Some explosive mixed martial arts action will come our way this Saturday when Dana White’s fight organization rolls out UFC 212. The event will see a return to Octagon by Jose Aldo, who’s been away from it for almost a year. Can Aldo stop Max Holloway’s win streak? In another fight, MMA legend Vitor Belfort is going to appear perhaps in his last fight in a supporting bout. Will he end his colorful career with a victory? Let’s head on to the breakdowns of each main card fights for UFC 212.
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UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway
Main Event – UFC Featherweight Championship
Jose Aldo (-125) vs. Max Holloway (-105)
Aldo’s shine has faded a bit after losing to Conor McGregor in a title match in UFC 194 but he’s regained some of it by defeating Frankie Edgar in UFC 200 to claim the featherweight interim belt. Like Aldo, Holloway owns an interim title, having knocked out Anthony Pettis back in December. Aldo is 8-1 in the UFC so there’s still a lot of luster surrounding his name and a win over Holloway should position him for another title shot. Holloway is on a mean streak with 10 straight wins. That momentum is what he’s hoping give him that extra oomph against Aldo. Apart from Pettis, Holloway has defeated the likes of Jeremy Stephens and Cub Swanson during that stretch.
Writer’s Prediction: Aldo wins via knockout.
Claudia Gadelha (-300) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (+220)
This fight isn’t going to be the generic hair-pulling stunt between a wife and her husband’s side chick you’d normally see on YouTube. This is going to be an entertaining brawl of two of the best women fighters in the strawweight division.
Claudia Gadelha comes into this fight as the massive favorite. She’s 14-2 in her MMA career with both losses loss coming at the hands of current division queen, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. A win for Gadelha may not necessarily mean a third fight with Kowalkiewicz but that should go a long way in maintaining her top status in the strawweight grouping. Like Gadelha, Kowalkiewicz has dropped a match before against Jedrzejczyk, which remains as the Polish’s lone loss of her MMA career. Kowalkiewicz is 10-1 overall and boasts of a solid striking game.
Writer’s Prediction: Kowalkiewicz records an upset win via a split decision over Gadelha.
Vitor Belfort (-150) vs. Nate Marquardt (+120)
It may come as a surprise to some, but yeah, light heavyweights Belfort, 40,and Marquardt, 38, are still relevant these days—if being relevant means both fighters finding their way to the main card despite obviously past their primes and a combined 4-6 record in their respective past five fights.
This could be Belfort’s last fight, as he only has one match left in his contract that’s unlikely to be renewed win or lose against Marquardt. Belfort is 25-14 in his MMA career (14-10 UFC) but is just 2-3 in his last five, including a loss to Kelvin Gastelum last March. Marquardt, on the other hand, needs a win if he wants to prolong his significance in the UFC. Marquardt has lost four his last six fights.
Writer’s Prediction: Marquardt with a split decision win.
Paulo Borrachinha (-350) vs. Oluwale Bamgbose (+270)
Here’s a much younger match than Belfort-Marquardt. Borrachinha, 26, is considered an up-and-comer in the sport and has already introduced himself to the UFC audience in empathic fashion, scoring a first-round KO of Garreth McClellan during his octagon debut last March.
He is undefeated in nine MMA fights thus far in his career. We get to see Borrachinha again this weekend against a wild operator in Bamgbose, who has some serious knockout power. Bamgbose is 6-2 overall and 1-2 in the UFC with all of his victories coming by way of first-round knockouts. This is going to be an explosive match with a strong chance to win Fight of the Night honors.
Writer’s Prediction: Paulo Borrachinha knocks out Bamgbose.
Yancy Medeiros (-125) vs. Erick Silva (-105)
It’s been a while since Silva has stitched together two straight wins so Saturday’s showdown with Medeiros is a tasty affair for the Brazilian. Silva was last seen in the Octagon last September 2016 when he got a win via submission over Luan Chagas. Silva is particularly tough to deal with on the ground, as he has 12 wins via submissions.
Medeiros, meanwhile, also knows a thing or two about making opponents tap. Apart from compiling six knockouts, Medeiros has four submission victories. He’s also emerged victorious in four of his last six bouts.
Writer’s Prediction: Silva wins via submission.
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