UFC 212 is scheduled for Saturday as the mixed martial arts product heads to Rio de Janeiro. Of course, there are a lot of fanatics of the sport in Brazil, so we’re going to see a lot of Brazilians on the main card. In total, five of the 10 fighters who are scheduled to fight on the main card are from Brazil, so expect the crowd to be behind them. Here is a preview of the main fights.
Jose Aldo vs Max Holloway
Odds: Aldo 1.61, Holloway 2.16
This is a bout of top contenders at 145 pounds. Of course, Aldo was viewed as one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the game until Conor McGregor knocked him out in 13 seconds. That was back in December 2015. It took Aldo almost a full year to recover before he got back in the Octagon. However, when he did return, he looked just as he good as he had before his fateful fight with McGregor. He went toe-to-toe with Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 and won by unanimous decision.
Holloway comes into this fight with plenty of momentum as he’s won 10 fights in a row. His last loss was also to McGregor, but that was back at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs Sonnen back in 2013.
Also is the more technically sound of the two fighters while Holloway just loves to fight. That strategy could cost Holloway if he’s not careful as Aldo is great at countering. At any rate, this should be one of the better fights we’ve seen this year.
Bookmaker Shangri La has all of the latest odds for Aldo-Holloway fight.
Claudia Gadelha vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Odds: Gadelha 1.22, Kowalkiewicz 3.60
This is fight in the straw-weight division where the winner could get a shot at the queen. The current champ is Joanna Jedrzejczyk and she’s beaten both of these women already. As a matter of fact, she’s beaten Gadelha twice.
Gadelha is great at grappling, which could be the key to this fight. If she’s able to clench in and keep Kowalkiewicz close, that should be to her advantage. Kowalkiewicz is the better striker and would like to make this more of a street fight.
This is clearly a matchup of styles and if Gadelha can bring this down to the ground, she’s very likely to win. If her takedowns fail and Kowalkiewicz is able to keep her distance and strike, it’ll be her match to win.
Vitor Belfort vs Nate Marquardt
Odds: Belfort 1.57, Marquardt 2.23
The crowd is going to roar when Belfort comes into the Jeunesse Arena as he’s a fan favorite. At times, he’s been one of the most dominant fighters in the Middleweight division but he is in a slump. Some people whether he’s at the end of his career as he’s 40 years old.
Belfort hasn’t won in three straight fights and has essentially dropped four of his last five. He lost his last bout but that decision was overturned when his opponent failed a drug test.
But this fight could be his easiest opponent in a while. It’s not that Marquard is a pushover but he’s 38 years old. Marquardt has been trending in the wrong direction for four years now as he has seven losses in his last 10 fights. He’s never really had an easy time of things in the UFC as he entered 25-6-2 (back in 2007) but is 8-11 since.
Both fighters are in the twilight of their career and both like to bang, so this should be an entertaining both as one of them will be able to prolong their career.
