The UFC will travel to the Windy City, as the famed MMA outfit will stage UFC 225 in Chicago this coming June. Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero’s rematch will be the main even, but the supporting bouts are worthy of everyone’s attention as well. Take a look at the previews of the main card fights below, but don’t forget to register here to make your UFC picks.
Betting Preview for UFC 225 Featuring Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States
When: Saturday, June 9, 2018
TV Broadcast: Pay-Per-View (PPV)
ROBERT WHITTAKER (-190) vs. YOEL ROMERO (+155)
Middleweight
Whittaker enters this fight not only as the favorite but with a psychological advantage over Romero, having beaten the Cuban in their first meeting back in July of last year. Whittaker, who owns a 20-4-0 record has always been the busier fighter on paper than Romero when it comes to striking, as he is averaging 4.77 strikers per minute to go with a 41.02 accuracy percentage. The concern for the 27-year-old Australian is on whether he’s also dealing with rust. The Romero fight was Whittaker’s last inside the octagon, and that 11-month layoff might affect his performance this coming Saturday. That’s what Romero is hoping for. Unlike Whittaker, Romero has fought once after their initial encounter, including unanimous decision victory over Luke Rockhold back in February. Romero is 13-2-0 and while he’s not as reliant on striking than Whittaker, he’s arguable the better fighter on the ground with a 1.87 takedown average. He even executed four takedowns on Whittaker in the first bout.
Writer’s prediction:
Yoel Romero wins via split decision.
RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (-190) vs. COBLY COVINGTON (+105)
Welterweight
Dos Anjos is on some kind of a roll. The 33-year-old Brazilian has won each of his last three fights. In his last trip inside the octagon, dos Anjos muscled out a unanimous decision win over Robbie Lawler last December. Dos Anjos, who brandishes a 28-9-0 record, is a sleek ground operator with nine wins via submission. It’s not easy taking dos Anjos to the ground when he doesn’t want to as evidenced by the fact that he’s been taken down just once in his last four outings. As for Covington, he’s riding a mean win streak himself. He’s emerged victorious in all of his last five fights, most recently against Demian Maia (unanimous decision) last October. Covington (13-2-1) has a two-inch reach advantage and three-inch leg reach advantage over dos Anjos, but the latter has the edge in strikes per minute (3.67) and striking accuracy 44.31%).
Writer’s prediction:
Dos Anjos wins via submission.
ANDREI ARLOVSKI (odds) vs. TAI TUIVASA (odds)
Heavyweight
Arlovski (27-15-0, 1 NC) has been brawling as a living for nearly two decades but this Saturday’s match with Tuivasa would be a new one for the 39-year-old fighter, as this is going to be his first in his hometown of Chicago. Arlovski appears to have found a new gear having won his last two fights, the latest being a UD win over the towering Stefan Struve last March. Arlovski has 17 knockout wins to go with three submission victories. Tuivasa, on the other hand, has yet to lose in nine career MMA fights. After knocking out Cyril Asker in the first round of last February’s UFC 222 event, he improved his ledger to 9-0-0. Tuivasa likes to keep his fights short, as he has four wins that didn’t last longer than 44 seconds.
Writer’s prediction:
Tuivasa wins by knockout.
CM PUNK (+190) vs. MIKE JACKSON (-250)
Welterweight
What can CM Punk (0-1-0) do in the script-less world of mixed martial arts? Well, he lost his first venture in MMA when he lost to Mickey Gall via submission in UFC 203 back in 2016. Punk got punked by Gall, who landed strikes almost at will at the former WWE wrestler. Whether Punk has learned anything from that experience he could apply and execute this coming Saturday is something that remains to be seen. Jackson, meanwhile, is also winless in the octagon with a 0-1-0 record as well. He has more MMA experience than Punk, though. The 33-year-old Houston native had nine fights as an amateur before losing to Gall (yes, that dude again) in February of 2016. View our complete betting preview for CM Punk vs Mike Jackson.
Writer’s prediction:
Mike Jackson moonwalks his way to a knockout victory.
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