'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The UFC has just released the main card for its February pay-per-view, and some of the match-ups are mouth-watering, to say the least.
Let's take a look at 5 fights you should look forward to on the main card of UFC 221:
#1 Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold
Let's start off with the main event of the night, Luke Rockhold vs Robert Whittaker. The fight is a highly-anticipated one with both men coming off huge wins, Rockhold winning against David Branch last September in a one-sided affair and Whittaker coming in on an 8-fight win streak, with his latest victory coming against "The Soldier of God" Yoel Romero, by way of unanimous decision.
Whittaker is known for his unorthodox style of striking (which frequently throw off opponents), his slick takedown defence, and his brutal ground-and-pound.
Rockhold, on the other hand, is a ground-based fighter, with a Black Belt in BJJ, as well as an elite kickboxer, though Whittaker is expected to dominate in a standing affair.
If Whittaker can, as seen in his last 8 fights, control the tempo of the match, victory is practically assured. On the other hand, if Rockhold finds a way to get Whittaker on the ground, and find a way to stop his opponent from recovering, he'd be able to dominate the fight. Either way, this is sure to be a good one.
Curtis Blaydes vs Mark Hunt
Mark Hunt was initially supposed to face Marcin Tybura in his hometown of Sydney last November, but was pulled off the card following his controversial comments about his safety and health, saying that he has been "slurring his words" and hasn't felt well for a while. Hunt later stated that his comments weren't supposed to be taken seriously.
He is now scheduled to fight 26-year-old Curtis Blaydes in what promises to be a hard-hitting affair. The fight won't be an easy one for Hunt, as Blaydes is currently riding a 4 fight win-streak, and beat the MMA veteran Oleksiy Oliynyk by way of doctor's stoppage.
Mark Hunt is known for his kickboxing roots, as well as his prowess in stand-up fighting, and even more than that, Mark Hunt has an amazing chin. But if anyone were able to rock Hunt, it would be Blaydes, considering the destructiveness of his punches that knocked out Oliynyk last November. Considering Blaydes is red-hot and on a 4 fight win-streak, it wouldn't be surprising to see "the Razor" beat Mark Hunt in convincing fashion.
Jussier Formiga vs Ben Nguyen
This clash is one you cannot miss; Ben Nguyen, the man who has been on fire recently, destroying Tim Elliott in 49 seconds in his last fight, is going up against "The Ant" Jussier Formiga, the BJJ Black Belt who submitted the former Shooto champion Ulka Sasaki in a one-sided affair. Both men are fighting for a top 5 spot on the flyweight rankings, with Nguyen in 8th place and Formiga in 6th place.
Nguyen comes in as the striking specialist, and Formiga the submission specialist. Looking at the backgrounds of the two fighters, this is not really surprising, as Nguyen is a 3rd-degree black belt in Taekwondo, and has superb punching precision, and Formiga is a BJJ Black Belt, with a good hand in takedowns.
However, this does not mean that Nguyen is necessarily challenged at jiu-jitsu, or that Formiga is lacking in striking skills, as the former is a BJJ Brown Belt and has good takedown defence, and the latter has very powerful punches for a flyweight. This fight is sure to be a cracker.
Tyson Pedro vs Saparbek Safarov
This is a very important clash for both fighters, as both Pedro and Safarov, in their last clash, have been handed their first professional loss, and both fighters need to bounce back and emerge victorious in order to further their careers. Pedro has a two-inch height advantage, but other than that, the stats are pretty much even.
Tyson Pedro's fighting is based on classic boxing and BJJ, and Safarov is the opposite, basing his fighting on traditional Sambo and wrestling. Both men are elite at what they focus on, and so it is hard to tell who has the upper edge fighting-wise.
This fight will likely come down to who has the bigger heart out of the two. Be sure to catch this fight, as both men are sure to bring their very best to this fight, which will make for a mouth-watering affair of big men.
Damien Brown vs Dong Hyun Kim
This fight is a clash of two veterans, in Damien Brown and Dong Hyun Kim. Damien Brown is on a two-match losing streak, but in the process, had one of the best matches of 2017, in a split-decision loss against Frank Camacho.
He has since turned into a cult fan favourite, and it is expected for him to be heavily cheered in his home country of Australia for the fight. Against him is Dong Hyun Kim, the 4th degree Judo black-belt who lost his last fight against Colby Covington, but is generally in good form, winning his three fights before that, all in dominating fashion.
Damien Brown is an unorthodox striker and less of a traditionalist, which throws off his opponents regularly. He is not-so-bad at grappling as well, wrestling since he was a teenager. Dong Hyun Kim on the other hand, can do it all, his striking more focused on Judo, and his grappling focused on quick submissions and takedowns.
Who wins is a question of who can go in and control the tempo of the match - who can dictate the pace, to give themselves an advantage against their opponents. Both men are very experienced, so this match will surely be a very technically sound one.
