GDT: UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes/Bellator 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2/Bellator 295: Stots vs. Mix

[MMC]

Date: April 22, 2023
Venue: UFC Apex
City: Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 7 pm ET/4 pm PT
Viewing: ESPN+, TSN 5

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, TSN 5)

Heavyweight bout: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
Middleweight bout: Brad Tavares vs. Bruno Silva
Lightweight bout: Bobby Green vs. Jared Gordon
Women's Flyweight bout: Iasmin Lucindo vs. Brogan Walker
Welterweight bout: Jeremiah Wells vs. Matthew Semelsberger

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, TSN 5)

Lightweight bout: Ricky Glenn vs. Christos Giagos
Bantamweight bout: Rani Yahya vs. Montel Jackson
Women's Featherweight bout: Karol Rosa vs. Norma Dumont
Heavyweight bout: Mohammed Usman vs. Junior Tafa
Featherweight bout: Francis Marshall vs. William Gomis
Bantamweight bout: Brady Hiestand vs. Danaa Batgerel​

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[MMC]

Date: April 21, 2023
Venue: Neal S. Blaisdell Arena
City: Honolulu, Hawaii
Time: 10 pm ET/7 pm PT
Viewing: Showtime, Bellator Youtube

MAIN CARD (Showtime)

Women's Flyweight Championship bout: Liz Carmouche (c) vs. DeAnna Bennett
Heavyweight bout: Timothy Johnson vs. Said Sowma
Women's Featherweight bout: Arlene Blencowe vs. Sara McMann
Bantamweight bout: Danny Sabatello vs. Marcos Breno
Welterweight bout: Levan Chokheli vs. Michael Lombardo

PRELIMINARY CARD (Bellator Youtube)

Lightweight bout: Killys Mota vs. Kenneth Cross
Heavyweight bout: Tyrell Fortune vs. Sergei Bilostenniy
Featherweight bout: Cris Lencioni vs. Blake Smith
Middleweight bout: Anthony Adams vs. Sharaf Davlatmurodov​

 

[MMC]

Date: April 22, 2023
Venue: Neal S. Blaisdell Arena
City: Honolulu, Hawaii
Time: 11 pm ET/8 pm PT
Viewing: Showtime, Bellator Youtube

MAIN CARD (Showtime)

Interim Bantamweight Championship bout: Raufeon Stots (ic) vs. Patchy Mix
Women's Flyweight bout: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kana Watanabe
Featherweight bout: Aaron Pico vs. James Gonzalez
Welterweight bout: Levan Chokheli vs. Michael Lombardo
Lightweight bout: Yancy Medeiros vs. Charlie Leary

PRELIMINARY CARD (Bellator Youtube)

Featherweight bout: Mads Burnell vs. Justin Gonzales
Featherweight bout: Kai Kamaka III vs. Adli Edwards
Women's Flyweight bout: Sumiko Inaba vs. Veta Arteaga
Lightweight bout: Bobby King vs. Aalon Cruz
Heavyweight bout: Davion Franklin vs. Kasim Aras
Women's Flyweight bout: Ilara Joanne vs. Bruna Ellen
Welterweight bout: Alexey Shurkevich vs. Masayuki Kikuri​

 

[MMC]

 

[m9]

UFC -

There's always the threat that Blaydes will just take Pavlovich down for 25 minutes or less and win the fight that way. If that's what's going to happen, we're going to know it very early because I don't think Blaydes is going to keep this one standing for long. It's a really key fight for the division, though.

As for the rest, Simon/Yadong should be fun. I'm not convinced that they don't move this card back a week to headline the Apex card that needs a fight, but we'll see. Tavares, Bobby Green, etc are solid fill-in fights. Funny to see Rosa/Dumont just buried there - might actually be a #1 contender's fight at 145lbs with how hollow the division is.

My two names to watch on this card: Jeremiah Wells who has dynamite in his hands and is quietly on a 3 fight win streak in the UFC gets a fun test. Plus, Mo Usman gets his first post-TUF win.

Bellator -

The Friday night card has a few names, but that's probably going to be a boring card. The Saturday card will be great though - Stots/Mix is awesome, Pico is back, Horiguchi/Borg.. good stuff.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Bellator Saturday card is the best card this weekend IMO.

 

[I am not exposed]

Whoever wins out of Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes should get the next title shot imo. Ahead of Stipe.

I would favour either of these guys over Stipe currently.

 

[MMC]

 

[MMC]

 

[pistolpete11]

Would have been a solid Fight Night card, especially for the Apex, if they didn't move Yadong/Simon.

I think this is a bad matchup for Blaydes. Pavlovich is not a small HW and comes from a wrestling/sambo background and we've seen how susceptible Blaydes can be to big punchers. I'm by no means counting Blaydes out, but I like Pavlovich's chances at an upset.

 

[MMC]

 

[MMC]

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I didn't know this was a possibility?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I guess I read that wrong? To me it sounded like the title was still on the line as in Bennet would still get it.. but this cleared it up:

 

[MMC]

I guess I read that wrong? To me it sounded like the title was still on the line as in Bennet would still get it.. but this cleared it up:

Bennett is ineligible to win but Carmouche will vacate if she loses

 

[CDJ]

Would have been a solid Fight Night card, especially for the Apex, if they didn't move Yadong/Simon.

I think this is a bad matchup for Blaydes. Pavlovich is not a small HW and comes from a wrestling/sambo background and we've seen how susceptible Blaydes can be to big punchers. I'm by no means counting Blaydes out, but I like Pavlovich's chances at an upset.

the interesting thing for me is that Blaydes crushed Overeem with ground and pound to the point where Overeem went out to Colorado to train with Blaydes and learn how to do that afterwards. Overeem then went out in his next fight and totally mauled Pavlovich with ground and pound

MMA math doesn’t work but I’m tryna math over here. The obvious counter here is that every time Blaydes loses its to a devastating puncher, and Pavlovich seems to have a wee bit of power lol

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Bennett is ineligible to win but Carmouche will vacate if she loses

Yeah I get that now I misunderstood it as the title would still be up for grabs which confused the hell outta me lol

 

[pistolpete11]

the interesting thing for me is that Blaydes crushed Overeem with ground and pound to the point where Overeem went out to Colorado to train with Blaydes and learn how to do that afterwards. Overeem then went out in his next fight and totally mauled Pavlovich with ground and pound

MMA math doesn’t work but I’m tryna math over here. The obvious counter here is that every time Blaydes loses its to a devastating puncher, and Pavlovich seems to have a wee bit of power lol

I didn't remember Pav-Overeem, so I watched it on Youtube. I wouldn't say Overeem mauled him. It was kind of a weird sequence. Pav actually got tripped, not a typical wrestler style takedown that I'd expect from Blaydes and he wasn't getting overwhelmed on the ground. It was 1 really big shot that nearly put him out cold. He just turtled for the rest of the shots.

 

[CDJ]

I didn't remember Pav-Overeem, so I watched it on Youtube. I wouldn't say Overeem mauled him. It was kind of a weird sequence. Pav actually got tripped, not a typical wrestler style takedown that I'd expect from Blaydes and he wasn't getting overwhelmed on the ground. It was 1 really big shot that nearly put him out cold. He just turtled for the rest of the shots.

I don’t think he likes being on his back (Understandable, most heavies don’t) and I have a feeling Blaydes gets him there and finishes him at some point within 5 rounds

 

[pistolpete11]

I don’t think he likes being on his back (Understandable, most heavies don’t) and I have a feeling Blaydes gets him there and finishes him at some point within 5 rounds

It's certainly a possibility if he can avoid the big shots and get him there.

One thing that does give me pause in picking Pav, though, is how aggressive he might be. He went right after Lewis and Tuivasa. Obviously worked out for him, but it could not have, too. I think if he's too aggressive, it might make the takedowns that much easier. I think he'd be better off being patient, selling out to stuff the takedowns, and looking to counter instead. With the success he's had being a wrecking ball, though, he might go right after Blaydes, too.

 

[MMC]

Crazy to think Pav got Overeem in his debut

 

[Bunk Moreland]

 

[m9]

Borg pulling his usual nonsense. No idea why he gets booked at 125lbs.

 

[MMC]

 

[MMC]