The absolute fighting championship once again did not disappoint its fans by presenting the program of the first show on “Fight Island”. At the moment, only the main card has been officially announced, but immediately three fights have the title status. At the same time, Peter Jan will speak in one of them. The flyweight fighter will try to get the better of the legendary Brazilian Jose Aldo and become the second absolute champion of the largest MMA promotion in the world from Russia.
Already, UFC 251 can be safely called the largest MMA tournament in 2020. At least for the reason that Dana White and the company rarely delight viewers at once with three battles for the title within one evening. In the entire history of the promotion, this happened three times and it is not surprising that they never took place during one calendar year.
This first happened in November 2016 during the debut evening of the UFC at Madison Square Garden. A year later, an event of this magnitude was again held in New York, and the last time such an event was organized in December 2019. It is noteworthy that Ian also spoke at UFC 245. True, then they, together with Yuraia Feiber, opened the main card program.
Rumors of a duel between Jan and Aldo appeared a few weeks ago. After the current holder of the belt in this category, Henry Sehudo announced his retirement, UFC President Dana White immediately called the Russian main contender for the trophy. The question remained only in the date and rival. In addition to Jose, the number of applicants included Marlon Moraes, who was originally supposed to be the next opponent of Peter. The matchmakers of the promotion could very well go the simple way and assign this fight the title status.
But the choice fell on the more starry Aldo, whose status in many ways helped him gain the right to fight. This is evidenced by the fact that at the moment two defeats appear in the liabilities of the Brazilian. However, from a commercial point of view, the duel of Peter and Jose is more profitable for the UFC than the battle with Marlon. Despite not the most successful performances in recent years, an experienced Brazilian is still considered one of the most successful representatives of the light categories in history, and a victory over him will be an excellent help in the formation of a new Russian star.
However, you should not give the belt to Jan in advance. At least for the reason that Aldo always felt confident in confrontations with smaller athletes. In the featherweight category, he easily dealt with the gorgeous Frankie Edgar, coped with the skillful wrestlers from Team Alpha Male Chad Mendes and the same Faber. Peter may be slightly smaller, but inferior to Jose both in height (169 against 170 centimeters) and in arm length (170 against 178 centimeters), which may affect the course of the battle.
It is worth noting that Jan was not the only UFC 245 participant who received the right to speak at the tournament with 251th number. So, on July 11, a rematch for the featherweight belt will take place, in which Alexander Volkanovsky will fight with Max Holloway. In December, the Australian won more than a landslide victory and shocked many MMA fans. In anticipation of the bout, the Hawaiian was considered a clear favorite and, if successful, could extend his unbeaten run in this weight category to 15 fights.
Given the success of Holloway in the division up to 65 kg, the UFC management rightly gave him a chance to regain his title. Volkanovsky did not resist this, immediately agreed to a second series of confrontations. True, there was no talk of an imminent return to the cage, because the Australian had to undergo surgery on his arm. Initially, matchmakers considered the idea of arranging a battle in June, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was decided to postpone it to a later date.
It is noteworthy that the injury did not even affect the status of Volkanovsky before revenge. On the first day after the announcement of the match, bookmakers elevated him to the rank of favorite, which can be considered a unique event. The last time Holloway was considered an “underdog” before his first meeting with Jose Aldo in June 2017.
The UFC 251 program and another participant in the December tournament will also decorate. In the main battle of the evening, the reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will face off against Gilbert Burns. Six months ago, a battle involving the Nigerian nightmare was also the crown of the event. Then in the fifth round he knocked out Colby Covington and defended the title for the first time.
It is worth noting that a few weeks ago, Burns was not seriously considered as a contender for the belt. The press discussed with might and main the prospect of a confrontation between Usman and Jorge Masvidal, promising to become loud and uncompromising. However, difficulties in the negotiations crossed out the holder of the title of “toughest bastard” (BMF) from the championship race. As the athlete himself stated, he was not satisfied with the terms of the agreement, according to which he received half as much as for the fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 244. According to The Sports Daily, then he received $ 500 thousand.
For a long time, there were rumors that Conor McGregor could replace Masvidal, but the Irishman announced his retirement for the third time. Thus, Burns joined the title race. In late May, he did not leave a chance to Tyrone Woodley and rose to first place in the general classification.
In recent years, the Brazilian master jiu-jitsu has made impressive progress, has become noticeably sharper in the rack and can be considered a dangerous rival for Usman. However, there is at least one reason why his chances in the upcoming duel are difficult to assess as high. The point is a busy schedule, according to which Burns will have to conduct two fights in less than a month and a half. Although Gilbert quite easily dealt with Tyrone, he spent all the planned 25 minutes in the octagon and spent a huge amount of energy. In such circumstances, it will be very difficult not only to prepare for the incredibly powerful Camara, but also at least restore the condition.
In addition to the three title duels, the UFC 251 main card will include two women's matches, each of which is interesting in its own way. Of course, the return fight of two ex-champions in the minimum weight stands out - Jessica Andrade and Rose Namayunas. In May 2019, the Brazilian knocked out an American with a spectacular throw and took her belt, but already in August there was a beat of Weili Zhang. Despite the setbacks and the long downtime, both girls still occupy the top positions in the rankings table, and the winner can get a chance for the second time in his career to fight for the trophy.
Also, one of the most popular female fighters in the world will hold her next match. At the same time, it is possible that he will be the last under the auspices of the UFC for Page Vanzant. Upon completion, she will expire a contract with the championship, and so far there is no certainty that it will be extended. Previously, the athlete has already stated that she is not satisfied with the level of payment in the promotion. But whether the company’s bosses decide to pay her more is a big question.
Perhaps the answer to it will give a fight with Amanda Ribas. The Brazilian is already in the top 15 of the division and has a series of four victories in a row, two of which were obtained ahead of schedule. Another defeat Vanzant may adversely affect its prospects in the organization. And that's not counting the fact that since 2016, Page has been extremely irregular in performing in a cage. In four battles, she twice lost, and most of the time healed numerous injuries and participated in side projects.