The UFC Discussion and Prediction Topic

[electronicash]

The UFC 304 has finally been announced. It will take place in Machester UK on July 27th.
The main card so far:



I don't think Tom's injury in their first fight warranted any rematch, but Blaydes was simply the best option available. Obviously Cyril Gane was ranked higher, but according to Tom's video:

he was not interested in fighting in Manchester on that date as allegedly it collided with his acting commitments. So Curtis it is.
I'm really glad to see that Aspinall wants to stay active and is not avoiding fights with fighters ranked below him. And having the chance to avenge his only loss (if you can call it that) is always a plus.

Tom doesn't have much choice as Jones is inactive.  and though its unusual that an interim contender has to defend high position, i think this is to maintain his position ready to fight whenever Jones comes back.

Dana will probably keep him fighting someone else maybe Stipe and then Gane or even Lewis until Dana gets the desired outcome. Curtis is never easy to begin with.

[pawel7777]

Tom doesn't have much choice as Jones is inactive.  and though its unusual that an interim contender has to defend high position, i think this is to maintain his position ready to fight whenever Jones comes back.

Dana will probably keep him fighting someone else maybe Stipe and then Gane or even Lewis until Dana gets the desired outcome. Curtis is never easy to begin with.

Yeah, the first choice for Tom was Cyril, but he couldn't make it as he'll be shooting some film or something, so Curtis stepped in instead.
Dana has already confirmed that Jones will be fighting Stipe next, which is an odd situation as the undisputed champ should be fighting the interim champ immediately after his return from an absence.
So, depending on when the Jones Vs Stipe fight will take place, Tom's next opponent would either be Jones (assuming both of them win their fights) or probably Gane.
If Jones refuses to fight the interim champ after the Stipe fight, he would almost certainly be stripped of the title.

[pawel7777]

Main card results from the last night's fight night event:



Lerone Murphy didn't disappoint and manged to win by decision after 5 round war with Barboza. As expected, he expressed his interest in featuring in the UFC 304 in Manchester UK, his home town.

[electronicash]

Tom doesn't have much choice as Jones is inactive.  and though its unusual that an interim contender has to defend high position, i think this is to maintain his position ready to fight whenever Jones comes back.

Dana will probably keep him fighting someone else maybe Stipe and then Gane or even Lewis until Dana gets the desired outcome. Curtis is never easy to begin with.

Yeah, the first choice for Tom was Cyril, but he couldn't make it as he'll be shooting some film or something, so Curtis stepped in instead.
Dana has already confirmed that Jones will be fighting Stipe next, which is an odd situation as the undisputed champ should be fighting the interim champ immediately after his return from an absence.
So, depending on when the Jones Vs Stipe fight will take place, Tom's next opponent would either be Jones (assuming both of them win their fights) or probably Gane.
If Jones refuses to fight the interim champ after the Stipe fight, he would almost certainly be stripped of the title.

Jones already admitted he will not fight anyone but Stipe and he get paid $15M and then quit UFC. this must be his last fight which he is going  to batter the old man.
this is base on PM leaked by someone that he talked with in twitter https://twitter.com/SpinninBackfist/status/1791709220854812952

history will tell something for this guy. its an asterisk. but he must have felt it already that he may not win against someone younger anymore.
but this is like leaving the belt for everyone to fight for it.

[pawel7777]

(...) this is base on PM leaked by someone that he talked with in twitter https://twitter.com/SpinninBackfist/status/1791709220854812952 (...)

No way this is real 
If it is, it's not really a leaked convo, he just dm'd a guy who hated on him, so he was probably trolling. Or maybe I'm giving him too much credit... I don't know.

Anyhow, here's Paolo Costa with a piece of financial advice:
https://x.com/BorrachinhaMMA/status/1791263736453628089

[electronicash]

(...) this is base on PM leaked by someone that he talked with in twitter https://twitter.com/SpinninBackfist/status/1791709220854812952 (...)

No way this is real 
If it is, it's not really a leaked convo, he just dm'd a guy who hated on him, so he was probably trolling. Or maybe I'm giving him too much credit... I don't know.

Anyhow, here's Paolo Costa with a piece of financial advice:
https://x.com/BorrachinhaMMA/status/1791263736453628089

i just read it on twitter though but a lot of users confirmed this is real jones bony account. looks like the GOAT is showing his real color. that's how he look at his fans i guess.

and he only wants to fight Stipe who in his last fight was brutally KOd and then retired. probably not wanting to fight anymore but because the offer is huge to refuse, Stipe might just bite. Dana will not likely make him fight Tom.

good for Costa in investing BTC. he is right about that woman. she just need a gym and diet and everyone will turn for a second look at her.

[pawel7777]

and he only wants to fight Stipe who in his last fight was brutally KOd and then retired. probably not wanting to fight anymore but because the offer is huge to refuse, Stipe might just bite. Dana will not likely make him fight Tom.

If Tom manages to defend his interim belt against Curtis at the UFC 304, which he most likely will, his popularity will grow even more. Jones is already taking a lot of critique for pushing to fight Stipe instead of Tom, so if he was to announce his retirement after that fight, it would be widely seen as an act of cowardice, escaping from the most worthy opponent. If he cares about his "legacy", that would be a stupid move.
Looking at things money-wise, it makes sense for Jones to wait till Tom is hyped up to the maximum and then take that fight, which could turn out to be one of the biggest in terms of revenue.

[Zed0X]

In your view, what will be Costa's plan when he faces Strickland in 302? I'd like to bet on him because of the attractive odds but I'm not sure how he'll approach it. The guy is a black belt jiu-jitsu but he also loves to brawl. Do you think he'll fight smart with takedowns and submission or he'll mostly trade punches?

[electronicash]

In your view, what will be Costa's plan when he faces Strickland in 302? I'd like to bet on him because of the attractive odds but I'm not sure how he'll approach it. The guy is a black belt jiu-jitsu but he also loves to brawl. Do you think he'll fight smart with takedowns and submission or he'll mostly trade punches?

just may take. Strickland is all defense actually but can also strike straight jabs that gives him the advantage over Costa. if they just trade punches, Strickland has the advantage. he has a strong TD which he may be able to counter instead. but this is also what Costa can do to turn the fight to his favor.

since i believe the Costa curse and his secret juice can make things possible. i will parlay Costa and Justin for a little amount just in case to make sure i cover the loss.

[pawel7777]

In your view, what will be Costa's plan when he faces Strickland in 302? I'd like to bet on him because of the attractive odds but I'm not sure how he'll approach it. The guy is a black belt jiu-jitsu but he also loves to brawl. Do you think he'll fight smart with takedowns and submission or he'll mostly trade punches?

Betting on Costa might not be a bad idea. Could be a good value bet, the odds for him are x2.90 (Strickland: x1.41).
Don't get fooled by the black-belt thing, some schools give away belts like candies. Strickland is also a black belt in BJJ according to Wikipedia.
Both are brawlers and that's what we're going to see, unless one of them gets beat up so badly that he'll have no other choice but to try his luck by taking it to the ground.
Strickland is a better boxer but Costa has better kicks. He landed a nice spinning heel kick against Whittaker, but it didn't knock Robert out.

I'll give Strickland max 60% chance of winning and Costa 40%. So anything above x2.50 is a good deal.