UFC Vegas 20 predictions: ‘Rozenstruik vs Gane’ late ‘Prelims’ undercard preview
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., Feb. 27, 2021) when UFC Vegas 20: “Rozenstruik vs. Gane” returns to UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC Vegas 20 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.
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Suriname’s most destructive export meets France’s latest foray into Heavyweight greatness this Saturday (Feb. 27, 2021) when Jairzinho Rozenstruik attempts to make his case for a title shot at the expense of unbeaten prospect, Ciryl Gane. In addition, blue chip Light Heavyweight prospect Magomed Ankalaev meets Ukrainian finisher Nikita Krylov and Jimmie Rivera finally settles the score with old rival Pedro Munhoz.
Though he was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime when he was signed to the UFC in 2020, light heavyweight Ike Villanueva was unable to capitalize on that opportunity, going winless in his two bouts for the company last year.
It was with the motivation to remain with the promotion, along with controversy surrounding his opponent, that Villanueva was looking to make a statement on Jan. 20 when he faced Vinicius Moreira at
UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Magny. He came out of the fight with a second-round TKO victory.
“There was a lot of things leading up to that fight,” Villanueva told MMAWeekly.com. (Moreira) tested positive (for hormone anastrozole during an out-of-competition test done in September of 2020) and that really lit my fire going into the fight. I was pissed off about that. All they gave him was a slap on the wrist and a little public warning, which is totally BS in my opinion.
Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter
Entering UFC Fight Island 8, Ike Villanueva was calling his fight against Vinicius Moreira his Game 7 and it was do-or-die for his UFC career.
Both men were winless in the UFC. But, Villanueva knew if he touched the chin of Moreira he would go down. However, early on in the fight, the Brazilian had a high guard. That forced Villanueva to attack the body which would then set up the KO punch.
“No doubt, the gameplan was I just needed to touch his chin once. I just needed to be patient, I knew I couldn’t rush anything with his grappling experience,” Villanueva said to BJPENN.com. “He had the high guard for the first round, so I thought he knew he couldn’t let me hit him. With his high guard, it allowed me to exploit his body and get his hands to drop and sure enough, it did and I landed the KO shot.”
MMA Fighting
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On this week’s episode of What the Heck, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck chats with UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa (10:27) to recap his UFC Fight Island 8 main event win over Neil Magny, feeling the healthiest he has felt in his career, his callout of Colby Covington, thoughts on popular matchmaking ideas against Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia, Dustin Poirier’s big win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257, and the upcoming UFC 258 title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.
UFC middleweight Alessio Di Chirico (38:50) discusses his first-round knockout victory over Joaquin Buckley on the main card of UFC Fight Island 7, snapping a three-fight losing streak with the victory, if he was bothered by the odds heading into the matchup, why he declined any post-fight interviews, when he would like to return, his dislike of Kevin Holland, as well as Holland’s upcoming matchup with Derek Brunson.
UFC Fight Island 8 medical suspensions: Mike Davis, Victoria Leonardo facing potential six-month layoffs
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Mike Davis picked up a big win on Wednesday, but it could be a while before he gets to capitalize on it.
Though the majority of the 28 fighters who competed on the UFC Fight Island 8 card in Abu Dhabi escaped with relatively minor injuries, Davis and Victoria Leonardo are both facing potential six-month suspensions following their fights against Mason Jones and Manon Fiorot, respectively.
Davis requires an X-ray on his left thumb and clearance from a physician or he could receive a 180-day medical suspension. He won a unanimous decision against the previously undefeated Jones in a bout that earned both men an extra $50,000 for the Fight of the Night.