UFC 232: Live from the Forum in Los Angeles

UFC 232 Live from the Forum in Los Angeles

We have had a very interesting way to end the year off here in LA. Last week John Jones tested positive for a trace substance of tunribol which the same substance is he received a 15-month suspension for last year. Because of this positive test Jones was not issued a license in Nevada thus the reason for the card to be moved all within a week to LA. Because of the last-minute changes this will also push the weigh ins back.

This card is an amazing way to end the year. On the Fight Pass Prelims, we have TUF Veteran Uriah Hall against undefeated Devon Lewis. On the prelims we have four fights in which three of them could easily be a headliner on Fox or Fox Sports 1. We have vet BJ Penn against Ryan Hall. Then we have Cat Zingano vs Megan Anderson, and the main event for prelims former champ Andre Arlovski vs Walt Harris.

The main card we have some amazing fights. We have Carlos Condit vs Michael Chiesa. In the co main event we have a title fight. We have Champ Cris Cyborg vs Champ Amanda Nunes. This fight will be one that will go down as legendary for sure. In the main event we have Jon Jones vs Alexander Gustafsson II. This is a rematch from back in 2013 that went all fie rounds. This is going to be an amazing five round main event that will not disappoint.

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS (6:30pm EST)

Brian Kelleher 19-9 vs Montel Jackson 6-1

Brian has seven KO/TKO, eight submissions, and four decision wins. He has 81^st round wins. He is 3-2 in his last five fights. He has a win over Renan Barao. He holds a purple belt in jiu jitsu.

Montel has five KO/TKO and one decision win. He has three 1^st round wins. He is coming off his first loss. He has great standup.

Going to be a good match. Brian will need to look to get the fight on the ground and start using his jiu jitsu. He needs to control the tempo of the fight. Montel will look to push the pace and use his strikingto pick apart Brian. In the end I see Brian with the win.

Curtis Millender 16-3 vs Siyar Bahadurzada 24-6-1

Curtis has six KO/TKO, and ten decision wins. Nine fight win streak. He has three 1^st round wins. He won his UFC debut over Thiago Alves. That fight got him a Performance of the Night bonus

Siyar has thirteen KO/TKO, seven submissions, and four decision wins. He is 3-2 in his last five fight. He has fifteen 1^st round wins. He has one Performance of the Night and one Knock out of the Night bonus.

Good matchup. Curtis will look to stay out of the reach of his opponent. He also needs to be mindful when the fights hit the ground. Siyar will look to mix it up and look to take the fight to the ground. In the end Siyar will come out on top.

Uriah Hall 13-9 vs Bevon Lewis 6-0

Uriah has nine KO/TKO, two submissions, and two decision wins. He is 1-4 in his last five fights. He has six 1^st round wins. He has wins over Gegard Mousasi, Chris Leben, and Thiago Santos. He has a black belt in Karate and a blue belt in jiu jitsu. He has TUF 17 Knockout of the Season, and two Performance of the Night bonuses.

Bevon has three KO/TKO and three decision wins. He has one 1^st round win. He has a striking background. This is his UFC Debut.

Uriah is looking to get back into the win column. He has a up and coming opponent that is undefeated but has not been with a vet like Uriah. Uriah will look to use his length and kicks to gain the edge. Bevon needs to stay out to the reach of Uriah and close the distance and work very tightly. In the end I see Uriah with a win.

Nathaniel Wood 14-3 vs Andre Ewell 14-4

Nathaniel has nine KO/TKO, three submissions, and two decision wins. He is on a six-fight win streak. He has six 1^st round wins. Well-rounded fighter.

Andre has seven KO/TKO, four submissions, and three decision wins. He is on a five-fight win streak. He has eight 1^st round win. He has a win over Renan Barao.

Another very evenly matched fight. We should see a good mix of standup and ground work from both fighters. It will be a back and forth battle and will go to the judges. I see Nathaniel pulling this one out in a close decision.

PRELIMS: FS1 (8pm EST)

BJ Penn 16-12-2 vs Ryan Hall 6-1

BJ has seven KO/TKO, six submissions, and three decision wins. He is on a five-fight losing streak. He has five 1^st round wins. He holds a 5^th degree black belt in Jiu Jitsu. He has wins over Matt Hughes (two times), Renzo Gracie, Rodrigo Gracie, Matt Sera, and Diego Sanchez. He is a legend in the sport and has fought in five different weight classes. He is a former Lightweight and Welterweight Champ. He has two Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night, and two submission of the night bonuses.

Ryan has two KO/TKO, two submissions and two decision wins. He has two 1^st round wins. He has a five-fight win streak coming into this fight. He has not fought since Dec 2016. He holds a Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu. He is the winner of TUF 22 winner. He has wins over Artem Lobov and Gray Maynard.

Very interesting fight since both fighters have been out of action for some time. BJ is a legend and knows what needs to be done in the cage. He has a ton of heart which showed in his loss against Rory MacDonald. BJ will be very tough to try and finish both with strikes or jiu jitsu, BJ will need to control the pace of the fight and make Ryan come to him. Ryan will need to use speed and angles to get to BJ. He needs to press the action and keep it very tight and in a clinch. They both have amazing jiu jitsu, so it will be interesting once the fight is on the ground. In the end I see BJ with a win tonight.

Douglas Silva de Andrade 25-2 vs Petr Yan 10-1

Douglas has nineteen KO/TKO, one submission and five decision wins. He is 3-2 in his last five fights. He has ten 1^st round wins. He has a win over Marlon Vera. He has a boxing and jiu jitsu background. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Petr has four KO/TKO, one submission and five decision wins. He is 5-0 in his last five fights. He has three 1^st round wins. He has a boxing and wrestling background. He has a Fight of the Night bonus.

Should be a good match between these guys. Douglas will use his boxing to cut angles and work combinations to weaken his opponent. Petr will look to do the same and use his boxing to look for a clinch or takedown. These guys will probably keep this fight standing with lots of bombs being thrown. In the end I see Petr with an upset tonight.

Cat Zingano 10-3 vs Megan Anderson 8-3

Cat has five KO/TKO, three submissions and two decision wins. She is 2-3 in her last fie fights. She has two 1^st round wins. She has wins over Raquel Pennington, Miesha Tate, and current champ Amanda Nunes. She is a four time All American and National Women’s Wrestling Champion for MacMurray College. She has a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu, and a great striking game. She has a Fight of the Night bonus.

Megan has four KO/TKO, two submissions, and two decision wins. She is 4-1 in her last five fights. She has three 1^st round wins. She has a Muay Thai background. She too is a purple belt in jiu jitsu. Her last fight was a decision loss to former champ Holly Holm.

Excellent matchup for both ladies. Cat needs to take the fight to the ground as soon as she can. She will need to avoid the Muay Thai of her opponent. She needs to use some ground and pound and either finish the fight that way or look for a submission. Megan needs to avoid the big and fast takedowns of Cat. She needs to work her Thai clinch and pressure Cat against the cage. In the end I see the vet Cat with a much-needed win tonight.

Andrei Arlovski 27-17 vs Walt Harris 11-7

Andrei has seventeen KO/TKO, three submissions, and seven decision wins. He is 2-3 in his last five fights. He has thirteen 1^st round wins. He is a black belt in Judo and a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. He has a great striking game. He is a former Heavyweight Champ. He is tied for most knockouts in the heavyweight with nine. He has two Fight of the Night, and one Performance of the Night bonuses. He has wins against Tim Sylva, Frank Mir, Travis Browne, Roy Nelson, and Fabricio Werdum.

Walt has all eleven wins by KO/TKO. He is 3-2 in his last five fights. He has nine 1^st round wins. He has a boxing background. He is a Golden Gloves champion for both Alabama and Florida.

This will be a good test for both fighters. Andrei is the older fighter but has a ton of experience he is brining with him. He will need to get into a clinch and work his judo to take the fight to the ground. Andrei has the better ground game of the two. He will need to watch himself if he stays standing. He always needs to keep his hands up. Walt needs to push the pace against his older opponent. He needs to avoid any takedown and keep the fight on his feet. He will look to press the action against the cage. In the end I see Andrei out on top.

MAIN CARD: PPV (10pm EST)

Chad Mendes 18-4 vs Alexander Volkanovski 18-1

Chad has eight KO/TKO, two submissions, and eight decision wins. He is 2-3 in his last five fights. His three losses are against former champs in Jose Aldo, Connor McGregor, and Frankie Edgar. He has eight 1^st round wins. Former NCAA Div. 1 runner up. PAC-10 wrestler of the year. He has one Knockout of the Night, one Fight of the Night, and two Performance of the Night bonuses.

Alexander has ten KO/TKO, three submissions, and five decision wins. He is coming in with fifteen straight wins. He has not lost since May 2013. He has seven 1^st round wins. He has a win over Darren Elkins. He has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. He also has a boxing and kickboxing background.

Going to be a great fight. Chad will look for a takedown and start a ground and pound attack. He likes to press the ground action up against the cage as well so expect to see that as well. He has fast and heavy hands that he will use to setup a takedown. Alexander needs to stay on his feet and use his reach to his advantage. He needs to be mindful on the ground and try and keep Chad on his back. In the end Chad comes out with the win.

Ilir Latifi 14-5 vs Corey Anderson 11-4

Ilir has five KO/TKO, five submissions, and four decision wins. He is 4-1 in his last five fights. He has nine 1^st round wins. He has wins over Ovince Saint Preux, Tyson Pedro, Gian Villante. He is a two-time National wrestling Champ. He is a 2003 ADCC European Champion. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Corey has four KO/TKO and seven decision wins. He is 3-2 in his last five fights. He has three 1^st round wins. He has wins over Patrick Cummins and Glover Teixeira. NCAA Div. III wrestler. Has a purple belt in jiu jitsu. He has one Fight of the Night bonus. He is also the TUF 19 light heavyweight winner.

Going to be a good fight. This fight will both be standup and ground work. Ilir will look to press the action and control the fight. Look for him to setup a takedown with strikes and then ground and pound. He has the better ground game than Corey does. Corey needs to be a technical striker and pick apart his opponent before he looks to take the fight to the ground. This fight will go the distance and Ilir with the win.

Carlos Condit 30-12 vs Michael Chiesa 14-4

Carlos has fifteen KO/TKO, thirteen submissions, and two decision wins. He is 1-4 in his last five fights. He has twenty-one 1^st round wins. He has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu.  He has wins over Nick Diaz, Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, and Thiago Alves. He is a brown belt in jiu jitsu. He was the Interim UFC Welterweight Champ, and the WEC Welterweight Champ. He has five Fight of the Night, and two Knockout of the Night bonuses.

Michael has ten submission and four decision wins. He is 3-2 in his last five fights. He has five 1st round wins.  He has wins over Al Iaquinta, Francisco Trinaldo, and Jim Miller. He is the TUF Live winner. He has two Fight of the Night, two Submission of the Night, and one Performance of the Night bonuses.

Going to be a great match between a Vet and future Hall of Famer against a rising star. Carlos will look to keep the fight standing, he has superior striking over his opponent. They both have an equal ground game, but Michael will need to push the pace. He will look to be the dominate person on the ground game. He will need to stay on top. Carlos has a great ground and pound arsenal. In the end I see Carlos getting back to his winning ways.

CO-MAIN EVENT WOMENS FEATHER WEIGHT TITLE FIGHT

Cris Cyborg 20-1 vs Amanda Nunes 16-4

Cris has seventeen KO/TKO and three decision wins. She is on a twenty-fight win streak. She has ten 1^st round wins. She has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu and a Black Belt in Muay Thai. She has wins over Holly Holm, Tonya Evinger, Lina Lansberg, and Gina Carano. She is the Invicta FC women’s featherweight champ. She has a Fight of the Night bonus. Won several IBJJF jiu jitsu tournaments.

Amanda has eleven KO/TKO, three submissions, and two decision wins. She is a seven-fight win streak. She has eleven 1^st round wins. She has wins over Shayna Baszler, Valentina Shevchenko (twice) Miesha Tate, Raquel Pennington and her famous 1^st round KO of Ronda Rousey. She has a black belt in jiu jitsu and a brown belt in Judo. She has three Performance of the Night Bonuses. She has great boxing and is not afraid to standup and trade punches. Current Bantamweight Champ.

This is one of the most anticipated matches in a few years. We have two high level ladies at the top of their game for a super fight. Amanda is coming up 10 pounds for this fight. Cris will look to get into the clinch and work some Thai strikes. She will setup some leg kicks and then a possible takedown. She has heavy and fast hands. Amanda will need to keep the action close and take the fight to the ground. She needs to control the pace of the fight and be the aggressor of the fight. In the end I see the fight going at least four rounds and Cris will get the win and retain the belt.

MAIN EVENT FOR THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

Jon Jones 22-1 vs Alexander Gustafsson 18-4

Jon has nine KO/TKO, six submissions, and seven decision wins. He his 13-0-1 in his last fourteen fights. His one NC was due to a failed drug test against current Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champ Daniel Cormier. He has seven 1^st round wins. His only loss is by way of DQ with illegal elbow strikes. He is the former two-time Light Heavyweight Champ. He has four Fight of the Night, one Knockout of the Night, two Submission of the Night, and one Performance of the Night bonuses.  He has wins over Daniel Cormier, Glover Teixeira, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, and Ryan Bader. He is very well rounded. Great striking from any angle.

Alexander has eleven KO/TKO, three submissions, and four decision wins. He is 3-2 in his last five fights. He has wins over Glover Teixeira, Jimi Manuwa, Mauricio Rua, and Thiago Silva. He has a boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling background. He does hold a purple belt in jiu jitsu. He has four Fight of the Night, and one Performance of the Night bonuses.

This fight is going to be a war just like their last one. Their last one was a very close decision for Jones. Jones does have some ring rust so expect him to start slow and the settle in later in the fight. He will look to use his reach advantage over his opponent and try and keep him at bay. He has very unorthodox way of striking so see lots of odd angles. Alex needs to keep his chin down and go straight through. He will look to use leg kicks to setup his combinations. In the end I see this fight going the distance once again but this time Gustafsson with the win.

Optimal Lineup