On Saturday night inside Inglewood, California’s Intuit Dome, Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix will look to shake up the mixed martial arts game with their Rousey vs. Carano event. The 11-fight card will be a showcase of the past, present, and future of the sport, and features a star-studded main card.
In the night’s headliner, women’s MMA legends and pioneers, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, will face off in a dream fight no one ever expected to happen. Also, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will be in action against one-time PFL Champion Philipe Lins, and fan-favorite brawlers Nate Diaz and Mike Perry face off in a welterweight clash.
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Ahead of Sarturday’s card, we offer up predictions for who will win the evening’s main card bouts.
Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne
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Junior dos Santos will go down as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in MMA history. However, he has a ton of wear-and-tear on his 42-year-old body. Especially his chin. While he has won back-to-back fights in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he has a tough matchup on Saturday against Cuban bronze medal winner Robelis Despaigne.
The taekwondo master has speed and length — which he uses well. It has been put on display during the new Karate Combat heavyweight champion’s seven-fight win streak. If this were 2016, the Brazilian gets the W. But he is nowhere close to that fighter and will have a long night against Despaigne.
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Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins
Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
At Rousey vs. Carano, former UFC heavyweight king Ngannou returns to the cage for just the second time since he left the MMA world leader four years ago. While the heavyweight division in MMA is pretty weak at the moment, MVP found “The Predator” a rock-solid opponent in Lins.
The former PFL star heads into the bout with a lot of confidence after winning four straight in the UFC. However, they all came at light heavyweight. Ngannou will have a massive size and power advantage. If “Monstro” can stick and move, he can make it interesting. However, he doesn’t have big power, and it feels like a matter of time before “The Predator” catches his prey.
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Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kenneth Cross
Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
Saturday’s Rousey vs. Carano main card brings an interesting battle of champions when KSW lightweight king Salahdine Parnasse faces Tuff-N-Uff 155-pound titlist Kenneth Cross. This bout could easily end up being the fight of the night because both are talented finishers.
Parnasse has 14 stoppages in 22 wins (7 knockouts and 7 submissions), while Cross has 13 finishes in 17 victories (6 knockouts and 7 subs). In the end, Parnasse comes from a better promotion where he faces stiffer competition. Look for him to get the decision nod this weekend.
Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry
Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
The fight most fans are looking forward to is the welterweight clash between popular brawlers Diaz and Perry. The former is one of the most popular fighters in UFC history. However, the age difference in this scrap can’t be overlooked.
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Diaz turned 41 last month and has the miles from 34 fights on his body and chin. Perry has had a good bit of brain trauma in his 22-fight career, but at 34, he is by far the better athlete, right now. Plus, he brings legit power in his hands and is feeling confident from his emergence as one of BKFC’s most popular talents.
Diaz is sure to get a lot of bets, but look for an upset split-decision win for Perry due after scoring a couple of knockdowns during the fight.
Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano
Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
No one expected a fight between Rousey and Carano to ever happen, and there are many who didn’t want it. But we are getting it on Netflix, and it is still a dream fight with historic relevance as two of the most important figures in the growth of women’s MMA face off.
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Both ladies are motivated and look in great shape — especially Carano. But this won’t be a showcase of elite athleticism with Rousey being 39 and Carano turning 44 last month. The big question is, can Rousey avoid taking some big shots to get her hands on Carano and throw her around?
Rousey is durable enough and the better athlete of the two right now. Furthermore, Carano has never come close to facing a grappler on the level of the silver medal-winning judoka. “Rowdy” should have learned from getting knocked out in her last two fights and be more cautious as she seeks out the takedown and makes Carano tap in Round 2.
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