UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is on a mission to validate himself as a legitimate titleholder in the promotion. He can't complete that task without beating Jon "Bones" Jones in a rematch somewhere down the line, but he can move closer to that potential scrap by defending his title against Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson on Saturday night in Houston in the main event of UFC 192.
Before Jones was stripped of the title and Cormier beat Anthony "Rumble" Johnson for the vacated strap in May, DC and Gustafsson had given Bones his most competitive fights. Now the two meet in the Octagon in a bout that will likely determine the man who gets to defend the title against Jones when and if he returns to the sport as expected in 2016.
Per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting, Cormier, Rashad Evans and others discussed Jones' re-insertion into the light heavyweight title picture.
The Cormier-Gustafsson title fight will cap off what looks like a solid lineup of intriguing and potentially exciting fights. Here's the full card with viewing information and predictions for each bout. Check out the upset specials just below the table.
Upset Specials
Overkill Will Outlast Overrated Namajunas
Per Odds Shark, Rose Namajunas is listed as a minus-350 favorite over Angela "Overkill" Hill. Namajunas gained some respect during her time in The Ultimate Fighter 20 as she advanced to the final and lost to eventual champion Carla Esparza.
Namajunas has some talent and a mean streak, but she has shrunk when the lights have come on. Before losing to Esparza in December 2014, she dropped a decision to Tecia Torres when the two were in Invicta in July 2013.
Namajunas is beatable—especially on this level. Hill is a tireless worker and a relentless striker. She has a strong background in kickboxing and muay thai. This explains why her striking is solid. The key for her will be to keep the fight standing. That may not be too difficult as Namajunas prefers to strike as well.
She's only attempted 1.31 takedowns per 15 minutes of action. That approach will play into Hill's hands. Despite Las Vegas' lack of belief in Hill, I'm still tabbing her as the mildly surprising winner via unanimous decision.
Jouban Will Stop Tumenov in Fight of the Night
Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen. Alan Jouban vs. Albert Tumenov has the potential to be the best fight of the night. Both of these men love to finish with strikes. Neither man attempts more than 0.42 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Jouban is quicker and throws more kicks. However, Tumenov is strong and aggressive; if he can get his opponents into ground-and-pound situations, he's in a perfect space. Expect both men to have their moments throughout the bout, but Jouban's edge in athleticism will be the difference as he scores a third-round TKO.
The Big Fights
Evans Will Edge Bader
What happens when two world-class wrestlers meet in the Octagon? More than likely, the fighter with the better striking game will gain the advantage. In this case, that would be Rashad Evans. He has fast hands and good snap on his punches inside, though he is dealing with a long layoff after battling a series of injuries.
Evans last fought almost two years ago when he stopped Chael Sonnen with punches in November 2013. Despite a near two-year layoff, Evans will prove to be too quick for Bader when it comes to the stand-up battle.
Bader will secure more takedowns, and that'll make the judges' decision difficult, but Evans will escape with the split-decision victory.
Hendricks Too Good for Woodley
Tyron Woodley has a major bone to pick with Johny Hendricks. The two met on the collegiate wrestling mat when Hendricks was at Oklahoma State and Woodley attended the University of Missouri. The two had a bitter battle in the Big 12 tournament, but Hendricks prevailed.
Woodley hasn't quite gotten over that loss, and he'd love to avenge it at UFC 192. Unfortunately for him, Hendricks' wrestling, chin and pursuit are just too good for Woodley.
Few—if any—welterweights are as explosive as Woodley, but as quick and powerful as he is, he doesn't throw a lot of strikes. He lands 2.56 strikes per minute in the Octagon with 50 percent accuracy.
He also has a tendency to fight cautiously against elite opponents. Because he's amped to face and beat Hendricks, it'll only tighten him up even more. That's going to lead to a relatively easy win for Hendricks via third-round submission or unanimous decision.
Cormier Will Break Gustafsson
Gustafsson’s loss to Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was a career-changing defeat. While the Swede had lost before, he'd never been manhandled quite like that. Because of the psychological effect that could still linger from that fight, Gustafsson may not have the same resolve he once did.
Cormier is a machine fueled by motivation to validate himself as champion. He’ll break Gustafsson and finish him off with a TKO or submission in the second round.
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