What Can Fans Expect From The Upcoming UFC 265 Event?
MMA fans of the world, if UFC 264 left you wanting more action, especially after the whole McGregor leg incident that ended up tarnishing what was worked up to be a “fight of the year” candidate between him and Dustin Poirier, then look no further than the upcoming UFC 265 event on August 7th from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. With a main card that has top notch action written all over it, UFC odds experts already dishing out some of the best picks and predictions around and with fighters like Derrick Lewis, Ciryl Gane, Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena all headlining the event with two title bouts as the main fights of the night, it’s time to get down to what fans can expect from the two main bouts, both title fights in the upcoming event.
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena, Women’s Bantamweight Title Fight
Nobody can deny that every single time Amanda Nunes steps into the octagon, non-stop action, fighting excellence and certain dominance can be expected of her, without regards to who her rival might be. She has seen them all and beaten them all along the way and while many fans and experts are already hoisting Nunes as the clear favorite in her title bout against Julianna Pena in the upcoming UFC 265 event, having all the caution possible might be the best route to take for Nunes here. Why? Simple, this fight has been one that Julianna Pena has been wanting for as long as we can all remember and be it because of scheduling or other circumstances it hasn’t happened, just fueling up Pena’s desire to want to not just fight but also beat Nunes more and more as time has gone by.
While Pena doesn’t hold a record like the one Nunes has, she has done her deeds, won enough fights and proven what needs to be proven to earn herself a championship opportunity. With a “given ‘em hell or die trying” attitude, the fact that she enters the fight as a clear underdog does not bother Pena one bit, especially given the fact that Pena only has one more loss than Nunes in her record and they have both been around for about the same amount of time. If there was ever a time for Pena to silence haters and cement her status in the UFC it’s in UFC 265 by scoring what could be one of the biggest upsets ever against the heavily favorite Nunes.
Amanda Nunes, though, has proven over and over again that it’s becoming more clear than ever that there might just be no fighter out there who can beat her. Every single one of her fights have turned more into a dominant exhibition of her abilities and expertise when it comes to fighting than anything else. It’s no wonder why Nunes is considered the overwhelming favorite to retain her title against Pena but might an upset be on the way? Will Pena’s desire to finally get her shot against Nunes ends up causing the champ her title? While on paper it seems heavily impossible, we’ll just have to see.
Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane Interim Heavyweight Title Fight
Is it just me or didn’t Francis Ngannou just win the UFC heavyweight title a couple of months ago? Oh no wait, it’s not just me, Ngannou defeated former champion Stipe Miocic to win the title three months ago, so why would there need to be an interim title fight you wonder? Well because apparently, Ngannou wasn’t able to defend his title until September, leaving the UFC with apparently no other choice than to have him vacate his title and have Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane fight for the Interim Heavyweight Title.
Derrick Lewis, the No.2 contender for the Heavyweight title, and a Houston native will have a golden opportunity in front of his home fans to have a taste of heavyweight gold for the first time in his career if he is able to take down No.3 contender, Frenchman Ciryl Gane in the main event of the UFC 265 event. While Lewis will come into the fight carrying over a winning streak of four fights with knockouts over Aleksei Oleinik and Curtis Blaydes, Gane, a former training partner of Francis Ngannou will come into the fight after defeating Alexander Volkov in his last fight as well as fighters of the caliber of Jairzinho Rozenstruik and former champion Junior Dos Santos in the past.
While in all fairness it makes no real sense to have this fight happen, especially given the fact that Ngannou was more than ready to defend his title for the first time in September, this fight comes as a perfect chance for the “black beast” Lewis to win his first ever Heavyweight title in front of his home fans and setting up a future fight against Ngannou in the near future.
