seven KO/TKO, one submission and two decision wins. She has seven 1st round wins. Her last fight was a loss against Champ Cris Cyborg. She is a former Invicta FC Bantamweight Champ, and a former Russian Thai Boxing Champ.

Both ladies are equally skilled, so this should be an exciting fight. I see a lot of back and forth action between them both. Lina will look to use some clinch work and then look for the takedown. Yana will look for a KO fast. She likes to get in and out as fast as she can. In the end I see Yana with another KO win.

 

PRELIMS FS1 8PM

Scott Holtzman 11-2 vs Alan Patrick 15-1

Scott has three KO/TKO, two submission, and six decision wins. He has two 1st round wins. He is a former pro hockey player. He holds a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. He likes the clinch and throw elbows from there.

Alan has four KO/TKO two submissions, and nine decision wins. He has five 1st round wins and is on a three-fight win streak. He is a Jiu jitsu specialist and has won several international tournaments.

Evenly matched up fight. Both will mix it up on the ground and their feet. Scott will look to use clinch work to wear Alan down and either look for a big elbow or a takedown from there. Alan will look to keep some distance while on his feet and look for a quick takedown and start using his Jiu jitsu. Fight will go to the judges and Scott will get the nod from the judges.

Aspen Ladd 6-0 vs Tonya Evinger 19-6

Aspen has four KO/TKO one submission and one decision win. This is her second UFC fight. She holds a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. She has a background in boxing and has a heavy pressure game on the ground.

Tonya has eight KO/TKO seven submissions and two decision wins. She has eight 1st round wins. Former wrestler with Team USA. She has faced the likes of Cris Cyborg, Sara McMann and Gina Carano. She has a boxing background.

This will be a tough challenge for the up and comer Aspen. She will need to push the pace and keep moving forward. She will need to be more technical than the vet Tonya. Tonya will need to slow the pace down and control the fight. She will need to use her wrestling to stay on top of the ground aspect of this fight. This fight will be an upset and Aspen getting a win tonight.

Vicente Luque 13-6 vs Jalin Turner 6-3

Vicente has six KO/TKO, six submissions, and one decision win. He has nine 1st round wins. Has won nine of his last eleven fights. Brown belt in Jiu jitsu. Former amateur kickboxing champ and Muay Thai champ. He has two Performance of the Night bonuses.

Jalin has five KO/TKO and one submission wins. All his wins have come in the 1st round. This is his UFC Debut. He has won four of his last five. He has four wins in a minute forty or less. Has a purple belt in Jiu jitsu.

Should be a good fight. The key to this fight is to see how Jalin handles his debut. Vicente will end up overwhelming him and get the win tonight. I don’t see Jalin doing much in the fight. Despite his record and what he has done he hasn’t fought anyone like Vicente.

Sergio Pettis 17-3 vs Jussier Formiga 21-5

Sergio has three KO/TKO three submissions and eleven decision wins. He has won seven of his last nine fights. He has five 1st round wins. He has a black belt in Taekwondo and is a kickboxer. Younger brother to Anthony Pettis. Has a win over Joseph Benavidez. He has two Fight of the Night bonuses.

Jussier has ten submission and eleven decision wins. He has won six of his last eight fights. Is both a black belt in Judo and Jiu Jitsu. He has wins over Wilson Reis, Zach Makovsky, and Scott Jorgenson. He lost a narrow-split decision against Henry Cejudo.

This fight will be amazing. Classic striker vs grappler. Sergio needs to use his kicks to keep distance and ensures Jussier doesn’t take him down and utilize his leg locks. Jussier needs to work to get the clinch and use his judo to take Sergio down and start working for a submission. In the end Jussier will just be to much for Sergio and he will get another submission win.

 

MAIN EVENT PPV 10PM

Michelle Waterson 15-6 vs Felice Herring 14-7

Michelle has three KO/TKO nine submissions and three decision wins. She has eight 1st round wins and has won nine of her last ten fights. She is the former Invicta Atomweight (105lbs) champ. She holds a black belt in karate and a blue belt in Jiu jitsu. She has very technical striking. She has wins over Jessica Penne and Paige Van Zandt. She has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Felice has one KO/TKO four submissions and nine decision wins. She has three 1st round wins. She was a team member for Team Pettis on TUF 20. She is a former kickboxing and Muay Thai champion. She likes to use leg kicks and clinch work to gain distance to tie up for the clinch. She has one Performance of the Night bonus.

This is going to be a great way to kick off the PPV. Both ladies are well rounded and evenly matched against each other. Michelle will need to try and take this fight to the ground and use some ground and pound to soften up a very tough Felice to make her make a mistake and go for a submission. Felice will need to press the fight and look to get into the clinch. She needs to use short elbows and knees to weaken her opponent and then take it to the ground for some ground and pound. In the end I see Felice pulling off the upset.

Derrick Lewis 20-5 vs Alexander Volkov 29-6

Derrick has seventeen KO/TKO one submission and two decision wins. He has won eight of his last nine fights. He has seven 1st round wins. He has tremendous KO power and can strike from anywhere. He is ok on the ground but prefers to keep the fight standing. He has wins over Francis Tybura, Travis Browne, and Roy Nelson. He has two Performance of the Night and two Fight of the Night bonuses.

Alexander has nineteen KO/TKO three submissions and seven decision wins. He has fifteen 1st round wins. He has won ten of his last twelve and that includes five in a row. He is a former M-1 Global Heavyweight Champ. He has wins over Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, and Roy Nelson.

This fight will be a big punches type of match. Won’t be very technical and each guy will look for a big and fast KO over the other. Derrick will need to setup combinations to look for a KO. His opponent won’t be taken down with just one big punch like Derrick is used to doing. Alexander will need to take it to the ground and utilize some ground and pound. Look for him to throw some high leg kicks as well as a setup for a big overhand right. In the end I see Alexander with the win.

Ovince St Preux 22-11 vs Dominick Reyes 9-0

Ovince has elven KO/TKO six submissions and five decision wins. He has thirteen 1st round wins. He has won three of his last four fights. He holds a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has wins over Mauricio Rua, Corey Anderson, Patrick Cummins and Yushin Okami. He took Jon Jones to all five rounds but lost to the judge’s decision. He has a big superman punch and high kicks. He has fiver Performance of the Night and one Fight of the Night bonus.

Dominick has six KO/TKO two submissions and one decision wins. He has eight 1st round wins. He also has four finishes in under a minute and forty seconds. He came in 2nd place in 2015 IBJJF Worlds as a blue belt. He has one performance of the night bonus.

Interesting fight against an older veteran and a young up and comer. Ovince needs to keep the fight standing and use his unorthodox style of striking to gain the upper hand. Dominick will need to set up some combinations to get to the clinch for a takedown and when the fight on the ground. In the end I see an upset with Dominick winning tonight.

Tony Ferguson 25-3 vs Anthony Pettis 21-7

Tony has 11 KO/TKO eight submissions and six decision wins. He has nine 1st round wins. He is currently on a 10-fight win streak. Was on Team Lesnar on TUF 13. State High school wrestling champ. Two-time Collegiate All-American Wrestler. Has a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has wins over Kevin Lee, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Edson Barboza. He has three Performance of the Night, three Fight of the Night, one Knockout of the Night, and one Submission of the Night.  Former Light Heavyweight Champ

Anthony has ten KO/TKO seven submissions and four decision wins. He is a former Lightweight champ, and former WEC lightweight champ. He has a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo. Has a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. Trains under legendary coach Duke Rofus. Was a coach for TUF 20. He has wins over Michael Chiesa, Jim Miller, Benson Henderson (twice) Gilbert Melendez, Joe Lauzon, and Donald Cerrone.

This is going to be a great fight. Tony feels that he is still the Champ despite being stripped of it due to him having to get surgery which put him out for several months. That is when Khabib fought Iaquinta for the title. He is riding a lot of momentum into this fight. He will need to take the fight to the ground and use his wrestling to control Anthony. Look for Tony to do some ground and pound and setting up a submission or just keep throwing bombs on Pettis.

Anthony will need to keep the fight standing and use all the little tricks he does in his striking. Maybe we will see the superman kick off the cage again just like he did to Benson in their WEC days. He will Definity need to be creative against a man who never lost his belt. Anthony is looking to get back on top of the division and a win for either could set them up against the winner of the main event tonight.

In the end I see Tony winning via judges’ decision. This fight will be close for all three rounds, but I think Tony has more to prove and wants the win more than Pettis does.

 

MAIN EVENT

Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov 26-0 vs Conor McGregor 21-3

Khabib has eight KO/TKO eight submissions and 10 decision wins. He has finished 12 of his last 17 opponents. Is a two-time Russian World Sambo Champion. Likes big takedowns and throws. Has tremendous pressure on the ground. Likes to work for a clinch to setup strikes and his throws. He has wins over Al Iaquinta, Edson Barboza, Michael Johnson, and Rafael Dos Anjos. Has amazing conditioning and cardio. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Conor has eighteen KO/TKO one submission and two decision wins. He has thirteen 1st round wins. He has a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. Was the first two division champion in the UFC but was stripped of both due to inactivity. He has wins over Nate Diaz, Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, Chad Mendes, Dustin Poirier, and Max Holloway. This is his first fight in the UFC since November of 2016. The last time we saw him compete was against Pro Boxer Floyd Mayweather in August of 2017.

This is going to be a war. Both guys do not like each other at all. There is so much bad blood between not them but their teammates and camps. Things have been getting personal this past week in Vegas with both disrespecting each other’s family. This is probably one of the biggest fights in the UFC in the past ten years. We have a guy who is the Champ and a guy who technically never lost his belt. So, the both have a ton at stake.

Khabib needs to get into Conor’s space as fast as possible. He needs to keep the fight in the clinch. Conor is very dangerous in a long-range situation, just look at the KO on Aldo. Khabib needs to have big takedowns and punish Conor’s body that way. He needs not to look for a fast KO but drag the fight out and get Conor tired, so he makes a mistake and that’s when Khabib can make his move to finish the fight.

Conor will need to keep the fight standing. Yes, he has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu, but we saw in the Diaz fight his ground game is severely flawed. He needs to use his unorthodox way of striking to slow Khabib down. He will look for that big left hand that is so devastating, He will also setup some kicks to use that left as well. Conor needs to keep distance and avoid any takedowns.

In the end the fans get what they want. This fight has been in the making for a while. In the end I see the fight going into the later rounds where Khabib’s conditioning will come into lay and Conor will get tired and make a mistake and cost him the belt. Winner and Still Champ Khabib.

Example Lineups

CASH  GPP 
FERGUSON$9,300  REYES$8,900 
VOLKOV$8,700  KHABIB$8,400 
WATERSON$7,900  HOLTZMAN$7,100 
FORMIGA$7,600  A. PETTIS$6,900 
MCGREGOR$7,800  LUQUE$9,400 
LADD$8,200  HERRING$8,300