UFC 200 is coming with plenty of amazing matchups for us to sink our teeth into. But having so many fights to analyse is one hell of a job. Thankfully, experts are all over the internet to help us in picking winners heading into the biggest fight card in all of MMA. Read on as we take a look at what the experts have to say for the main card of UFC 200.
Bleacher Report is ready for the ginormous UFC 200 card, picking each of the five main card fights for their viewers. Steven Rondina has everything ready, starting with the co-main event of the evening Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt.
Rondina believes that Lesnar is still very powerful and explosive enough to get takedowns. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion should be looking for the takedown from the very start of the fight, because if he doesn’t then it’s night-night for him. For Rondina, Lesnar is the obvious pick but Hunt deserves props due to his incredible knockout power.
The rematch between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar is next up on Rondina’s agenda, and there’s no surprise there. The featured columnist is picking Aldo to once again best Edgar in the same manner as their first match—by unanimous decision. Rondina notes that neither fight has seriously transformed since their 2013 fight.
Rondina is also high on UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate to defend her title. But he also notes that challenger Amanda Nunes is powerful and strong enough to tag Tate and have her in trouble. Nevertheless, Tate weathers the early storm and cruises en route to a fourth-round TKO.
It’s now time to dig in to the main event of the evening. Rondina isn’t surprising anyone with his pick, predicting the heavily-favored Jon Jones to defeat Daniel Cormier by unanimous decision. However, there were plenty of questions raised in Jones’ return to the Octagon, in which he failed to showcase the creativity, confidence and swagger that defined his run as the champion. Nevertheless, Jones is still too young and too good for an aging wrestler in Cormier.
Fury’s Fight Picks
Matchup
Pick
Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne
Velasquez
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Aldo
Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes
Tate
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt
Lesnar
Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones
Jones
Luca Fury talked about his picks for the entire UFC 200 fight card, including the highly-anticipated main card. Fury is backing mostly favorites, picking Velasquez, Tate and Jones to come out on top in their respective matchups. Meanwhile, the pro gambler also picked Jose Aldo in a pick ‘em fight against Frankie Edgar and Brock Lesnar as his lone underdog.
Fury believes that Velasquez just has way more tools than opponent Travis Browne in the main card opener. While Velasquez may be a shell of his former self after all the surgeries and injuries, he still has the skillset to force a late stoppage on a fatiguing Browne.
Tate is another favorite, who should be able to defend her title against dangerous challenger Amanda Nunes. While Tate could be hittable as she has shown in the past, she also happens to be one tough cookie to crack. The champ should have enough gas in the tank to weather the early storm and force a finish on a tiring Nunes.
Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. There’s no question to that. Meanwhile, Cormier is already aging and has a limited ability for improvement. Fury believes that Cormier will still struggle against a younger, more dominant fighter of Jones’ caliber.
There’s not much to scrutinize when it comes to Aldo. Only 13 seconds are available to study in his championship-losing performance against Conor McGregor. Thus, Fury believes that Aldo is still the same Brazilian destroyer that beat Edgar back in 2013. The tipster is picking the Brazilian native to once again get the upper hand in this matchup.
Fury is also really high on Lesnar. He’s not a WWE fanboy in any means; rather, he’s picking the former heavyweight champion due to his wrestling pedigree. Mark Hunt has not showed that he can stop big and athletic wrestlers. The last time he faced one, he was badly dominated by current heavyweight king Stipe Miocic. Fury believes that Lesnar should be able to keep blasting power double legs and eventually finish the fight on the ground.
