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UFC's best champion will defend his lightweight gold when Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to fight interim champion Justin Gaethje. Possibly, one of the biggest fights in the 155-pound division history.
Not only that, but this main card is probably one of the best of all year, filled with top contenders, exciting names, big-time stakes, and feud fights.
Remember to check the whole UFC 254 odds at Betphoenix Sportsbook. Take advantage of our special welcome bonus when you open your account today and make a deposit. In the voice of mythical Bruce Buffer, "It's Timeeee" for us to preview the stacked main card for UFC 254!
Magomed Ankalaev (-287) vs Ion Cutelaba (+222) - Light Heavyweight
Talk about bad blood, and you have these two. Back in February, Ankalaev won via first-round TKO, in what was one of the worst referee stoppages we've seen in quite a while.
Since then, blood boiled even more. The rematch has been long-awaited, it has been canceled twice, first due to the event being called off due to Covid back in April, and then Cutelaba was positive for Covid, so he wasn't able to show for their UFC 252 bout.
Cutelaba has 14 finishes in 15 wins and is a sambo, judo, Greco-roman wrestling expert, but uses his kickboxing efficiently to create enormous damage.
Ankalaev has finished eight of his 14 wins and has a four-fight win streak. He is a sambo master and can also take a stand-up fight, he has heavy hands, and a win can make him aim for the top 10 contenders in the 205 division.
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Cynthia Calvillo (N/A) vs. Lauren Murphy (N/A)- Flyweight
This fight is the unofficial #1 contender bout of the 125-pound gold. Calvillo has a record of 9-1-1 and is unbeaten in the last four fights.
She has defeated great names like Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood. With two KOs, three submissions, and four decisions to her name, Calvillo is on a straight path to gold shall the victory come at Fight Island.
Murphy comes riding on a three-fight win streak, including a victory over highly-respected Roxanne Modafferi. Murphy does have KO power, with eight finishes by way of chloroform in 13 career wins, the message is clear: If she lands clean, it's goodnight.
Alexander Volkov (-222) vs. Walt Harris (+177)- Heavyweight
Oh man, this is colossal. Well, every time two top heavyweights clash, you can expect fireworks. Volkov is a veteran who is currently the number #6 ranked heavyweight, with a record of 31-8. On the other corner, Walt 'the Big Ticket' Harris holds a record of 13-8.
Volkov is a precise kickboxer and has 20 wins coming by knockout. The Russian is a tall, lanky striker. He moves a lot around the octagon for a heavyweight and can jab your face flat until he finds the opening to knock you out.
With wins over Fabricio Werdum, Blagoy Ivanov, Roy Nelson, and Stefan Struve, Volkov can go with the best of them and come on top with his hand raised.
Harris was on a four-fight unbeaten run until he got stopped by Alistair Overeem. Struck by real-life catastrophe, Walt Harris wants to get his career back on track. If you talk about Harris, you talk about absolute, demolishing, power.
His 13 wins have come by knockout, he doesn't mess around in the cage. He moves forward, throws with fight-ending power, and needs to bounce back from his heart-breaking loss to 'The Reem.'
Robert Whittaker (EV) vs. Jared Cannonier (-130)- Middleweight
My God, we should all be excited about this barnburner! The premise here is simple, you win, you get to go for the gold. Robert Whittaker is on a mission to get back what used to be his belt, while Cannonier has made a name for himself after plenty of impressive displays.
Bobby Knuckles won nine straight before he fell at the hands of now champion Israel Adesanya, and he wants his gold back. He came back and defeated Darren Till in an impactful bounce-back bout. Now, a win over Cannonier makes him the rightful number one contender again.
Cannonier made his middleweight debut two years ago, after dropping from the light heavyweights. It turned out to be an excellent decision for him as he has won three out of three at 185-pounds and is just one win away to challenge Adesanya.
With wins over David Branch, Anderson Silva, and Jack Hermansson, all by stoppages, Cannonier has made sure the middleweights know his power. Nine of his 13 wins ended by KO/TKO. This fight is going to be a slugfest between two monster strikers.
Khabib Nurmagomedov (-294) vs. Justin Gaethje (+224) - Lightweight Championship Fight
The 155-pound crown will again be undisputed and unified after Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) faces interim champion Justin Gaethje (22-2) in a highly-anticipated fight.
Khabib's last fight was more than a year ago, where he submitted Dustin Poirier, the then interim champ, via a rear-naked choke. We all know what Khabib's plan is. Go, put pressure, move forward, secure the takedown against the fence, and ground-and-pound until you either succumb to the punches or leave room for him to lock a submission on you.
Gaethje, however, is different. He is batcrap insane, to be honest. The guy is a maniac in the octagon, but damn does that makes him a deadly threat. Not only does he has an absurd power for a lightweight, he hits like a truck, but Gaethje, in his craziness, knows precisely what he is doing and knows how to execute his plan.
Gaethje is an excellent wrestler, he just doesn't show it, but against Khabib, he will have to. Then, if he can resist Khabib's onslaught and land a hammer, we may see what we've never seen, Nurmagomedov down.
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