Tag Archives: UFC 217

UFC 217: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas Odds and Prediction

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Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend the UFC women’s strawweight title against Rose Namajunas in one of the three massive title fights slated for UFC 217 at the Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4th, 2017.

Jedrzejczyk has been on a dominating reign as UFC women’s strawweight champion. She is unbeaten in 14 total MMA fights and has successfully defended her belt five times since defeating UFC  women’s strawweight inaugural champion, Carla Esparza. That’s an impressive feat by itself, but Joanna has no plans in slowing down.

Solid Favorite

Namajunas has won four of her last five bouts and is coming off a 2nd round submission win over Michelle Waterson last April. The UFC’s 4th ranked female strawweight fought for the inaugural title in 2014 but lost to Carla Esparza. She hopes to win the belt in her second attempt but will be hard-pressed to do so against one of the top fighters in the UFC.

Jedrzejczyk is a staggering -600 favorite at Bovada and other UFC betting sites, while her challenger who is currently at +400. Jedrzejczyk needs no introduction. She is the best pound for pound female fighter in the UFC today. A former Muay Thai and Kickboxing world champion, Jedrzejczyk uses her legs and knees better than most fighters on the circuit.

Deadly Ground Game

Joanna is a highly efficient striker with great accuracy and a good boxing background. Although most of her fights have ended in a decision, she definitely can finish off her opponent. If this fight stays on the feet, Jedrzejczyk will be unbeatable.

Despite the fact that she doesn’t have a knockout under her belt, Namajunas can hold her own in striking. She is a pressure fighter who likes to mix her jabs with kicks. But what makes Namajunas deadly is her ground game. Five of her seven wins have come via submission. With her upper body strength and long legs, she is dangerous when she gets position on the canvass. One thing you’ve got to watch out for is her going for that rear naked choke.

Has Passed The Test

With her skill-set, Namajunas could be the kryptonite for Jedrzejczyk. If she takes the champion down, she won’t just take her off her biggest strength which is striking, but Rose will have the opportunity to win because she is an excellent submission artist.

But it’s hard to go against someone who is perhaps the best female fighter out there today. Jedrzejczyk has beaten every challenger that has been thrown at her and has passed the test against excellent submission artists like Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Penne. She’s going to keep this fight on the feet and outstrike Namajunas all night long.

We’re picking Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win this one by unanimous decision.

Will Georges St. Pierre Make History Against Michael Bisping?

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Michael Bisping defends his UFC middleweight title against former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at the main event of UFC 217 on November 4th, 2017 at the Madison Square Garden in New York, USA.

Bisping will be defending the title for the second time since upsetting Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in June of 2016. The Count defeated Dan Henderson via decision to keep his belt at UFC 204. He has not lost since getting submitted by Rockhold in 2014.

Walked Away

St. Pierre walked away from the sport in 2013, citing wear and tear issues. GSP has won his last twelve bouts with seven of his last eight victories coming by way of decision. St. Pierre was once the best fighter on the planet but a lot has changed in the game since he left.

He will be attempting to make history and become only the fourth fighter to win world titles in different weight classes. Only Randy Couture, B.J. Penn and Conor McGregor are the fighters to achieve the feat.

Out Too Long

As expected, GSP opened as the odds on favorite in this title bout at -130 and the champion Bisping the underdog at +120. The odds have moved a bit with St. Pierre now at -130 at Bovada and Bisping with EVEN odds. Regardless of the numbers, this one should be an interesting fight to watch.

GSP is one of the most complete fighters in the sport and has not lost in a decade. Having spent so much time outside of the octagon leaves plenty of questions regarding his conditioning and ability to be effective especially since he is moving up in weight for this bout.

A Tactical Fight

Naturally, Bisping is the bigger man and has more punching power. He would like to keep this fight on his feet, where he has the best chance to defeat St. Pierre. Not many can keep up with the pace of the Count once he gets his stand-up going. He’s going to pressure GSP and make the Canadian fight going backwards.

St. Pierre, though, is a master of avoiding damage. Against Bisping, he will want to take this fight to the ground to negate the size and power advantage. St. Pierre is a very crafty wrestler who has excellent control in the canvas. This fight could be tactical and boring but that’s how St. Pierre usually wins. Nothing different here.

Bisping’s takedown defense is good but it’s not stellar. It will be put to the test against St. Pierre. We’re picking Georges St. Pierre to win a tactical battle. GSP by decision.

UFC 217: Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal Odds and Prediction

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Stephen Thompson faces Jorge Masvidal at UFC 217 at the Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4th, 2017. The event will be headlined by the middleweight title bout between champion Michael Bisping and former UFC welterweight king Georges St. Pierre, but this welterweight showdown could steal the thunder.

Coming off Losses

Thompson will be fighting for the first time since back to back title fights against UFC welterweight champ, Tyron Woodley. Wonderboy came within a whisker of winning the belt twice, earning a majority draw at UFC 205 and then dropping a 48-47, 48-47 and 47-47 majority decision loss to Woodley during their rematch at UFC 209. Prior to those two bouts, the South Carolina native won an impressive nine consecutive bouts.

Masvidal is also coming off a loss, having been beaten by Demian Maia at UFC 211. Prior to that defeat, Masvidal went on a three fight winning streak, beating Ross Pearson, Jake Ellenberger and Donald Cerrone in succession. Gamebred’s last 8 fights record of 4-4 is very deceptive. He has been silently climbing the ranks and improving his game. Masvidal has been waiting for a big opportunity like this and you bet he’s going all out.

Odds and Prediction

Wonderboy Thompson is currently the favorite at -155 ,while Jorge Masvidal is the underdog at +135.

This pick’em fight should be a good one and has the potential to be the fight of the night. Wonderboy is a decorated kickboxer who also has good power in his punches. Thompson’s legs are long while his kicks and punches are strong, making him a dangerous opponent in standup striking.  When he gets taken down, though, he isn’t as good on his back.

Masvidal is a brawler who lands powerful punches in the stand up. He’s one of the tougher fighters in the division owing to his Miami street fighting background. Gamebred is also quick and athletic enough to land takedowns plus he has good grappling skills. Thompson should have a handful against Masvidal standing up but when the fight goes to the ground, it’s got to be Masvidal’s fight to win.

Thompson will look for the quick win here but given that Masvidal has been knocked out only once in his 12 losses, it’s going to be frustrating. Masvidal, meanwhile, will try to make this ugly, whether on the feet or on the ground. He’s gonna try and make Thompson do other things aside from striking. This fight should go the distance with Masvidal winning by a narrow decision. We’re going with the upset here and picking Masvidal to win on points.