UFC 258 Will Be Wild And Violent
By; Clint MacLean (@DieHardMMAPod)
UFC 258 is headlined by 2 of the best Welterweight fighters on the planet. Former training partners and championship level fighters will go to war in the headliner on Saturday’s event. Before that, however, we are treated to an absolute mess of untrustworthy fighters who are still scratching and clawing to make their way in the UFC, and some of whom are potentially on the chopping block if they don’t get their hand raised at the end of the night. These kinds of events are volatile and can lead to bad beats and unexpected results. Sometimes they suck for bettors. Sometimes they create legendary nights. I cannot wait!
The night starts with a bang when Gillian Robertson faces the UFC’s newest darling, Miranda Maverick. Miranda is coming into just her 2nd UFC fight after getting a pretty lucky TKO victory over possibly the worst fighter on the women’s flyweight roster. She is established as the favorite over Gillian. I cannot believe the disrespect. Miranda is very skilled and has a bright future in MMA, but she should not be the favorite over Gillian after just 1 UFC fight. Gillian is a deadly grappler who has more high-level experience and a size advantage. I am all over the underdog here, and while people mock me for constantly buying in on Gillian, the fact is she should have a – next to her name and not a +.
Gillian Robertson’s third round RNC pic.twitter.com/8pvoNOfrEx
— Blue Corner Fighting (@blue_fighting) June 20, 2020
The Early Prelims conclude with Ricky Simon finally facing Brian “Boom” Kelleher after the fight being postponed due to a false positive COVID test, and I cannot wait for this one. Ricky Simon is a wet blanket. This man will chain grapple and just lay on top of you for as long as he can. Simon could be seen as boring and does just what he needs to to get a win. Brian Kelleher is the exact opposite. The man they call “Boom” is violent and explosive with both his striking and his submissions. Brian has nasty front chokes and bit pop on his punches, as well as a great gas tank that lets him carry his finishing power late. This is a clash of styles, and I will take the dog again. I think Brian will have the ability to hang in the wrestling department, and he will have the opportunity to spring the upset a bit later in the fight.
Knockout of the day UFC Fight Night
Brian Kelleher vs Hunter Azure pic.twitter.com/oBivEce9qk— Blue Corner Fighting (@blue_fighting) July 16, 2020
The preliminary card is just as volatile, and we have Andre Ewell taking a catchweight fight against Chris Guitierrez. Ewell was scheduled to fight last week, but his opponent fell out, and now Chris Gutierrez is stepping up on short notice. While Ewell is used to fighting at 135, Chris is used to fighting at 145, so he is used to dealing with bigger opponents. That will come in handy because Ewell is going to have a significant height and reach advantage. The thing that I believe is going to be the deciding factor is the vicious leg kicks of Chris Gutierrez. This man will be at a reach disadvantage, which I never like to back, but in this case, the long skinny legs of Ewell will be there for the taking.
Chris Gutierrez (-115) secures only the 10th TKO by leg kick in UFC history 😱pic.twitter.com/pzugjBw1pI
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) May 30, 2020
The main card kicks off with a fight where both men might be fighting for their UFC careers. Maki Pitolo is facing Julian Marquez, and this fight is going to be a banger as long as it lasts. Maki has had a rough run in the UFC but is showing improvements and serious power. Marquez is slick on the feet and the ground but has been sidelined with injury for the last two years. Both men had the hype around them for the start of their careers, but the layoffs and losses have stolen their shine. I expect these guys to stand in the center of the octagon and trade until one of them falls over.
Maki Pitolo dropped a few @Coconut_bombz 🥥💣 #UFC250
➡️ https://t.co/HVrhuWZWhs pic.twitter.com/renBeGScuL
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 7, 2020
The co-main event is the return of “The Future” Maycee Barber against Alexa Grasso. This is a fight that I cannot wait to see. I have been a fan of Grasso for a long time, but she struggles to put her full MMA game together. Grasso is an excellent boxer but works when her opponents decide to grapple. Maycee Barber is coming back to the UFC after her loss to Roxy and her knee blowing out, and many questions are surrounding her. One of my biggest questions is why is she the underdog here? We know that she is big and physical, and strong. We know that her wrestling coach is Ben Askren. We know that she has rare power for this women’s division and has several come-from-behind KO victories already, AND a 22-year-old with a year off is going to make massive improvements. The UFC is putting Barber on a stage here. There is a reason this fight is where it’s at on the card. I fully expect Barber to show us a new version of herself, and I expect her to knock Alexa Grasso out.
"Everything that I've gone has been mentally and physically preparing me for a great comeback." @MayceeBarber discusses her return to the Octagon at #UFC258 🔊⬆️
Order #UFC258 ➡️: https://t.co/yzt1aotFxi pic.twitter.com/f7lAnSV7ud
— UFC News (@UFCNews) February 11, 2021
The Main Event of UFC 258 is a fight I cannot wait for! Kamar Usman is a fight I am personally just not a fan of, but I cannot deny what he is capable of doing inside that cage. Gilbert Burns is a man who I have been betting since he moved up to 170 lbs, and we are currently riding a six-fight win streak. While the odds are against us, I have to stay on this crazy runaway train until it runs off the rails. Gilbert Burns is a high-level BJJ black belt and has been training with Kamaru Usman for years now. If there is a man out there who has the secret sauce to beat this man, it would be his training partner who was able to learn from him and get used to the kind of pressure the champion can bring on a daily basis. Kamaru might come out and make this fight dull and boring. Kamaru might do to Burns what he does to every other fighter who has dared challenge him. But what if he doesn’t? What if Gilbert Burns lands one of those big explosive bombs? What if Gilbert can get his arms around the neck of Usman? I just want to see it. #AndNew!
5 sleeps let’s go! pic.twitter.com/vy6l766Hna
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) February 9, 2021