UFC 194 Aldo vs. McGregor – Best of the Rest : Preview and Predictions
UFC 194 takes place this SundayUFC 194 is finally here. Month of build-up, hours of debate and never ending coverage all come to a head this Sunday. The main card for 194 is as stacked as any card has been since UFC 100 all those years ago.There is something for everyone this Sunday. A long time king faces a Phenom on the cusp of superstardom beyond measure. Two well rounded fighters slugging it out for a title in the prime of their respective careers. An Olympic silver medallist faces a world renowned grappler. Two of the best BJJ practitioners in the UFC collide and a rising star looks to take his stock to the next level against a fighter in his prime looking to push his way into title contention.For a detailed preview of the co-main event between middleweight champion Chris Weidman and challenger Luke Rockhold, click here And for a detailed preview of the highly anticipated featherweight world title unification bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, click here The story lines are as varied as they are intriguing and the fights are as exciting as they are unpredictable. Here we look at the first 3 fights on the card.
#1 Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens
On a weekend where the spotlight is firmly fixed on the featherweight division, Max Holloway could be forgiven for feeling a little short-changed. Aldo-McGregor, Edgar-Mendes and he gets Jeremy Stephens, whose last 2 losses were Holloway’s last 2 wins.
Holloway is on a spectacular win streak having won the last 7 of his fights. What’s even scarier about Holloway is that he continues to get better. Still only 24, he is a far while away from his athletic peak.
There was a time when Holloway’s grappling was the chink in his armour. However Holloway has worked tirelessly at it and has now converted that weakness into another weapon in his impressive arsenal. He has become very difficult to pin down and is well versed in the offensive art of Jiu Jitsu.
Holloway has a tendency to bite down on his mouth piece and swing for the fences. Against someone who possess the power of Jeremy Stephens, any attempts to ‘stand and bang’ on Holloway’s part would be foolish. Instead he must trust his technique and work from distance.
Stephens is a boxer and fighting him at range will expose significant flaws in his game.
Stephens also tends to lunge into his opponents with explosive strikes. Against a less proficient striker it may pay dividends but any reaching attacks will be the perfect set up for Holloway to counter and go for the finish.
Back to back defeats to Cub Swanson and Charles Oliveira left Stephens out in the cold for a while. However he reminded everyone of his skill and knockout power against Dennis Bermudez at UFC 189. The win was a bit overshadowed by the fact that Stephens missed weight.
Stephens will have to take the initiative in the fight and force Holloway to stay at a close distance. He needs to apply constant pressure and not allow Holloway to hit and move too often. Turning the striking into pure or dirty boxing will be the most prudent strategy on Stephens’ part.
At range, Holloway has too many tools to work with and Stephens is a bit dry. However in the pocket, Stephens' big punches come into play and could earn him to win he needs to be back in the conversation for a top 5 ranking.
Jeremy Stephens is a tough test for young Max Holloway and is a test he cannot afford to fail. A loss for Holloway will ruin much of the momentum he has built up and would be a major setback in his career.
However despite Stephens’ knockout power, Holloway is far too technical for him and is too good of a counter striker for Stephens to handle.
Prediction: - Max Holloway via Unanimous Decision