UFC Fight Night 71: Mir vs. Duffee will air on July 15, 2015 from San Diego, California.
#10 FRANK MIR (17-9-0) vs TODD DUFFEE (9-2-0)
This is a five round main event in the heavyweight division. In this fight are two heavyweights that seem to have built a rivalry between each other and plan to make the other eat their own words in this upcoming fight. Mir brings kenpo karate, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling to this fight which have helped him in holding the record for most wins and submission victories in the heavyweight division. Duffee brings boxing and takedown defense to this fight, which has not only helped him finish all his victories by knockout, but also the fact that eight of his nine knockout victories took place in the first round. It seems that Duffee has a great chance against Mir with his deadly striking power, but what questions me is his lack of fighting skills which could prove to be a down fall in this fight since Mir knows plenty of tactics where Duffee knows very little. My prediction: Mir wins via knockout in Round 2.
#9 JOSH “THE PUNK” THOMSON (20-7-0, 1NC) vs TONY “EL CUCUY” FERGUSON (19-3-0)
This is a three round fight in the lightweight division. In this fight are two fighters who have slowly been working their way up the leader board and plan to add another win on their record and improve their chances to face higher ranked opponents in the near future. Thomson brings jiu-jitsu, wrestling and cardio to this fight giving him a great combination of takedowns and grappling tactics to where he can last an entire fight. Ferguson brings jiu-jitsu, boxing and wrestling to this fight giving him a style of grappling and striking power making him capable of defeating his opponents by submission and knockout. This fight looks to be almost an even match up, which I believe it is, but what will probably be the key factor to victory is the cardio. Thomson’s cardio seems to be a little better at conserving his energy and only using full force when he has to. Which is why I think Thomson has the better chance to come out as the victor. However, if Ferguson were to use his striking power against Thomson, he just might be able to cause serious damage to him to where he could sneak in a knockout victory and possibly perform the upset of the night. My prediction: Thomson wins via unanimous decision.
#10 HOLLY “THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER” HOLM (8-0-0) vs MARION “BELIZEAN BRUISER” RENEAU (6-1-0)
This is a three round fight in the women’s bantamweight division. In this fight are two women that have just recently made their presence known inside the octagon of the UFC and plan to show everyone why they deserve to be competing in the company and that women are just as good as men in mixed martial arts. Holm brings boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling and an amazing takedown defense to the point that not only has she remained undefeated, but also finished six of her eight opponents by knockout making her striking extremely deadly. Reneau brings jiu-jitsu, striking and great takedown defense giving her a great combination of feet and ground game that has helped her in her career with six wins and only one loss. With the skills sets that these two female combatants bring to this fight it looks pretty evenly matched, but what will decide the victor is the fighter who has the stronger chin because I can assure you that someone is going to get knocked out like there’s no tomorrow. With that said I believe that Holm has more power to her striking, which makes me wonder if Reneau has the chin to be able to take those kind of blows that Holm will be throwing at her. My prediction: Holm wins via knockout in Round 1.
