Pre-fight Discussion UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 PPV, Prelims on ESPN Sat. 7/29 6:30 PM ET

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PurpleStorm

PurpleStorm

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This weekend is numbered card UFC 291 headlined by Poirier vs. Gaethje 2. While it doesn't have official title fights it's stacked with fan favorites and great matchups sure to be exciting fights. The main event is for the vacant 'BMF' title and regardless of how you may feel about that nomenclature it's a must see. The Co-main Event Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1) vs. Alex Pereira (7-2) rightfully generates great interest from many here. Elsewhere it's a veritable who's who of big names like Tony Ferguson, Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, Michael Chiesa and Derrick Lewis. Let's discuss this wild and crazy card. Please be civil. Enjoy the fights!

Saturday 07.29.2023 at 06:30 PM ET
U.S. Broadcast: Pay Per View | Prelims: ESPN
Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ownership: Endeavor
Venue: Vivint Arena
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Enclosure: Octagon
MMA Bouts: 12

F0TRELgacAEEKA7.jpg


Here's the bout order.
Prelims:
Miranda Maverick (11-5) vs. Priscila Cacoeira (12-4)
Maththew Semelsberger (11-5) vs. Uris Medi (8-1)
C.J. Vergara (11-4-1) vs. Vinicus Salvador (14-5)
Jake Matthews (18-6) vs. Darrius Flowers (12-5-1)
Roman Kopylov (10-2) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (11-3)
Derrick Lewis (26-11, 1 NC) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-8-1)
Gabriel Bonfim (14-0) vs. Trevin Giles (16-4
Main Card:
Michael Chiesa (16-6) vs. Kevin Holland (24-9, 1 NC)
Tony Ferguson (25-8) vs. Bobby Green (29-14-1, 1 NC)
Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) vs. Michel Pereira (28-11)
Co-Main Event: Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1) vs. Alex Pereira (7-2)
Main Event: Dustin Poirier (29-7, 1 NC) vs. Justin Gaethje (24-4)

Shillan & Duffy preview UFC 291, providing detailed predictions and picks for all 12 fights. They are on fire this week with conversation including Rhode Island youth softball, potential long-lost family members of UFC lightweight Chase Hooper and of course Bo Nickal.

 
Clementine said:
101214-3551292.png

This is the card of the KO <{JustBleed}> (I'll make changes, just had some fun ;)<=)

Got a new baking sheet for the charity event we had this weekend :) Cuuuuuuute color :cool:
@TempleoftheDog
paulie-walnuts.gif
dropping back-to-back AV bet fails against me :D:rolleyes: How embarrassing :rolleyes:
Even @Sixstring is doing better... :p
Click to expand...


Don't change a thing! All KO/TKO picks! :D

I am picking Gaethje I think too. Look at you being first in here again.

<mma4>
 
PurpleStorm said:
This weekend is numbered card UFC 291 headlined by Poirier vs. Gaethje 2. While it doesn't have official title fights it's stacked with fan favorites and great matchups sure to be exciting fights. The main event is for the vacant 'BMF' title and regardless of how you may feel about that nomenclature it's a must see. The Co-main Event Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1) vs. Alex Pereira (7-2) rightfully generates great interest from many here. Elsewhere it's a veritable who's who of big names like Tony Ferguson, Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, Michael Chiesa and Derrick Lewis. Let's discuss this wild and crazy card. Please be civil. Enjoy the fights!

Saturday 07.29.2023 at 06:30 PM ET
U.S. Broadcast: Pay Per View | Prelims: ESPN
Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ownership: Endeavor
Venue: Vivint Arena
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Enclosure: Octagon
MMA Bouts: 12

F0TRELgacAEEKA7.jpg


Here's the bout order.
Prelims:
Miranda Maverick (11-5) vs. Priscila Cacoeira (12-4)
Maththew Semelsberger (11-5) vs. Uris Medi (8-1)
C.J. Vergara (11-4-1) vs. Vinicus Salvador (14-5)
Jake Matthews (18-6) vs. Darrius Flowers (12-5-1)
Roman Kopylov (10-2) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (11-3)
Derrick Lewis (26-11, 1 NC) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-8-1)
Gabriel Bonfim (14-0) vs. Trevin Giles (16-4
Main Card:
Michael Chiesa (16-6) vs. Kevin Holland (24-9, 1 NC)
Tony Ferguson (25-8) vs. Bobby Green (29-14-1, 1 NC)
Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) vs. Michel Pereira (28-11)
Co-Main Event: Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1) vs. Alex Pereira (7-2)
Main Event: Dustin Poirier (29-7, 1 NC) vs. Justin Gaethje (24-4)

Shillan & Duffy preview UFC 291, providing detailed predictions and picks for all 12 fights. They are on fire this week with conversation including Rhode Island youth softball, potential long-lost family members of UFC lightweight Chase Hooper and of course Bo Nickal.

Click to expand...

Roman Kapylov has got some of the most wicked kicks! I think Jamal Hill is a fan. He mentioned how he loved that body cracking on twitter during the fights a couple times. Roman seems to improve every match.

So, Poatan gets a title shot if he wins? Blachowicz gets to fight Anklaev again for the title? LHW is a clusterfuck. Is the Czech Samurai coming back rather quickly after having the most "fucked-up" shoulder in the history of fucked-up shoulders? Anklaev and Chimaev are really banned from coming to the U.S.? Just deny them visas and they're informally "banned." Unless they're kept out of Europe and/or Asia (Beijing will be like [Borz is BOSS in China, bitches!]), they'll still get enough fights without the U.S. Those Brits are the eternal enemy of anything Russian. UK is a problem.

Tony Ferguson is like the current, old Korean Zombie. Mexican Zombie? 'Cmon guys, this is elder abuse! They probably have the brains of someone in their 70s. Ferguson is a scary monster to his wife and children from audio phone calls and articles I've read. It's not surprising. His brain is scrambled. I question why I watch UFC when I see Gaethje smash Elcuy in the head for 4+ Rounds with very little coming back at Gaethje. I don't care if the guy is standing and earning his role as speedbad in the next Rocky movie. Stop the fight if it's that uncompetitive. Barboza against Khabib is another one I can't understand why McCarthy (I think it was Big John) let it go for 25 minutes. Michael Johnson vs. Khabib was another one. Khabib showed mercy and subbed him by Armbar. Godard allowed it to go to Round 5! If anyone hasn't, watch those fights and tell me either man could get up. They were basically super-glued with their ass on the mat and upper-body trapped againt the cage. How many hundreds of unanswered HEAVY shots to the face need be dished put before referees are charged with Manslaughter?

Gaethje can't defend against submissions to save his life. I look for Poirier to test that awesome wrestling Gaethje has even though he avoids the ground like the plague. Poirier's path of least resistance is a TD and try to get a RNC. Neither one has a chance against Islam. Both were subbed by Olives (in case he wins). Gaethje did look like he was about to beat Oliveira. Poirier, not so much. Even though Oliveira isn't winning the title he and Gaethje would be a fun Re-match. Gaethje has said he wants that match back. Not for the title, Justin, my man,
 
Awesome card this week all you aficionados of violence. May the purveyors of pain paint the salt flats crimson with the blood of the unworthy. Brigham Young founded SLC as a base for his Mormon church. But The JBG will rule supreme for one night. The meek better move over or get plowed under. This is the way.

Too many great fights to discuss them all. But let’s talk about a few of them.

The first fight of the night and only wmma bout on this card. A quick turnaround by Fear The Maverick. Canadian girl Jasmine had a great performance at 289 in Vancouver on June 10 and beat Maverick with room to spare. Maverick is a really muscular girl and I expected her to control that fight. About 7 weeks later she’s back on home soil trying to atone.

She’s fighting a girl not too many people like. Cachoeira is best known for two particular fights. Getting the living shit beat out of her by Shevchenko. And trying to go all Pei Mae on Canadian sweetheart Gillian The Savage Robertson. Gillian has let it go, so I guess I can do the same.

Priscila is riding a 2 fight win streak. Including her last fight. A BW fight against the attractive Ariane Lipski 50 weeks ago. Priscila TKOd Lipski in 65 seconds. She has not fought since then and is back at 125. I expect Maverick has something to prove on Saturday and will come to fight. So Maverick is my pick to win that fight.

Also on the early pre-lims. Uros The Doctor Medic is back after a 15 month absence from the octagon. And is a late replacement to fight Semi The Jedi. Semelsberger is also on a fairly quick turnaround too after losing in late April. Semi is a guy with power in his punches. And Medic has never fought past 8:05. At this SLC elevation getting the job done quick is exactly what the Doctor ordered. I’m probably going with Medic in this one.

Fan favourite Derrick Lewis is the middle fight of 3 on the Prelim portion of the card. That’s a big step backwards for a guy that’s headlined many cards before. He’s lost 3 in a row and 4/5 including an IC against Gane. BB looks disinterested to me the last few fights. He just wants to get paid. He makes no bones about it either.

He’s fighting another 38 year old in de Lima. Two old guys at elevation.. This fight might suck. de Lima has not fought anybody that’s risen as high in the rankings as BB. He’s gone the distance many times. But not against a guy as dangerous as BB no matter how long the fight lasts. I’m not sure who I’m picking here. Probably won’t until Saturday morning.

39 year old El Cucuy has lost 5 in a row. After winning 12 in a row. I’m not really going to get into this fight. I’m taking Green. Unless some epiphany hits me at some point before I do my Tap.

WB vs Michel. This could be great or a staring contest. 40 year old WB does not pull the trigger. Only 2/9 have not gone the distance. Winning one of them and losing the other. He’s winning one losing one, winning two losing two.

Michel has completely changed his style since his UFC debut. He has done NONE of the acrobatic crazy shit in his last two fights. He’s a big guy that is actually a pretty good fighter. He’s had no problems going the distance since changing his style. But at elevation his gas tank concerns me a little bit. But if the pace is slow.. like it might be. I think he beats WB. I’m leaning that way, but not definite yet.

Co-Main..

Batten down the hatches. This might be crazy. Two guys that can take you out in the blink of an eye. Fight ending power in all four limbs. Two ex-UFC champions that could certainly become a champion again.

40 year old Jan (a lot of old farts on this card) has the tools to win this fight easily, imo. I believe he has a big advantage if he chooses to take this fight to the ground. He says he wants to stand with Alex. And he could even win doing that. But the smart gameplan is to mix in the wrestling. He should ideally try to take Alex down fairly early. Jan has nothing to prove.. Just win.

A huge discrepancy in mma experience with these two. But Alex is a world class striker. And he has big power. His path to victory is obviously keeping the fight on the feet. He isn’t cutting massive weight which should be a benefit. But he also got ktfo by Izzy in his last fight. And it was less than 4 months ago. That’s not a long recovery period. Many think he has a weak chin as it is.

Either guy could end this fight at any time. And only being three rounds should mean they won’t have to fight at a super slow pace. But we won’t see any ill effects of elevation unless we do.

I’m going with my boy Jan here. Not sure how or when yet. I just want a good fight with no controversy. May the better fighter win.

ME..

Their last fight was a beauty. I don’t expect this one to match that one. The elevation being a huge difference. The first fight was in Arizona, an elevation lower than Vegas.

And this is where Justin has a built in advantage. He lives and trains in Denver. Just like Usman in the rematch with Edwards. The effects of elevation were obvious with Edwards. Usman had no visible fatigue. He just got lulled into making it a boring decision after the first round. And he paid for it.

Anywhere but at elevation I pick Dustin to win this fight. Justin has changed his style a bit. More patient and measured. I’m not sure how this goes. It could be a slower 5 round decision. Or balls to the wall full on JBG craziness ending with a TKO in 10 minutes or less. I really don’t know. But I’m leaning Dustin right now.

It’s just a great card. If the fights deliver it could be one for the ages. But that damn elevation could shit on the whole thing.

Edit..

Oops, thanks for the thread @PurpleStorm
 
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