UFC 203, Miocic vs. Overeem: Predicting bonus winners
Here are the predictions for the bonus winners at UFC 203, Miocic vs. Overeem.
The UFC touches down in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, September 10, 2016, for UFC 203.
The main event is headlined by the UFC heavyweight title fight between current champion, Stipe Miocic and challenger Alistair Overeem.
Miocic comes into the fight on a three-fight win streak, with his last victory securing the heavyweight title at UFC 198 against Fabricio Werdum. This will be Miocic’s first title defense and he will get to fight in front of his hometown crowd.
After a rocky start in his UFC career, losing three of his first five fights, Overeem has won four straight fights. In those four victories, Overeem has finished three of his opponents, with his last earning him a Performance of the Night when he knocked out Andrei Arlovski.
Along with the heavyweight title fight, UFC 203 features a heavyweight contender bout between the No. 1 contender Werdum and No. 6 contender Travis Browne.
Those two fights are huge, but the biggest draw for UFC 203 will be CM Punk’s UFC debut. Punk takes on “Lookin’ For a Fight” star, Mickey Gall. Fans say Gall won the MMA lottery when he got the fight with Punk, however, Gall is looking to claim his prize.
Two more fights round out the main card. A top bantamweight scrap between No. 2 Urijah Faber and No. 12 Jimmie Rivera and a women’s strawweight fight between No. 6 Jessica Andrade and No. 7 Joanne Calderwood.
With these great fights, four fighters will walk away with a $50,000 bonus. Click along to see who I predict will take home some extra cash at UFC 203.
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 08: (L-R) Opponents Fabricio Werdum of Brazil and Travis Browne face off during the UFC 203 press conference at Quicken Loans Arena September 8, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Performance of the Night: Travis Browne
This pick will surprise a lot of fans because many believe Werdum will run through Browne, again. These two fighters went to war back in 2004, with Werdum cruising to an impressive unanimous decision victory.
In the loss, Browne was out-struck 171-77 for normal strikes and 121-60 for significant strikes. The fight was five rounds and the main event because the winner went on to fight for the heavyweight title.
Ironically, it is looking like that will happen again here at UFC 203. The two meet each other, with Werdum sitting as the No. 1 contender and Browne No. 6. Browne took the fight on short notice, but he understands the opportunity he has in front of him.
Browne is coming off of a devastating loss to Cain Velasquez when he was finished in the first round. Since 2013, Browne hasn’t been able to win two fights in a row. He has split his last six fights 3-3.
Werdum is also coming off of a loss, one in which he lost the belt to Miocic by getting finished in the first round as well. The loss ended Werdum’s six-fight win streak and made him 11-3 in his last 14 fights.
I believe that Browne will upset Werdum on Saturday night and his KO/TKO finish in the first round will earn him a $50,000 bonus, along with a potential title shot.
NEWARK, NJ – JANUARY 30: Jimmie Rivera of the United States celebrates his win by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 against Iuri Alcantara of Brazil (not pictured) in their bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Prudential Center on January 30, 2016 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Fight of the Night: Urijah Faber vs. Jimmie Rivera
If you could only watch one fight on the UFC 203 card, I would suggest you pick Urijah Faber vs. Jimmie Rivera. There may be the heavyweight title fight, however, I feel that this fight is going to be the most exciting fight on the card.
The California Kid comes into the bout after losing the title fight against Dominick Cruz. It wasn’t Faber’s best showing, but Cruz is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and hasn’t loss since Faber took him out in 2007.
He takes on a young and hungry Jimmie Rivera. The 27-year-old from New Jersey is on a ridiculous 18-fight win streak, winning all three of his UFC bouts. His last fight, a three-round war with Iuri Alcantara, earned Rivera his first post-fight bonus.
Faber currently sits as the No. 2 bantamweight as Rivera is looking move up from his No. 12 rank. I believe both fighters will come out strong, making this fight an instant classic. Expect both of them to land their respective shots, takedowns, and look for finishes. This fight will go the full three rounds, with Rivera winning a decision.
With no disrespect to Faber, who is one of the best fighters out there, Rivera is looking for his 19th straight win and a shot to fight for the title. I believe he will edge out Faber, but both fighters will walk away with a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 06: Mickey Gall celebrates after his submission victory over Mike Jackson in their welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at MGM Grand Garden Arena on February 6, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Performance of the Night: Mickey Gall
The thoughts from fans on Mickey Gall have been mixed. Some feel he doesn’t belong in the UFC and is only there because of his call out of CM Punk, while others know he got there early, however, know he has the talent to be there.
For me, I have known Gall since he trained at AMA Fight Club at 18 years old, so I believe he belongs in the UFC. The New Jersey native has some serious skill and potential inside of the cage.
Punk may have the following because of his WWE titles and stardom in the different sport, however, he will be making his MMA debut. He has never fought inside a cage before and his first fight will be in front of a huge crowd at UFC 203. He may be able to handle pressure because of the WWE, but getting locked in a cage to fight someone is a different kind of pressure.
At UFC 203, Gall is going to run through Punk in the first round. Gall told FanSided MMA that he, “will probably take him out in the first round. If it goes two, it will be even easier.” Gall puts a lot of pressure on his opponents and I do not think Punk will be able to handle that in his MMA debut.
After he runs through Punk in the first round, expect Gall to once again steal the show with the microphone, while also earning a nice $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
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