UFC 276 – Adesanya Vs Cannonier
With yet another UFC Main event out of the way this past weekend and yet another NEW champion in Jiří Procházka after what was an instant classic against Glover Texeira. It’s time to cast our eyes forward on the next UFC main event on July 3rd. This one has another two VERY interesting title fights to get excited for! The main event being Israel Adesanya Vs Jared Cannonier with the co main being Alexander Volkanovski Vs Max Holloway 3! But they aren’t the only big name fights on the card! Today we’re going to break down the card and take a look at some of the big fights that we’re looking forward to the most.
But we’re not just here to talk about the main events, so we should whet our appetites with some of the other fights on the main and undercard that may be of interest to long time fans AND newcomers alike. We’ve got Sean O’Malley looking to break into the top 10 against Pedro Munhoz. Sean Strickland fighting Alex Pereira, the only man to ever knockout Izzy. Could a potential title shot be in line for the winner? THEN we can talk about the Co-Main and the Main event. So much potential on this card!
First up, The Suga Show, Sean O’Malley vs Pedro Munhoz. It’s worth noting that Sean O’Malley is the favourite at -250 at BetOnline.ag but sometimes things aren’t as straightforward as the experts make them out to be. Pedro Munhoz is a veteran, but has wins over some great fighters, he’s beat No Love (Cody Garbrandt), Jimmy Rivera, Rob Font and more. Though he is currently on a 2 fight losing streak after back to back decision losses against Dominick Cruz and José Aldo.
But that doesn’t mean you should write him off, he’s a solid fighter with plenty of experience. Is he going to be happy with taking up the gatekeeping position into the top 10? Probably not. But Sean O’Malley already has a LOT of respect on his name. His only loss as a mixed martial artist came in the UFC against Chito Vera. But he has pretty much knocked out everyone he has fought. Including Thomas Almeida and Eddie Wineland. This one could be fireworks though!
Next I’d like to look at Strickland Vs Pereira which is an interesting one for a few reasons to me. First, the reason I mentioned earlier. In his entire MMA/Kickboxing Career, Izzy has only lost 6 fights, 5 in kickboxing, 1 in MMA. The MMA loss you may remember was a step up to fight Jan Blachowicz, but in all those losses only 1 man has ever knocked him out, Alex Pereira! This guy beat Izzy twice and knocked him out in his last fight in kickboxing. What a way to send him packing right? But you can only beat the person in front of you.
The odds for this one are understandably tight with Strickland at -105 and Pereira at -115 and it’s this close for good reason. Both of these fighters are on a tear right now. Strickland is on a 6 fight win streak including wins over Hermansson and Uriah Hall. Pereira on the other hand, after losing his debut in MMA has gone on to a 5 win streak, including his first 2 fights in the UFC against Bruno Silva & Andreas Michailidis. There’s a CHANCE the winner of this could end up going onto fight the winner of Izzy Vs Cannonier, but only time will tell for that one!
Co-Main event time, understandably, looking at the odds. Alexander Volkanovski is MASSIVE favourite in this at -190. Holloway came in at +165, but after back to back decision losses to Volkanovski in the past, Holloway was looking better than ever. Though, it’s worth noting that Max hasn’t exactly been super active. He fought Kattar in January 2021 and then Yair Rodriguez in November 2021 whereas Volkanovski only fought in April, knocking out The Korean Zombie.
I honestly think this fight will be closer than the experts give it credit for but, at the same time. Volksnovski is a different beast isn’t he? Without him Max would’ve run through this division with barely any stumbling blocks. One thing’s for sure, whenever these two fight sparks always fly, so you can expect another fantastic fight! And now? Iiiiiiiit’s TIIIIIME, for the main event!
Israel Adesanya Vs Jared Cannonier. Now Jared hasn’t had the easiest time of things in the UFC, but he has picked up some big wins against Gastelum, Brunson, Hermansson and albeit an ageing Anderson Silva, so he has more than earned a shot at the title. But he’s coming up against a man, in Israel Adesanya, who outside of a step up to Light Heavyweight where he suffered a decision loss to Jan Blachowicz, his only loss as a mixed martial artist, has been completely unstoppable.
People thought Paulo Costa would stop Izzy, they thought Romero would, they thought Vettori was the key to stopping him. He really is something else, but let’s not underestimate the knockout power of Cannonier. All it takes is one punch, if Izzy gets too comfortable it could be over. There is a reason however that Adesanya is such a HEAVY favourite coming in at -335! Cannonier sitting at +275. That is pretty outrageous if I do say so myself. I can’t see the fight going any way but in favour of Izzy. The man is a monster.
And that’s going to do it for this one! We haven’t even scratched the surface of this card and honestly we could talk about it for days, I mean Robbie Lawler is fighting in the prelims too! Very exciting fights lined up and no matter the outcomes, we’ll all be entertained that’s for sure! Let’s get a prediction set up, who do you think wins? Take a look at the fights on the main card and let us know who you think has their hand raised in each of those fights! Find my predictions below, take care folks!
(W) Adesanya – Cannonier
(W) Volkanovski – Holloway
Strickland – Pereira (W)
Murphy – Tate (W)
Munhoz – O’Malley (W)