UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis will air on November 11, 2017, in Norfolk, Virginia.
#8 DUSTIN “THE DIAMOND” POIRIER (21-5-0, 1 NC) vs #13 ANTHONY “SHOWTIME” PETTIS (20-6-0)
This is a five-round main event in the lightweight division. Poirier brings boxing and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control. Pettis brings boxing, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power and grappling control leading him to become both a former WEC and UFC Lightweight Champion. This fight looks to be a possible battle turned to war as both of these fighters are well-rounded in both striking and grappling combinations making the fight seem like it will go either way. Though from the aggressiveness and hard training Poirier’s boxing appears far greater than Pettis’ as he has continued to improve on getting faster and more deadly with his knockout power where Pettis seems to have decreased greatly ever since he lost the lightweight title more than two years ago. Now, Pettis still has his jiu-jitsu and wrestling to use that could be a great challenge for Poirier since he is not as well-rounded with grappling as he is with striking. But even Pettis’ grappling has decreased greatly where he is not able to get his opponents to the ground as easily as before or even be as aggressive with them making the fight seem more like another beating for Pettis just waiting to happen. My prediction: Poirier wins via TKO in Round 4.
MATT “THE IMMORTAL” BROWN (20-16-0) vs DIEGO “LIONHEART” SANCHEZ (27-10-0)
This is a three-round co-main event in the welterweight division. Brown brings striking, judo and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control. Sanchez brings Gaidojutsu and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio leading him to become a former King of the Cage Welterweight champion and the winner of the Ultimate Fighter 1. This will be a fight between two fighters who are known to throw a fury of strikes while taking heavy hits making it worthwhile to tune in to. From every technique, each fighter brings Brown looks to take this fight with his striking power and jiu-jitsu combinations which Sanchez does not seem well-equipped to handle. Indeed, he can take heavy blows and rub them off like they are nothing, but his career looks to be getting the best of him and his chin power has begun to show a decline in punishment and Brown will be using this as much to his advantage by pressuring Sanchez and making his retirement fight one he can always remember. My prediction: Brown wins via TKO in Round 2.
#12 JUNIOR “BABY” ALBINI (14-2-0) vs #13 ANDREI “THE PIT BULL” ARLOVSKI (25-15-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the heavyweight division. Albini brings boxing, Luta Livre and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control. Arlovski brings boxing, kickboxing, sambo, judo and jiu-jitsu giving him deadly knockout power with grappling control leading him to become a former heavyweight champion. Heavyweights have always been known for their heavy hands and this fight has two looking to prove so. In the statistics of power Arlovski looks to take the fight with not any challenge, but in his recent fights he has slowed down and lost both his defense game and chin power making him much weaker than he ever has been in his career. Albini, on the other hand, has just begun his career with the UFC and already has shown his techniques in boxing and jiu-jitsu, which are a perfect combination for him to easily control the fight and even the fact he is just beginning his prime career makes him much more of a threat to Arlovski for not only has his striking power decreased, but his ground game as well making it seem more like this fight could mean the end of his career in the sport altogether. My prediction: Albini wins via unanimous decision.
NATE “THE GREAT” MARQUARDT (35-18-2) vs CEZAR “MUTANTE” FERREIRA (11-6-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Marquardt brings kickboxing, Kenpo, Pankration and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control leading him to become a former Strikeforce Welterweight champion and a three-time Pancrase Middleweight Champion. Ferreira brings striking, Capoeira, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. Both of these fighters are well equipped with striking and grappling power, but from previous experience, Ferreira’s jiu-jitsu and wrestling combinations appear much more than Marquardt is capable of handling. The only possible chance Marquardt seems to have is to try and find an early finish within the first two or three minutes of the very first round before Ferreira discovers his game plan and begins to pick him apart until he finally finds the finishing blow. My prediction: Ferreira wins via submission in Round 3.
#4 RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO (25-5-0) vs #13 MATTHEW LOPEZ (10-1-0)
This is a three-round fight in the bantamweight division. Assuncao brings Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. Lopez brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power and grappling control. In this fight are two well-rounded fighters with their own combination of striking and grappling and based on the statistics Assuncao’s jiu-jitsu might be too much for Lopez to handle for he is still young in his career and has not faced anyone with that caliber of grappling. Now, Lopez does have great boxing to possibly challenge the Muay Thai of Assuncao, but once again he must be able to stop all takedowns Assuncao will throw at him knowing that Assuncao is a beast with his grappling game and if the fight went to the ground it will be lights out for Lopez. My prediction: Assuncao wins via submission in Round 2.
JOE LAUZON (27-13-0) vs CLAY “THE CARPENTER” GUIDA (33-17-0)
This is a three-round fight in the lightweight division. Lauzon boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power and grappling control. Guida brings boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. In this fight are two fighters who have always been unpredictable throughout their careers and just like their careers the fight is unpredictable as well. The fight will most likely be a mixture of both standing and ground so depending on where it takes place more will give one or the other the advantage. Form Lauzon’s jiu-jitsu and wrestling combination he looks to be able to take the fight with ease if he manages to get the fight to the ground, but at the same time Guida will be using his boxing and Muay Thai to pressure Lauzon to keep him at bay with hopes of finding his weak spot in his chin. However, Guida has shown a much greater decrease in his performance lately than Lauzon has and if Guida does not find a way to increase his defenses and aggressive game plan the fight will not end well for him. My prediction: Lauzon wins via submission in Round 3.
