UFC 225 Predictions
The UFC has two championships on the line Saturday night at UFC 225. Which fighters will come away with the big victories? Who should you wager on?
24101 Yoel Romero vs. 24102 Robert Whittaker
This main event was to be for the UFC Middleweight Championship, but Romero failed to make weight, so this is now a 5-round non-title fight. According to the latest oddsmakers, Whittaker is favored, as he has -250 odds to win. Romero is listed with a money line of +210. Whittaker (19-4) is the middleweight champ and riding a 7-0 record as a middleweight in the UFC That includes a win over Romero (13-2) in his last fight last July. He won by decision after five rounds. Romero bounced back with a KO win over Luke Rockhold, but then failed to make weight and was apparently really struggling on Friday during the cut. That will be a problem if he can’t score a quick finish. The longer this goes, the harder it will be for Romero. Whittaker pushes a tough pace and should eventually be able to finish a tired Romero. UFC 225 Prediction: Robert Whittaker -250
24105 Colby Covington vs. 24106 Rafael Dos Anjos
This fight is for the interim UFC Welterweight Title. Oddsmakers have Covington (13-1) as the slight favorite, listing him with -135 odds. Dos Anjos (28-9) has +115 odds to prevail. RDA is a former lightweight champion that has won three straight since moving up to 170 pounds. He has great submissions and is a powerful striker, though not technically great. Covington has won five straight, with his last three coming by decision. He is a wrestler that will look to grind out a win on the mat. That could be tough against Dos Anjos, who is comfortable on his back due to his jiu-jitsu background. Covington has never had to go five rounds and this is the biggest fight of his career. I think that pressure will cause him to fold and allow Dos Anjos to get the win. UFC 225 Prediction: Rafael Dos Anjos +115
24117 CM Punk vs. 24118 Mike Jackson
In a rare battle of two 0-1 fighters, oddsmakers have Jackson as a -205 favorite in this welterweight bout. Punk is listed with odds of +175. Both men lost to Mickey Gall in their only other fight. Jackson was quickly knocked out while Punk was overwhelmed and eventually submitted in two minutes. Jackson has some amateur fights to fall back on while Punk is a former WWE wrestler turned MMA fighter. His lack of experience and abilities showed in his debut and I think they can only get so much better in the last 18 months. While he may be competitive this time around, I think Jackson’s longer time training and having some amateur fights will allow him to get the win in some fashion. UFC 225 Prediction: Mike Jackson -205