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UFC 265 Prelims/Main Card Preview and Predictions

UFC 265 takes place Saturday

by
Admin
August 3, 2021

UFC 265 takes place Saturday, August 7 at the Toyota Center in Houston Texas, and the card will feature some exciting matchups.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

In the main event, Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane take the octagon to fight it out for the heavyweight interim strap, with the winner to face Francis Ngannou for the unified heavyweight title.

Meanwhile, in the co-main event, we have an exciting bantamweight matchup between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz which could act as a decisive title eliminator.

There is plenty more action inside the octagon, including a three-round welterweight bout between Vicente Luque and Michael Chiesa. Even the prelim fights feature some interesting names like UFC veteran Ed Herman, Alonzo Menifield and Bobby Green.

Betting supplied by Hollywoodbets

Main Card

Main event – Derrick Lewis 24/10 vs Ciryl Gane 27/100 (Heavyweight)

UFC 265 will shockingly be headlined by Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis versus France’s Cyril ‘Bon Gamin’ Gane. This after Francis Ngannou became the undisputed heavyweight champion at UFC 260 in March and publicly stated his readiness to defend the title in September of this year. With that in mind, Lewis and Gane are easily the two most exciting and deserving fighters in the division looking to stake their claim for interim gold and the chance to unify the belt against Cameroon’s heavyweight champ.

One punch knockout power to shut any and every one’s lights out, Lewis (25-7, 1 NC) possesses just that. After succumbing to then heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in his first title fight, Lewis has his sights on UFC gold once again. After four straight wins and back-to-back knockouts over Aleksei Oleinik and Curtis Blaydes, The Black Beast is at the heap of the heavyweight pile yet again. With 12 knockouts in the UFC alone, Lewis holds the record for most heavyweight KOs in the promotion, and the Houston Texas native will be looking to close the show in trademark fashion.

Entering the UFC at 3-0, Ciryl Gane (9-0), was a wildcard for matchmakers with a lot of promise. Now with meticulously calculated performances and an uncanny speed for a heavyweight, the Frenchman sees himself fighting the number two ranked opponent in the division. Six straight wins in the UFC with two submissions, one TKO (elbow) versus Junior dos Santos and three unanimous decisions over the likes of Tanner Boser, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and recently Alexander Volkov in his second five round main event, Gane is surely primed and ready to wrap a belt around his waist even if it is an interim belt, for now.

Prediction

Lewis had his chance at UFC glory, and technique overcame brute power at the hands of six-time US national wrestling champion and two division UFC champion, Cormier. Like the technique before, Gane brings his kickboxing background into the octagon and a well-rounded game into his biggest fight of his career in which composure and a measured approach will see the belt wrapped around his waist.

Co-main – Jose Aldo 69/100 vs Pedro Munhoz 21/20 (Bantamweight)

This will certainly be an exciting bantamweight matchup between the two top-10 Brazilian contenders. Both fighters returned to the win column via decision in their last fights and will hope to build on their momentum.

Despite a three-fight losing streak and whispers that his time had passed, UFC legend Jose Aldo (29-7) showed that he still has what it takes at the top level. The King of Rio won a unanimous decision over Marlon Vera in a one-sided affair last December at UFC Fight Night.

Similar to Aldo, Pedro Munhoz (19-5, 1 NC) was going through a difficult period after a pair of decision losses to Aljamain Sterling and Frankie Edgar, but ‘The Young Punisher’ bounced back impressively in his last outing with a dominant win over Jimmie Rivera. Munhoz has won eight of his last 11 fights overall.

Prediction

Both fighters look to climb up the crowded bantamweight rankings and hopefully earn a shot at the title in the near future. Munhoz may be the underdog in this fight but we like his chances to cause an upset. He has powerful punches and throws some of the most damaging kicks of any fighter in the division.

Welterweight – Michael Chiesa 21/20 vs Vicente Luque 68/100

Vicente Luque and Michael Chiesa square off for the right to a potential welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman. With both men carrying winning streaks into this matchup, this fight promises to be an entertaining affair.

Luque (20-7-1) is on a three-fight winning streak and has won nine of his last 10 inside of the octagon. In his streak, the Brazilian has defeated former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, Randy Brown and Niko Price.

Chiesa (18-4) meanwhile is on a four-fight win streak since moving up to welterweight in December 2018 with victories over Neil Magny, Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez and Carlos Condit.

Prediction

This will be a tough test for Chiesa against ‘The Silent Assassin’ who has recorded finishes in 18 of his 20 career wins. Luque should be able to hurt Chiesa on the feet, which will likely see the former TUF winner defeated for the first time in five fights.

Women Strawweight – Tecia Torres 69/100 vs Angela Hill 21/20

In a women’s strawweight bout on Saturday’s main card, Tecia Torres and Angela Hill meet for a second time inside the octagon. Their first meeting took place in June 2015 at UFC 188, where Torres earned a unanimous decision over Hill.

Since their first meeting, both women have fought many notable names in the division and have solidified their high placement in the rankings. Torres (12-5) enters this bout on a two-fight win streak, building her momentum going into this match.

On the other side of the cage, Hill (13-9) is coming off a decision victory against unranked Ashley Yoder that snapped a two-fight losing skid.

Prediction

Torres is the better-ranked fighter and in great form, and we believe she’ll do enough to score on the feet and take a decision.

Bantamweight – Song Yadong 87/100 vs Casey Kenney 84/100

China’s hottest prospect Song ‘Kung Fu Monkey’ Yadong and Casey Kenney open the main card in Houston Texas with the closest betting odds of the night. Both up and coming fighters look to bounce back after tasting defeat in their last octagon outing with the likelihood of a ranked bantamweight fighter in their next matchup.

Kenny (16-3-1) saw his three-fight win streak come to an end via decision after UFC matchmakers put him to the test against two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. After facing his second loss to a ranked opponent and failing to deliver, the time is now to prove whether he deserves the chance to climb the rankings.

Yadong (16-5-1) burst onto the UFC stage with a four-fight win streak of absolute domination. An illegal knee against his first ranked opponent, Cody Stamann, saw him lose a point in the first round of that fight and was lucky enough to see a draw result. Yadong’s following bout in the octagon was a win over Marlon Vera which had the MMA up in arms over the decision with most professionals and fans scoring the fight to Vera. Finally, the Chinese bantamweight faced an exciting Kyler Phillips who left no questions unanswered to defeat Yadong.

Prediction

Both fighters are now at a key point in their chances of climbing the bantamweight ladder. Yadong’s power could carry him over the line, but the all-round game of Casey Kenney will prove too much for China’s hopeful.

Full card predictions:

Main Card: