UFC 260 - Fighter Previews

Stipe Miocic - UFC Heavyweight GOAT

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Stipe Miocic should need no introduction. Miocic is the Greatest Heavyweight in the History of the UFC. He holds the record for UFC Heavyweight Title Wins and will be looking for his 7th this Saturday. Stipe rose through the UFC rankings by casually knocking out everyone put in front of him. He holds stoppages over several former UFC Heavyweight Champions including Daniel Cormier, Junior Dos Santos, and Andrei Arlovski. Miocic is 14-3 in the UFC and has never lost 2 fights in a row in his career. He has also avenged every loss but one, an early career TKO loss to Stefan Struve. The Cleveland firefighter has some of the best boxing and heavyweight cardio every seen in the weight class. He has shown an ability to knock out anyone, control the clinch positions, and fight 5 hard rounds with the best in the world. In my opinion, Miocic is one of the most underappreciated Champions of all time. He will enter this rematch with Ngannou as the underdog, just like their first fight. If Stipe can get through Francis, it will only make it more clear who the Greatest of All Time is and may set up a fight with the Light Heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones. Stipe is one of the best strikers and boxers of all time, in any weight class. He looked better than ever in his last fight, a rubber match against foe and Former Double Champ Daniel Cormier. If Stipe can use the same clinch control and distance striking he did against DC, it will be a long night for anyone. He’s the GOAT, it’s that simple.

Francis Ngannou - #1 UFC Heavyweight

(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Francis Ngannou is the scariest man in the UFC. Outside of the octagon, he is a gentle giant who likes to get pedicures. Inside the octagon, he is the most frightening KO artist of the last decade, or maybe All Time. Francis’ right hand hits with the same amount of force as a Ford Escort going as fast as it can. Thats a real stat. He has compiled multiple stomach churning KOs since joining the UFC. Ngannou is 10-2 in the promotion, with his only 2 losses being to Stipe and Derrick Lewis. Hardcore fans, including myself, do not count the Lewis fight as a loss. Or maybe we count it as a loss to both men. Despite it being a matchup of the two best KO artists of the last 10 years, it turned out to be one of the most boring fights ever. Both men were warned for inactivity several times throughout the fight and Lewis was awarded an “I guess” decision. Other than that fight, Francis has looked unstoppable. Of Ngannou’s 10 UFC wins, 8 have come in the first round. The other 2 came in the second. Francis has 8 KOs, 1 submission, and 1 doctor stoppage to his resume and has never won by decision in his career. He is now on a 4 fight winning streak, all by first round KO. Of these 4 wins, 3 lasted under 1 minute. He is a much improved fighter and will now get a 2nd chance at Stipe. If Francis were to win this fight, he would be the biggest attraction at Heavyweight since Brock Lesnar. If Ngannou can land a big shot, he could easily be walking out UFC Champion Saturday.

Tyron Woodley - #7 Welterweight and Former UFC Welterweight Champion

(Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

Tyron Woodley has fallen on hard times as of late. The former UFC Welterweight Champion is looking to bounce back to his dominating ways. Woodley looked like he was headed towards the All-Time conversation at 170. Since joining the UFC following it’s merger with Strikeforce, Woodley was one of many to take the UFC by storm. He began his run with a vicious :36 second KO of Jay Hieron. Following 2 more wins over Josh Koscheck and former Interim Champ Carlos Condit, Woodley was given a number one contenders bout with Rory MacDonald. Rory was a main training partner of Welterweight GOAT Georges St. Pierre and seemed to be the next big thing at 170. “The Red King” proved us right and Tyron suffered a Unanimous Decision loss. Despite that, he bounced back with two wins over Kelvin Gastelum and Dong Hyun Kim to earn a title shot. His shot was against longtime veteran and certified brawler Robbie Lawler. Lawler was working on the 4th defense of his title after beating Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, and Carlos Condit. Tyron would show his elite athleticism and power by KO’ing Robbie in the first round to win the belt. He would defend the belt 3 times and reign atop of the division for 2 and a half years. This is where the hard times come. Since losing his belt and all 5 rounds to Kamaru Usman in March 2019, Woodley hasn’t won another round. ROUND I said. He followed the 50-45 loss to Usman with another one to Gilbert Burns. He then lost 4 rounds to Colby Covington before a rib injury stopped the fight. Now Tyron is looking to bounce back. Some say he may be on the brink of a UFC release. We need to see the aggressive Woodley that won the belt on Saturday. For now, he is on a 14 round losing streak.

Vicente Luque - #10 UFC Welterweight

(Jason Silva/USA Today Sports)

Vicente Luque is one big win away from being a real contender at 170. The Brazilian powerhouse has been a fan favorite since coming off Season 21 of The Ultimate Fighter. A longtime member of Sanford MMA, formerly the Blackzillians, Luque is 12-3 in the UFC. He holds wins over impressive names like Belal Muhammad, Mike Perry, and Niko Price. Since losing his UFC debut to Michael Graves, Luque has only lost to the best of the best. His other UFC losses have come to #3 Contender Leon Edwards and #5 Contender Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. 11 of Luque’s 12 UFC wins have been by stoppage and he has shown a tendency to get into a fire fight. His KO win over Bryan Barberena was nominated for 2019 Fight of the Year. He has won 8 of his last 9 and is looking to prove himself to be elite. This fight with Woodley will be another chance for Vicente to punch his ticket. He has failed to do so in the past, but may be catching Woodley at the right time. All Luque needs is a big win over a big name to set himself up for some massive fights at Welterweight.

Thomas Almeida - UFC Bantamweight and Former Favorite of Dana

(John Locher/AP)

Thomas Almeida was THE prospect at 135 when he broke into the UFC. When he debuted in November, 2014, he was the Legacy FC Bantamweight Champion with an unblemished record of 15-0. He dominated the Brazilian regional scene and was seen as a future Title Contender. Once he broke into the promotion, he began to back up all the hype. Almeida KO’d 4 of his first 5 opponents and defeated all 5 to move to a still perfect 20-0. He was climbing the rankings fast and went into the biggest fight of his career against Cody Garbrandt ranked #7 in the world. The bout against Cody was the first Main Event for either man and a battle of the two best prospects at 135. Almeida entered the bout as a heavy favorite, as one would when they're 20-0. Both men were undefeated with massive power for the division. They both met in the middle and threw bombs with the confidence of someone would had never been dropped, until someone did. And as you probably guessed, it was Almeida. Garbrandt handed Thomas his first loss ever on his own way to becoming Champion. Since the loss to Cody, Almeida has lost 3 of his last 4. He has fallen completely out of the Top 15 and hasn’t secured a win since July, 2017. If he can find the groove that got him to 20-0, he could make a resurgence in the absolutely loaded Bantamweight Division.

Sean O’Malley - Mentally Undefeated UFC Bantamweight

“Sugar” Sean O’Malley is currently one of the hottest prospects in the UFC. The rainbow haired assassin has shown some of the best striking and power in the entire division. Sean has been a massive breakout star for the UFC since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. He KO’d Alfred Khashakyan in the first round and told Dana “Welcome to the Sugar Show.” O’Malley has since began to climb the UFC rankings and social media rankings. On the popularity side, O’Malley has become a fan favorite through his personality and fighting style. He currently has his own podcast and over 1.2 million followers on Instagram. Anyways, when he’s in the cage, he is electrifying. He is currently 4-1 in the UFC with highlight reel KOs over Jose Quinonez and Eddie Wineland, the latter being a KO of the Year Nominee. Sean’s only UFC loss came to Marlon “Chito” Vera in controversial manner. O’Malley seemed to be winning the striking exchanges until Vera landed a nasty leg kick. The leg kick caused a freak injury in O’Malley’s nerve in his leg. He was unable to stand after just the one kick and the fight was deemed a TKO win for Vera. I see both sides of the coin here. O’Malley has said on his podcast he is “mentally undefeated.” I understand his perspective because without the kick and injury he probably would’ve won. But I also understand “Chito” saying it was a good kick and the right call. Either way, “Sugar Sean” has the chance to get back on track Saturday. Hopefully his hype doesn’t take a dive for the worst like Almeida’s did.

Gillian Robertson - #15 UFC Flyweight

(Sergei Belski/USA Today Sports)

Gillian Robertson has been back and forth since entering the UFC. The Ultimate Fighter Season 26 contestant has gone 6-3 since securing a UFC contract. She did not win her season, but has shown an ability to hang with the best in the world and put a number next to her name. Robertson has showcased some of the best jiu jitsu in the division and is a handful for anybody on the ground. She has been able to pick up wins, but not consistently enough to prove herself among the elite. She has swapped wins and losses back and forth for her last 4 fights and hasn’t won 2 in a row since since July, 2019. If Gillian can go on a run, she could find herself inside the Top 10 and in there with another top flyweight.

Miranda Maverick - Surging UFC Flyweight Prospect

Miranda Maverick is by far the hottest prospect in the Flyweight division. She only has 1 fight in the UFC, but many believe her to be a future Title Contender. Maverick, sick name by the way, is coming to the UFC after dominating Invicta. She has an overall MMA record of 8-2 and hasn’t lost since February 2019. If you don’t think that’s a long time, she has managed to win 6 fights since. Her UFC debut against Liana Jojua was a clinic. She put it on Jojua and beat her down for 5 minutes. At the end of the first, a cut caused by a nasty elbow forced a doctor stoppage. Many people are high on Miranda. Robertson is a good barometer for her potential in the division. If she were to come out with a win, don’t be surprised to see her against a Top 10 Flyweight next time out.

Jamie Mullarkey - Tough As Nails UFC Lightweight

(thesun.ie)

The Australian Jamie Mullarkey is back to kick off the UFC 260 Main Card. Mullarkey has shown as ability to scrap, but is yet to come home with a UFC win. He is 0-2 in the promotion with losses to Fares Ziam and Brad Riddell. The fight with Riddell was an absolute knocker and a Fight of the Year Candidate. Outside of the UFC, Mullarkey has shown tight boxing and big power. 8 of his 12 professional wins have come by knockout and Jamie is looking to keep the fight standing against anyone. He will likely be fighting for his place on the roster this Saturday. The first Main Card fight is also a banger of a matchup to get the card off on the right foot. Choosing Mullarkey for this spot is a no-brainer, but it’s up to him to be known as more than a brawler.

Khama Worthy - Versatile UFC Lightweight

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

Khama Worthy’s path to the UFC is a feel good story. Worthy’s professional career starting out okay, but likely not good enough to get him to the UFC. He was 9-5 in the Pittsburgh regional scene, but had already shared the ring with UFC veterans Billy Quarantillo, Kyle Nelson, and Paul Felder. The problem was, he lost to all of them. He was seen as a regional level champion and nothing more. Thats until Worthy went on a scorching hot run. Over the span of 16 months, Khama went on a 6 fight winning streak. This earned him a short notice fight against friend and teammate Devonte Smith. Khama was a large underdog and Smith was one of the hotter talents at 155. Worthy admitted fighting his friend was weird, but not before starching him. He turned the betting lines upside down when he KO’d Smith in the first round. He followed that up and increased his winning streak to 8 with a win over “Violent Bob Ross” Luis Pena. Unfortunately, Worthy’s run came to an end when he was KO’d by Ottman Azaitar. Now he is looking to get back on the horse. I don’t believe he is fighting for his job like Mullarkey, but a win on a PPV Main Card would be his biggest since Smith.