UFC 213: Nunes vs. Shevchenko II will air on July 8, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(C) AMANDA “THE LIONESS” NUNES (14-4-0) vs. #1 VALENTINA “THE BULLET” SHEVCHENKO (14-2-0)
This is a five-round main event for the women’s bantamweight championship. Nunes brings boxing, judo, and jiu-jitsu giving her extreme knockout power leading her to become the current champion. Shevchenko brings boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, judo, and taekwondo giving her efficient knockout power with grappling control and cardio. In this anticipated rematch between these two top female athletes, fans are sure to see another epic war that is bound to be more heated than their UFC 196 meeting. With both of them being well-rounded strikers makes the fight that more interesting to watch so that will make it tough to chose a favorite for this fight. Though what I see is the key factor in this fight is cardio, which Nunes seems to lack as she always tries to finish her fights early and it was shown in their first meeting as the fight progressed she slowed down. Now that this is a five-round fight instead of a regular three-round fight the only hope Nunes will have is to unleash her fury at full force the way she did against former champions Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey if she wants to remain champion because if she does not finish Shevchenko by the halfway point in round two then I believe fans around the world will witness a new champion crowned. My prediction: Shevchenko wins via submission in Round 5.
#1 YOEL “SOLDIER OF GOD” ROMERO (12-1-0) vs. #3 ROBERT “THE REAPER” WHITTAKER (19-4-0)
This is a five-round co-main event for the interim middleweight championship. Romero brings Muay Thai and wrestling giving him efficient knockout power and well-round grappling control. Whittaker brings boxing, hapkido, karate, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling power mixed right alongside cardio. Both of these top dogs are at the top of their game when they step inside the octagon, but Romero appears to be much better paced and efficient with his takedowns from his Olympic wrestling background that might be too much for Whittaker to handle. Though, if Whittaker could keep the fight standing and pressure Romero the way he did against Souza then he just might be able to pull off another upset and prove why he is the next star of the middleweight division. But in order to do so, he must find a way to overcome Romero’s power, which will prove to be a big challenge. My prediction: Romero wins via knockout in Round 3.
#15 DANIEL “THE POLISH BEAR” OMIELANCZUK (19-7-1, 1 NC) vs. CURTIS “RAZOR” BLAYDES (7-1-0)
This is a three-round fight in the heavyweight division. Omielanczuk brings kickboxing, karate, Muay Thai, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control. Blaydes brings striking and wrestling giving him knockout power and grappling control with all his wins ending in a finish via knockout. With both of these heavyweights bringing power in their strikes this for sure is going to be a brawl, but when it all comes down to who is more accurate I see Blaydes taking this. Though Omielanczuk has great striking of his own, I don’t see him as good as Blaydes in a standup game. Unless Omielanczuk can bring the fight to the ground and place Blaydes in a submission hold the only way this fight is going to turn out is a bloodbath. My prediction: Blaydes wins via TKO in Round 2.
#1 FABRICIO “VAI CAVALO” WERDUM (21-6-1) vs. #3 ALISTAIR “THE REEM” OVEREEM (42-15-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the heavyweight division. Werdum brings Muay Thai, judo, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control leading him to become a former heavyweight champion. Overeem brings kickboxing, Muay Thai, judo, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power with grappling control leading him to become a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion. With this fight containing two former champions of different organizations that both hold a victory over the other it only makes sense to have them face each other for the third time to see who is the better athlete in what could be their final chance to prove they are worthy of fighting for the title again. They both are great strikers, but Overeem has much better power in his strikes and therefore if he were to keep the fight standing I see him taking the fight with an easy knockout. However, Werdum is no guy to get caught off guard by as his jiu-jitsu is out of this world to where if he manages to bring you to the ground and put you into a submission hold then it will be game over for sure. My prediction: Werdum wins via submission in Round 3.
#6 (FW) ANTHONY “SHOWTIME” PETTIS (19-6-0) vs. JIM MILLER (28-9-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the lightweight division. Pettis brings boxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control leading him to become a former lightweight champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. Miller brings boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him striking power with grappling control and cardio. Now both of these fighters have a great combination of striking and grappling techniques, but after the last few performances of Pettis, I believe this fight will just be another domination fight against him as Miller has been keeping his game a little better than Pettis. Though Pettis could surprise everyone with his jump kicks and speed, I highly doubt he is the same fighter we all know him to be and if he brings the current fighter to the octagon in this fight then Miller will most likely take this fight with ease. My prediction: Miller wins via unanimous decision.
