Main Event
(C) Khabib Nurmagomedov vs (IC) Justin Gaethje
The Locker Room Pick: #ANDStill Khabib Nurmagomedov winner via SUB in Round 3
How can you bet against Khabib, yes “The Eagle” has an impressive 28-0 record, but he has only lost 2 round in his entire career. Yes, Justin is “the guy” to take the 0 off of Khabib’s record, but haven’t they said that about all of his opponents?
Justin Gaethje is coming off of an impressive win over Tony Ferguson, in which he finished via TKO. Gaethje was a Divison 1 All-American wrestler at the University of Northern Colorado, which gives him the credibility behind his wrestling. However, it is MMA wrestling now, and not NCAA wrestling.
There is no doubt that Gaethje can put Khabib’s lights out with one shot, but so could Conor… and Dustin… and Barboza.
| Khabib Nurmagomedov (-350) | Justin Gaethje (+285) | |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Age | 31 |
| 5′ 10 | Height | 5′ 11 |
| 155 | Weight | 155 |
| 70″ | Reach | 70″ |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| 28-0-0 | Record | 22-2-0 |
| W R3 SUB Poirier W R4 SUB McGregor W R5 Dec. Iaquinta W R3 Dec. Barboza W R3 SUB Johnson | Last 5 | W R5 TKO Ferguson W R1 TKO Cerrone W R1 KO Barboza W R1 KO Vick L R4 TKO Poirier |
Co-Main Event
(#1) Robert Whittaker vs (#2) Jared Cannonier
The Locker Room Pick: Robert Whittaker winner via TKO in Round 4
The champ himself, Israel Adesanya, said that this is the #1 contender fight. He mentioned that he would like to fight Cannonier, but he would fight Whittaker again as well.
Well, Cannonier definitely has some knockout power, originally coming from the heavyweight division, losing 100 pounds, and slowly working his way down to Middleweight. Cannonier has powerful striking and can put the lights out on anyone.
However, the man standing across from him has been toward the top of the division for a while now and he seems to possess the ability to tame the power of his opponents. Remember, Adesanya beat him with precision, not power. Whittaker is a brawler, straight up, and that will pose as a problem for Cannonier, who has not stepped in the octagon for a year now.
| Robert Whittaker (-110) | Jared Cannonier (-110) | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Age | 31 |
| 6′ 0 | Height | 5′ 11 |
| 186 | Weight | 185 |
| 73.5″ | Reach | 77.5″ |
| Orthodox | Stance | Switch |
| 22-5-0 | Record | 13-4-0 |
| W R5 Dec. Till L R2 KO Adesanya W R5 Dec. Romero W R5 Dec. Romero W R2 KO Souza | Last 5 | W R2 KO Hermansson W R1 KO Silva W R2 KO Branch L R1 KO Reyes L R3 Dec. Blachowicz |
