UFC 217 preview and predictions
 Riley Kontek - FanSided



Michael Bisping vs. Georges St. Pierre

In the main event, we get a super fight of sorts, as UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping defends his title against a unretired former UFC welterweight champion and legend, Georges St. Pierre. This is such a tough fight to analyze, given that St. Pierre has not competed since November of 2013. Not only that, but he was competing at welterweight, though he was always big for that weight class. Since his time away from the cage, Bisping has become a certified star, going from perennial gatekeeper to the man who sits atop the throne. Bisping’s title win over Luke Rockhold was beyond impressive, but his win over Dan Henderson in his last fight raised some question marks because many thought Henderson won based on damage. This is a shot in the dark pick, but St-Pierre will win because his wrestling and athleticism are enough to control Bisping against the cage and on the mat.

It’s not with total confidence, but St. Pierre is your new middleweight champ.



Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw

Co-headlining the event is a huge bantamweight rivalry bout, as former teammates Cody Garbrandt, the champion, and TJ Dillashaw, the former champion, square off in an anticipated bout. These men are familiar with each other from training at Team Alpha Male back in the day. They have somewhat similar styles, though Dillashaw might be the better wrestler and Garbrandt the better striker. On the feet, you will see good movement from both men, looking for the angles and entries to score points with their hands and legs. In Garbrandt’s fight with Dominick Cruz at UFC 217, Garbrandt proved he can defend the takedown and out point a good striker on the feet. Conversely, what we saw in Dillashaw’s fight with Cruz, he can be out-struck if his shots are defended with a solid sprawl. Garbrandt is hitting his stride as a fighter and has a lot of tools to put Dillashaw at a disadvantage.

In an entertaining chess match, Garbrandt scores a decision win to keep his reign at the top going.



Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas

Dominant strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk looks to defend her title yet again when she takes on the always entertaining Rose Namajunas. Namajunas gets this title fight on a one-fight win streak, which is a surprise given the division is jammed with talent. Nevertheless, the skilled all-around fighter is known for her flashy striking skills and slick submission ability on the mat. She’s 4-1 in her last five, losing only to Karolina Kowalkiewicz while thriving over the likes of Michelle Waterson, Paige VanZant and Tecia Torres. She takes that skill set into the against Jedrzejczyk, a woman who has dominated this division with an iron fist. Jedrzejczyk is a world-class striker with good takedown defense. She surgically picks apart opponents with a stiff jab, chopping leg kicks and killer combinations. She’s very difficult to get the mat and she makes those who attempt takedowns pay with accurate strikes. Namajunas will give the champ all she’s got, and it will lead to an entertaining scrap.

Unfortunately, it will not be enough, as the Polish queen will pick Namajunas apart, scoring a damage-filled decision.



Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal

Former title challenger Stephen Thompson takes on the always-exciting Jorge Masvidal. Both Thompson and Masvidal are strikers with different styles, which is why this very well could win Fight of the Night honors. Thompson is an elite kickboxer with great technique, power and movement. He’s improved his wrestling as well, which he uses to defend takedowns. He’s coming off two winless bouts, both were title fights against Tyron Woodley where he drew with the champ and took a contentious majority decision loss. Before that skid, he had been running through the welterweight division. As for Masvidal, he’s been in the sport for a long time and is still getting better. Before taking a split verdict loss in his most recent offering to Demian Maia, Masvidal has knocked out two straight opponents in Donald Cerrone and Jake Ellenberger.

This fight will have fireworks, but the striking of Thompson will just be too much for Masvidal. Thompson scores the victory.



Johny Hendricks vs. Paulo Henrique

Former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks is looking to get back on track after some struggles when he takes on undefeated Brazilian Paulo Henrique. Since losing his UFC welterweight title, Hendricks has been in a massive downward spiral that has set him back greatly. The wrestler with one-punch knockout power is just 2-4 since dropping his title to Robbie Lawler, including knockout losses to Stephen Thompson and Tim Boetsch at middleweight. He is tasked with stopping the onslaught of an undefeated opponent in Henrique, who takes a big step up in competition here. His UFC tenure has been violent, scoring striking stoppages over Garreth McLellan and Oluwale Bamgbose, both of whom were at the bottom of the middleweight ladder. Clearly, the UFC matchmakers see something in Henrique for giving him a big fight like this but this is too much of a step up for him.

Despite Hendricks and his recent struggles, he scores a rebound victory here, allowing him to stick around for the near future.



James Vick vs. Joe Duffy

Two of the lightweight divisions best prospects are set to make a statement when Irelan’s Joe Duffy and James Vick fight. Ireland has proven a big market, and while Conor McGregor is certainly the king of the Emerald Island, Duffy is a star to a smaller extent. He’s a very strong boxer with some good submission ability and 4-1 under the UFC banner, losing to headliner Dustin Poirier, while besting fighters such as Reza Madadi and Mitch Clarke. He takes on Vick, quite possibly the most underrated and highly entertaining in the UFC. At 6-foot-3, he’s a very large, long lightweight that is hard to game plan for. He’s a very good boxer who has a good submission arsenal as well. He’s 7-1 with the UFC, besting foes such as Abel Trujillo, Jake Matthews and Polo Reyes. On the feet, this should be highly entertaining. On the mat, it could be a different story.

Either way, Vick scores the win here, putting him into a top-20 fight in his next outing.



Walt Harris vs. Mark Godbeer

Heavyweights Walt Harris of America and Mark Godbeer of England square off in a rescheduled bout. Harris is currently in his second tour of duty with the UFC, and it’s already far better than his first. The big, athletic striker went 0-2 before being released in his first stint, but since returning, he’s going 3-3, a far better record. All three of his wins come via knockout as well, putting away Cody East, Chase Sherman and Cyril Asker before needing a third round. The striker meets up with a man who’s willing to fight upright or on the ground in Godbeer. The big Brit is currently 1-1 in the UFC, falling to Justin Ledet in his debut before besting late replacement fighter Daniel Spitz in his last fight. Don’t expect this fight to go to the judges.

There will be a knockout, and the man standing over the finished opponent will be Harris.



Ion Cutelaba vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk

On late notice, Poland’s Michal Olesksiejczuk steps in for Gadzhimurad Antigulov when he makes his UFC debut against Moldovan Ion Cutelaba, a 23-year-old wrestler with heavy hands who loves to brawl on the feet. He has insane power and looks for the knockout early and often, something seen throughout his career. He’s 2-2 in his UFC tenure, falling to Misha Cirkunov and Jared Cannonier while decisioning Jonathan Wilson and quickly knocking out Frank Waisten. He takes on Oleksiejczuk, a 22-year-old prospect who has spent his entire career fighting in his native Poland. He seems more than likely to give Cutelaba the fight on the feet that he wants, as Oleksiejczuk has a history of mowing down fighters with strikes, including his last three fights where he knocked out opponents in the first round. These look like two guys who could be the future of the division, especially given their ages.

Late notice will be a tough thing to overcome for Oleksiejczuk, so he will fall here, as Cutelaba picks up his third UFC victory.



Randy Brown vs. Mickey Gall

One of the most interesting prospects in the UFC right now is welterweight Mickey Gall, who makes his return to the Octagon here when he takes on the exciting Randy Brown. Gall was brought into the UFC as the man touted to fight CM Punk. After laying waste to the other potential Punk suitor Mike Jackson, Gall was given his shot at the former WWE megastar. He easily destroyed the overmatched Punk, earning a matchup with another UFC pet project, Sage Northcutt. Again, Gall scored a finish, submitting the UFC’s poster boy, bringing him from a litmus test of a celebrity to a legit, dangerous prospect. The ground fighter known for his submissions meets up with striker Brown, an athletic, technically gifted kickboxer. He’s seen mixed results in the UFC, running a 3-2 record where he’s finished Erick Montano and Brian Camozzi while falling to Belal Muhammad and Mike Graves. Brown has shown he can be submitted by Graves, which could be a blueprint here.

Brown gets taken down by Gall, who submits him within three rounds.



Oleksiy Oliynyk vs. Curtis Blaydes

Top-20 heavyweights will jockey for position in a shallow division when longtime veteran Oleksiy Oliynyk squares off with young bull Curtis Blaydes. Both heavyweights are grapplers, though their styles are very different. In Blaydes, you have an explosive, powerful wrestler who fishes for takedowns often in fights. His strength helps him and he has pretty good cardio for a guy his size. He would be on a three-fight winning streak had it not been for a failed drug test due to marijuana in his fight with Adam Milstead. As for Oliynyk, he’s more of a submission based grappler known for his Ezequiel choke, which he’s pulled off in many fights. On the feet, it’s pretty equal. This may come down to who has better takedowns and Blaydes is better in that aspect.

Blaydes will win a very close bout that is likely a toss-up on betting lines.



Ovince Saint Preux vs. Corey Anderson

A pair of light heavyweights will settle business, when Ovince Saint Preux takes this fight on late notice against Corey Anderson. Saint Preux represents the striker in this fight, though it’s been his stealthy ground game that has been scoring him wins in recent times. He’s not a better wrestler than Anderson, but his submission game is impressive, especially his Von Flue choke, which has claimed victories over Nikita Krylov, Marcos Rogerio and most recently, Yushin Okami. He meets a similar caliber athlete in Anderson, who is just as explosive and quick. Anderson is 6-3 in the UFC, losing to strikers only. He does own victories over Tom Lawlor, Fabio Maldonado and Jan Blachowicz, though, showing he has skills to hang.

Even though he has a short camp, Saint Preux is better at this point, so he scores a unanimous nod over Anderson.



Aiemann Zahabi vs. Ricardo Ramos

Bantamweight prospects are looking to shed that label against one another, as Brazilian Ricardo Ramos meets up with Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi. Zahabi is the brother of Tristar trainer Firas Zahabi, and is currently a top prospect in the UFC bantamweight division. At 7-0, he’s shown off some of his skills, though expect to see him continue to improve from fight to fight. He takes on Ramos, a 22-year-old Brazilian rocking a 10-1 record and knocking heads off in the process. He will want to strike with Zahabi, as it’s a strong suit of his and his best chance to beat his opponent. He entered the UFC in successful fashion, beating Michinori Tanaka by unanimous decision. This should be a very good bout between two young bulls.

That said, Ramos wins because he is better at inflicting damage.