Heavyweight Bout: Brock Lesnar (5-3) vs. Mark Hunt (12-10-1)
Luke: If I live to be a thousand years old, I will never, ever, understand how the living hell WWE signed off on this. Of every single opponent Lesnar could have had, you give him a man that capitalizes on Lesnar’s biggest weakness better than anyone in the entire sport. Vince was asleep at the wheel here. Hunt via R1 KO.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: Miesha Tate (c) (18-5) vs. Amanda Nunes (12-4)
Luke: Nunes’s game is predicated on pressure and aggression, and unfortunately for her, she’s facing someone who has become a champion on aggression, relentless attack, endurance, cardio, and gladly walking through punches to get where she wants on you. Everything Nunes does, except for maybe power, Tate does better. Tate via R4 Submission.
Interim UFC Featherweight Championship: Frankie Edgar (20-4-1) vs. Jose Aldo (25-2)
Luke: There’s no way to know what effect Aldo’s loss had on his psyche. However, when a fighter is openly weeping in the cage after a loss, it can’t be a great thing, coupled with Edgar’s newfound KO power, and I think it’s time to Kick in the Door to a matchup with McGregor. Edgar via R3 TKO.
Heavyweight Bout: Cain Velasquez (13-2) vs. Travis Browne (18-3-1)
Luke: This fight is really going to depend on if the Cain Velasquez we saw last against Werdum was a victim of altitude, or whether he is on a downhill slope. It really is a roll of the dice, but I’ll bet on Cain, if not being 100% himself anymore because of the injuries, looking better than that abysmal performance. Velasquez via R2 TKO.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Cat Zingano (9-1) vs. Julianna Pena (7-2)
Luke: Two things I absolutely detest: hitting someone who cannot hit you back, and people who turn obnoxious and dickheaded when they drink. Pena’s a heaping helping of both. Pena’s facing someone who hits harder and presses more than anyone she’s faced and Zingano is looking for redemption. I hope Cat tunes her up. Zingano via R1 TKO.
Welterweight Bout: Johny Hendricks (17-4) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (11-2)
Luke: Sometimes when it goes, it goes in a hurry, and I think it might be that time for The Bigggg Riggg. I think all the wars, all the punches, all the ungodly weight cuts might have finally caught up to him. Am I reading far too much into one fight? Absolutely, I could be. But I’ve seen this before with other fighters, and the Johny Hendricks we saw in his last fight resembled nothing of the former champion. Gastelum via R2 TKO.
Bantamweight Bout: Raphael Assuncao (23-4) vs. TJ Dillashaw (12-3)
Luke: A well-deserved rematch for both men, and it feels like the winner is getting a shot at Dominic Cruz’s title, so big ramifications here. From what I’ve seen based on these guys since their fight, it’s easy to say that Dillashaw has improved more than Assuncao, but wins over Caraway and Munhoz are quality, but ring rust could play a major factor. I still think these two are very evenly-matched style-wise, but between Assuncao’s absence and Dillashaw’s improvement, it’s tipping the scales a little too much. Dillashaw via UD.
Lightweight Bout: Enrique Marin (8-3) vs. Sage Northcutt (7-1)
Luke: Although now we see that Sage can be submitted by half a submission, and Marin has submission chops, I think Northcutt and his team try to stay on the feet and end it before he has a chance. Northcutt via R1 TKO.
Lightweight Bout: Diego Sanchez (26-8) vs. Joe Lauzon (25-11)
Luke: Can’t believe these two have never met. These are two looooongtime UFC vets in a battle to stay relevent. Both have seen just about everything there is to see and face in the cage, so neither will fall for any tricky stuff, so they probably keep it standing and if that’s the case, we know what’ll happen. Sanchez via (disputed) SD.
Middleweight Bout: Gegard Mousasi (38-6-2) vs. Thiago Santos (13-3)
Luke: Not as fun as the Mousasi-Brunson matchup, but Santos is flying extremely fast and extremely hard under the radar. I think Mousasi shows up, is bored in the cage, as he is wont to do, and Santos lands the biggest kick of his life. Santos via R1 TKO.
Lightweight Bout: Jim Miller (25-8) vs. Takanori Gomi (35-11)
Luke: MAN if this fight happened, like, seven years ago. Ugh, alas. Neither of these former dominant lightweights are anywhere near what they were, but I think Miller has more left in the tank than Gomi, who just got TKO’d by Joe freaking Lauzon. In the first round. Miller via R2 TKO.
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