Vitor Belfort welcomes The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum to his Home country of Brazil where Belfort has only tasted defeat once in seven outings.
Gastelum won TUF 17 as a middleweight but has chosen to compete as a welterweight for the majority of his UFC run, only recently moving back up to face Tim Kennedy after struggling to make weight at 170lbs on several occasions. Gastelum was a slight underdog in the run-up to the Kennedy fight but the contest was such a one-sided affair in the favour of Gastelum he has decided to stay at middleweight for this match-up.
Belfort is 2-3 in his last 5 fights, both wins coming against Dan Henderson all three losses by way of TKO. It’s evident to anyone who’s followed “The Phenom” that his best days are certainly behind him, his performances since the prohibition of TRT in MMA have dipped dramatically. Experience is an area where Belfort has an advantage as is the fact that he’s fighting in front of a home crowd. With the curtain closing on a man who made his UFC debut all the way back in 1997, Belfort will be hoping there’s enough fire in the old lion to muster up one last throwback performance & end his career on a positive note.
Potential fight of the night
Alex Oliveira vs Tim Means
Their first meeting ended in a controversial no contest on the fight pass prelims of UFC 207. Prior to the controversy, the fight looked lively with both competitors trading explosive strikes. I envisage these two picking up where they left off, this time with a definitive conclusion.
Talent to watch
Edson Barboza
Boasting an honourable record of 7-3 from his last 10 fights in a talent-stacked division, Barboza will continue his attempt to put together a win streak credible of warranting a title shot.
One of the most feared kickers in all of MMA & owner of the most spectacular spinning kick KO I’ve seen, Edson is without question a man who can pose problems to any fighter in the Lightweight division.
Main card predictions
Vitor Belfort vs Kelvin Gastelum (Gastelum to win)
Mauricio Rua vs Gian Villante (Rua to win)
Edson Barboza vs Daniel Dariush (Barboza to win)
Jussier Formiga vs Ray Borg (Formiga to win)
Bethe Correia vs Marion Reneau (Reneau to win)
Alex Oliveira vs Tim Means (Means to win)