UFC 291 - Gimmick belts and title implications
After Leon Edwards produced a spectacular moment at UFC 278 last year the UFC are returning to Salt Lake City, Utah and the card is looking very tasty. There’s also a lot on the line, be it title implications or for some it may be time to hang up the gloves if they come up short. For all these fights, elevation will play a huge part just like it did last year. Fighters like Poirier, Gaethje and Michel Pereira are used to expend a lot of energy so it will be interesting to see how the elevation will affect them.
On the top of the bill is a rematch five years in the making between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje for the BMF title, but how much does it really mean for either of their careers? Both of them have already acknowledged that the BMF belt will add to their legacy in some way, but ultimately it’s not a world title. Both Poirier and Gaethje have held an interim title in their career, but lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the unification bout. Charles Oliveira has also defeated them both and denied them of undisputed UFC gold, so this fight is for more than just a gimmick belt, it’s for a third shot at a world title. The rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira goes down at UFC 294 in October, and it is very likely that the winner of this weekends main event is next in line for whoever holds the belt at 155lbs. It’s also a fight that’s nearly impossible to predict as both Poirier and Gaethje both loves to get in a scrap, so it’s all about who can control the chaos better. My first thought was that this suits Poirier better, but Gaethje’s performance against Rafael Fiziev earlier this year in London made me reconsider. He was pieced up early, but as the second round went on and specifically in the third he was much more methodical, and also managed to shut down and counter a lot of Fiziev’s offence. I see this as basically evens, but I lean 55/45 towards Gaethje at this moment in time. Ask me tomorrow before the event starts, and I could very well go the other way.
The Co-main suddenly got a lot more interesting when champion Jamahal Hill relinquished his belt because of an injury earlier this month. The light heavyweight belt is now vacant, and Jan Blachowicz or Alex Pereira will be in pole position to contend for that belt in their next fight should they win on Saturday, especially if it’s a quick finish for either one of them. Former champ Jiri Prochazka will almost certainly be the other half of that vacant title fight, and both Pereira or Blachowicz vs Prochazka are going to be must see TV. This fight is also difficult to call, as Pereira is still developing as an MMA fighter and is also moving up a weight class. He will obviously have the edge on the feet, and I doubt the size will be a problem as he was already a massive middleweight and looked huge on scales today. Blachowicz has also been susceptible to the left hook in the past, which incidentally is Pereira’s best shot, so the Pole will have to be careful if he is to trade in the pocket. The question is whether Blachowicz chooses to use his wrestling or not. He would be smart to do so, if only just to give Pereira something to think about. Adesanya was able to control Pereira on the ground, so it would be naive to think that Blachowicz couldn’t do so. On the other hand though, Pereira is training with Glover Teixeira who is one of the most prominent grapplers in the history of the light heavyweight division, so he will no doubt pick up a lot. If it’s enough in just a short space of time to take on a massive man like Blachowicz who has tons of experience is yet to be seen, but I think Blachowicz will get this done if Pereira isn’t able to put him away early.
I’m not mentally ready to speak of Tony Ferguson yet, and what will happen if he were to lose yet another fight, so I will tackle that in the review article on Sunday or Monday.
Tomorrow can’t come quick enough!