UFC 215: Johnson vs. Borg will air on September 9, 2017, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
(C) DEMETRIOUS “MIGHTY MOUSE” JOHNSON (26-2-1) vs. #3 RAY “THE TAZMEXICAN DEVIL” BORG (11-2-0)
This is a five-round main event for the flyweight championship. Johnson brings pankration and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio leading him to become the current champion and the number one pound-for-pound fighter. Borg brings striking and jiu-jitsu giving him some striking power and grappling control. Now both fighters bring their own style of striking and grappling Johnson will most likely reign supreme in this fight from his speed and ability to pressure his opponents to where he discovers their weakness or pounds them until the clock runs out. Borg really has never faced a fighter like Johnson before so there is very little hope he has of walking away as the victor unless he somehow can use his jiu-jitsu to try and out grapple Johnson with the possibility of submitting him. But knows great wrestling that he will surely use to counter Borg’s jiu-jitsu and if Borg does not find away to counter Johnson’s wrestling mixed with his ground-and-pound techniques then this fight will be over long before it begins. My prediction: Johnson wins via submission in Round 1.
(C) AMANDA “THE LIONESS” NUNES (14-4-0) vs. #1 VALENTINA “THE BULLET” SHEVCHENKO (14-2-0)
This is a five-round co-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 unanimous.
#6 NEIL MAGNY (19-6-0) vs. #10 RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (26-9-0)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Magny brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control along and cardio. Dos Anjos brings Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu giving him aggressive knockout power with hardcore grappling control and cardio leading him to become a former lightweight champion. In this fight are two fighters looking to fight their way into a possible title shot, but in order to do so, they will have to prove how bad they want by putting on one of their best performances yet. Both have had some great luck in the welterweight division, but since dos Anjos joined the division he just seems like a different person as he is able to keep his body more healthy making his aggressive style that more dangerous. Magny just doesn’t seem to have the ability to stand against an opponent like dos Anjos and unless he can find the weak spot in his chin early in the fight then this fight looks to be a one-sided beating the moment the bell rings. My prediction: dos Anjos wins via unanimous decision.
#10 ILIR “THE SLEDGEHAMMER” LATIFI (13-5-0, 1 NC) vs. #13 TYSON PEDRO (6-0-0)
This is a three-round fight in the light heavyweight division. Latifi brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power and grappling control. Pedro brings boxing, karate, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control leading him to a perfect record. Now, this fight contains two fighters who bring a great combination of striking and grappling techniques so this fight could possibly be an entertaining one waiting to happen. But when it comes down to who is more well-rounded Pedro looks to show a better combination with his boxing and jiu-jitsu for which Latifi is not very equipped to handle and the only way he could possibly take advantage is to use his wrestling to where he could wear down Pedro in hopes of submitting him or beating him in the scores. Though Pedro is no one to mess around with is a grappling match and if Latifi does not watch himself then he could very well find himself in a very difficult spot to get out of. My prediction: Pedro wins via submission in Round 1.
#8 JEREMY “LIL HEATHEN” STEPHENS (25-13-0) vs. #14 GILBERT “EL NINO” MELENDEZ (22-6-0)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Stephens brings Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control. Melendez brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with some grappling control and cardio. Since both of these fighters have almost identical style as well as having the same luck in their past two fights this fight will be the one to get either of them back on the road to recovery. Though with Melendez having more of a rocky road after a failed drug test he seems to not be the same fighter he once was and Stephens will try to take advantage of that by using his striking and grappling combinations to show everyone that Melendez is indeed not the same fighter he once was. Though, Stephens has not been having good luck lately so Melendez could still have a few tricks up his sleeve from his boxing and wrestling techniques that could prove to be very lethal in this fight, but how lethal will they be now that he has no help in this fight. My prediction: Stephens wins via split decision.
