Main Event: Max Holloway (C) vs Brian Ortega (UFC Featherweight Championship)
There are only a few months left before the year comes to an end but make no mistake two of the year’s best match-ups have yet to be contested.
Jon Jones & Alexander Gustafsson resume their rivalry on December 29th, before they close the show on 2018 the new breed of mixed martial artists get their time to shine when the reigning UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway meets the undefeated Brian Ortega.
Holloway’s last loss was in 2013 to Conor McGregor by decision, since then he’s won 12 straight including 9 finishes, two of which against former Champion Jose Aldo who is widely considered the greatest featherweight of all time.
The first fight earned Holloway the Undisputed Featherweight Title.
The second fight 6 months later was Holloway’s first and currently only title defence.
Life at the top hasn’t been smooth sailing for Holloway who’s suffered injuries and health complications which have kept him inactive all year. This fight with Ortega was set to take place on July 7th earlier this year, Holloway was pulled out 3 days prior to the event with concussion-like symptoms during the weight cutting process.
Three months earlier Holloway offered to replace Tony Ferguson when he pulled out of his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223. Even though Holloway had less than an ideal timeframe to make weight it was deemed possible because Holloway usually competes at 145lbs so the weight cut to 155lbs was expected to be easier. The doctor supervising was concerned with Holloway’s condition which meant he was declared unfit to compete before he had even attempted to make weight.
The 145lb weight division has seen a seen a transition in recent years, with Jose Aldo out of the picture & Conor McGregor permanently campaigning as a Lightweight it’s given the younger talent a chance to break through. Zabit Magomedsharipov has taken the division by storm, Yair Rodriguez reminded the world of his capabilities this past weekend.
The challenger Brian Ortega is another exciting young talent at 145lbs, besides the champion, he’s been the form fighter of the division since Jose Aldo’s long reign came to an end.
Ortega has a remarkable ability to finish, he’s had 7 fights in the UFC & he’s finished them all (One later overturned to a no contest). More often than not fighters with high finish rates win most of their fights early, Ortega is an anomaly because 4 of his 7 finishes have come in the third round, a few occasions he’s been down on the scorecards, however, still managed to get the victory against the clock.
He’s a pupil of Rener Gracie so it should come as no surprise to hear that Ortega is a wizard at locking up submissions, he exploits the smallest of opportunities to submit opponents before they can even think about how to defend a position.
His two stand out moments for me were the KO of Clay Guida with 20 seconds left till the final bell,
and his latest win over former UFC Champion Frankie Edgar.
Edgar had never been stopped despite facing lethal strikers in the past, he was finished for the first time by none other than Brian Ortega in the opening round.
The two names who stand out amongst the rest at 145lbs are Max Holloway & the challenger Brian Ortega, you can see why this fight has so much anticipation around it, they both have an even chance of winning (at least on paper).
Picking a winner is difficult but that’s also what makes it intriguing. Though Max Holloway’s concussion symptoms kept this fight from happening at UFC 226, sites like SBD still have him as a slight favourite over Brian Ortega.
Don’t expect fireworks at the press conference, these two prefer to do their talking in the octagon. Holloway & Ortega represent the traditional spirit of a Mixed Martial Artists, respectful conduct outside the octagon, fiercely competitive inside of it.
Co-Main: Valentina Shevchenko vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk (Womens UFC Flyweight Championship)
Two women who have recently decided to change weight classes, Valentina Shevchenko is moving down to a weight she’s more physically suited too & Joanna is moving up making her weight cut which has troubled her the past few years more comfortable.
The similarities don’t end there, Valentina & Joanna are both former Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Championship Gold Medalists. They competed against each other three times prior to taking up MMA, Shevchenko came out on top every time.
A lot has changed since those fights, MMA, of course, is a whole different ballgame. There are a few variables which didn’t apply to the previous encounters, however, you’d be crazy to think the previous fights will have no bearing mentally on both women coming into this fight.
Setbacks in title fights have plagued these ladies, lucky for them they get another chance to claim gold in the newly introduced Women’s Flyweight division, the division has only ever had one champion but Nicco Montano was stripped without ever making a defence of the title.
This is a fresh chance to write history in a weight class with a blank page, the losses to Amanda Nunes & Rose Namajunas will be quickly forgotten if either Valentina or Joanna go on to have a solid run as champion at flyweight.
Predictions
Max Holloway vs Brian Ortega (Ortega by Submission)
Valentina Shevchenko vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk (Shevchenko by Decision)
Alex Oliveira vs Gunnar Nelson (Nelson by Submission)
Hakeem Dawodu vs Kyle Bochniak (Dawodu by Decision)
Jimi Manuwa vs Thiago Santos (Manuwa KO/TKO)