UFC 228: Final Predictions for UFC 228
The lead up to UFC 228 has been extremely hot, with the weigh-ins leading to a lot of drama, but not from the expected source. The main event of the night was considered by many to be in danger, as Darren 'The Gorilla' Till was not expected to make the weight. The fight against Stephen Thompson earlier in the year had seen him try to go down to 171, but the entire process was a struggle. With talks of a weight cut making him ill, he was just able to make the weight to face Thompson and got past him with a narrow win to set up the bout against the Welterweight Champion, Tyron Woodley.
On this occasion, he was able to make weight and even came up at 169 pounds. Tyron faced more difficulty but eventually came in at 170 pounds. On the other hand, the co-main event of the night between Nicco Montano and Valentina Shevchenko did not survive, as Montano had to be taken to the hospital with health concerns, and she pulled out of the much-anticipated Title defence.
UFC 228 still has a fantastic fight card to look forward to, however, and each fight of the night has the potential to steal the show. While there is talk about how Woodley is the favourite, truth be told, it is hard to say before a fight starts.
In this article, we will take a look at the predictions of the night from the UFC 228 main card of the night.
#5 Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Niko Price (Welterweight):
Abdul Razak Alhassan is called 'Judo Thunder', by himself more than other people. While he is no doubt a brilliant fighter, and a black belt, his 9-1 record has not come about due to his skills in judo. In fact, all nine of his wins are a result of extremely violent endings and strikes. What's more, all of his fights have ended in the first round. If someone has a record like that, going into a title fight, it is expected that they will still stick to their same game plan.
However, he will face proper competition from the likes of Niko Price. His own record of 12-1 has not come without dominating endings to fights. He has the unpredictable styles of his idol. Dominic Cruz and the different and creative methods he can adopt at times is indicative of that.
Both of the fighters have their weaknesses and lost a fight in 2017. Their vulnerabilities can easily be fixed, but what remains to be seen is if the cool approach of Price is too much for Abdul Razak. Alhassan will only be looking the knock out early on, which might be exactly what leads to his loss.
PREDICTION: Niko Price defeats Abdul Razak Alhassan