MMA Preview – Chris Weidman vs Ronaldo Souza at UFC 230
AT A GLANCE
When is UFC 230? Sunday 4th November, 2018 – 00:00 (UK)
Where is UFC 230? Madison Square Garden, New York
What channel is UFC 230 on? BT Sport 3
Where can I stream UFC 230? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT website
Are tickets still available for UFC 230? http://uk.ufc.com/event-ticket...
THE STATISTICS
THE LOWDOWN
The rematch between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold was another hugely anticipated fight on the UFC 230 card but Rockhold unfortunately picked up an injury. However, we still have one hell of a match-up thanks to Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza stepping up to the plate.
Weidman has been campaigning for another title shot but he has only won one of his last four so desperately needs this win to stay relevant in the title picture. That's a feeling Jacare is familiar with as he is coming off a loss to Kelvin Gastelum and at the age of 38, he does not have much time left to make a final run for the belt.
THE PREDICTION
Weidman will be forced to change up his game plan as Jacare does not have anywhere near the stand-up skills of Rockhold but as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) world champion, he is even better than him on the ground.
Weidman will now be more inclined to stand in search for a knockout but what will be most intriguing for the fans will be a grappling battle. They are both complete MMA grapplers, with Weidman one of the best wrestlers in MMA with a black belt in BJJ and Jacare one of the very best BJJ practitioners in the sport with phenomenal wrestling.
However, when we see two fighters with similar elite skillsets, they tend to cancel each other out, forcing a stand-up battle where Weidman should just have the edge.
Winner: Weidman via Decision
Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric
