UFC 211: Miocic vs. dos Santos II will air on May 13, 2017, in Dallas, Texas.
(C) STIPE MIOCIC (16-2-0) vs. #4 JUNIOR “CIGANO” DOS SANTOS (18-4-0)
This is a five-round main event for the heavyweight championship. Miocic brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power and great grappling control that has led him to become the current champion. Dos Santos brings boxing and jiu-jitsu that has made him a hardcore striker and lead him to become a former champion. As both fighters contain almost an identical style this fight looks to be tough to choose a victor just like their first encounter at UFC on Fox 13. If Miocic could use his wrestling to the fullest and mix it with his ground-and-pound I see him taking this fight as the ground seems to be where he holds a little better game than dos Santos. However, dos Santos has great takedown defense as in their first fight he stopped 11 of the 12 takedown attempts by the current champion and looks to keep that up. With that in mind, this fight looks to come down to an all-out striking match and with both of these top dogs well-rounded in their striking game I really don’t see who could be the favorite in this intense fight with the possibility of being ‘Fight of the Night.’ My prediction: Too close to call.
(C) JOANNA “JJ” JEDRZEJCZYK (13-0-0) vs. #3 JESSICA “BATE ESTACA” ANDRADE (16-5-0)
This is a five round co-main event for the women’s strawweight championship. Jedrzejczyk brings boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving her knockout power with grappling control leading her to become the current champion. Andrade brings kickboxing, Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu giving her great knockout power with grappling control and ground-and-pound. As both of these two amazing female athletes head into this fight with the identical style it becomes difficult to choose a favorite. The way this fight appears is for Jedrzejczyk to keep the upper hand I would say she should keep the fight on their feet as much as possible to where she could pressure Andrade to the point she in unable to bring the fight to the ground. Where Andrade will want to bring the fight to the ground all from her intense ground-and-pound style that could prove to be too much for Jedrzejczyk to handle if Andrade managed to keep the majority of the fight on the ground. But Jedrzejczyk has great takedown defense and so it will be difficult for Andrade to bring her to the ground, but at the same time, Jedrzejczyk will have to overcome the aggression of Andrade, which will be unlike any aggression she has faced before. My prediction: Jedrzejczyk wins via split decision.
#3 DEMIAN MAIA (24-6-0) vs. #5 JORGE “GAMEBRED” MASVIDAL (32-11-0)
This is a three round fight in the welterweight division. Maia brings judo, karate, and jiu-jitsu giving him striking power with intense grappling control and cardio. Masvidal brings boxing, kickboxing and wrestling giving him knockout power and cardio. With both fighters being great strikers and grapplers this fight looks to be a battle in the making, but I think Maia’s grappling will prove to be a little too much for Masvidal to handle. However, Masvidal has great striking power, which I believe to be better than Maia’s and if he could manage to keep the fight standing then Masvidal could very well be looking to add another knockout victory to his record. But at the same time, Masvidal must be cautious of Maia’s sneak attacks as he always keeps those in the back of his game plan just waiting for the perfect moment to strike and get the advantage he needs to walk away as the victor. My prediction: Maia wins via submission in Round 3.
#2 FRANKIE “THE ANSWER” EDGAR (21-5-1) vs. #7 YAIR “EL PANTERA” RODRIGUEZ (11-1-0)
This is a three round fight in the featherweight division. Edgar brings boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him great knockout power with grappling control and cardio that lead him to become a former lightweight champion. Rodriguez brings striking, taekwondo, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. In this fight are two fighters of different perspectives and therefore this looks to be an interesting matchup to see who outdoes the other, which I think Rodriguez just might do it with his impressive striking power mixed with grappling and cardio that could really push Edgar in this fight. Edgar does have extreme wrestling that he could use to place Rodriguez in major trouble and if he could use it to the fullest like has in many of his past fights then Rodriguez might not stand much of a chance. Though Rodriguez has a great takedown defense and he will be doing all in his power to keep the fight standing where his chances are greater and could very well be his key to adding the biggest victory of his career to his record. My prediction: Rodriguez wins via unanimous decision.
