UFC 200 Tapology/Predictions

[TheWarTornJohn]

- Tate has fought someone better than Nunes, though less explosive in Holm (same size/reach as Nunes basically). Holm was a better striker in terms of accuracy, volume and cardio, where as Nunes is a bull dog who might try to over commit as per usual. Tate will likely survive round one and start to see Nunes fade in round two, finishing her in the third.

- Lesnar has virtually no stand up and what limited stand up there is simply won't compare to the crap Hunt has dealt with in the past. Lesnar does have freakishly amazing speed in terms of wrestling and transitions though, but I think unless he can break Hunt standing then it won't matter as Hunt will likely show him an uppercut for his take down trouble. Lesnar has always had a problem taking a punch and if Carwin were a better striker he could have finished Lesnar easier. Hunt will find the chin, Hunt will break the chin in round one.

- Fighting an unprepared Silva is like fighting Jon Jones if he were half asleep and had no wrestling defense. DC is basically a midget Chris Weidman/Chael Sonnen clone except he's stronger than Chael, faster than Weidman, and hasn't got the stand up to deal with Silva. Silva will keep distance with kicks, DC will charge in and get the take down and finish in the first.

- Aldo has been a fucking shell of a man since Conor broke him. He's totally overlooking Frankie 4.0 and given how Frankie has evolved in terms of dealing with the timing of his strikes, I'd say he catches Aldo early and swarms him in round one to get a win.

- I should say Browne has this as he has good stand up and great timing with his punches against people in the first, but my gut says Cain will make a comeback here using his superior wrestling and a better game plan/conditioning than his last outing. Using his wrestling I think we'll see Cain put Browne up to the fence, drag him down before any illegal elbows can hit, and then Cain will GNP him to a win.

- Cat hasn't fought in quite some time and likely hasn't recovered mentally from her family situation nor from how butt touched she got fighting Ronda. Her fight IQ isn't impressive and her stand up is sloppy; where as Pena is a scrappy little shit who will likely get caught none the less, fall back slightly, and end up rebounding while Cat gets over aggressive. I say this because Jessica Eye is a better fighter than Cat in a lot of ways; despite having the cardio of a five year old chubby bubby, so I'd say Pena catches Cat in the first during a wave of aggressive pushing.

- Kelvin struggles with wrestlers and if he gets tagged properly by a strong opponent he'll wilt a little. His overall skill-set as a whole is impressive, but while he's good everywhere he's no where near elite status anywhere. Despite the weird weight cut that fat-lord had recently (Hendricks) I think he'll be able to hold Kelvin down for two rounds and get the KO in the third. Neither of them have the greatest cardio mind you, but Hendricks does have the stronger chin and can definitely control the fight more than Kelvin can.

- The only reason I have TJ here is because of how much he's evolved as a fighter since becoming the champion. He has faster and more accurate striking skills, he's light on his feet, and even though he's prone to go flat foot and get frustrated - it only happens when he tends to fight someone like Cruz I'm finding (which is someone akin to the bouncy unpredictable style of striking that only Cruz seems to present). Raphael's biggest strength is his jujitsu and I don't think TJ is dumb enough to fall for it. This time TJ will use superior stand up to win the match no problem.

- Sage has a problem with wrestlers and good jujitsu practitioners and he doesn't really evolve well between fights. His figure is great and he looks like he'd wink and tickle your balls while smiling, his stand up is impressive too but his ground game is shit. Wasabi will likely submit him pretty quick after tanking a few of the early shots; likely using the clinch and cage to work Sage down, subby in round two.

- If Diego comes out smart this time then he'll put J-Lau down in round one with his severely painful striking. If that doesn't happen which it likely won't, I'd say J-Lau will eventually use his wrestling as Diego starts getting more and more frustrated and end up submitting him in the third. He'll survive a flurry in the first and be down a round, but he'll get the sub in the end as Diego just isn't a smart fighter.

- Gegard is cocky as hell and lately it's making him a dumber fighter and a dumber person. Moose is also a slow starter where as Thiago tends to pick you apart from the get go; he was having some success with Hall as well, but ultimately lost that fight. Despite an even reach of seventy six inches I'm willing to assume Thiago will end up pressuring Gegard more so than not, and catching him in round one.

- Jim hasn't had the best chin as of late and despite being an amazing fighter who could submit Damian fucking Maia if he wanted to, I think Gomi will have his number and retire him. Gomi isn't a slouch when it comes to the ground game, but he would get subbed fast if Jim took him down and wanted it to happen - I doubt it'll happen though as Gomi also likes to be a scrappy fucker. They'll meet in the middle, Jim will engage, Gomi will counter and catch Jim then finish him against the cage.