On this fifty-sixth edition of Before The Battle, your three regulars are back at it to close out the 2016 year. BloodyElbow.com’s Nick Baldwin, Sportnet.ca’s Go Paolo, and MMASucka.com’s Wesley Riddle discuss and give their predictions for UFC 207 taking place on Friday, December 30th from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main event will feature a clash between the current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, and the former champion of the division Ronda Rousey. Nunes captured the title by submitting the now-retired Miesha Tate at UFC 200 back in July, moving her 2015 and 2016 record to 4-0 with three first-round stoppages. Rousey is making her return since losing the championship to Holly Holm in November of 2015. Beforehand, she rode a 12-0 undefeated streak with 11 stoppages in the first round.
In the co-main event, current title holder Dominick Cruz, and challenger Cody Garbrandt will fight for the UFC bantamweight championship. Cruz recaptured the belt from TJ Dillashaw in the early part of 2016, and closed out his trilogy with Urijah Faber in dominate fashion. Garbrandt, a Team Alpha Male teammate of Faber, is looking to add another victory to his undefeated record of 10-0. Nine of his victories have come by way of knockout, along with seven ending in the first round.
Three more fights make up the main card, including a fight between former heavyweight champions Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez. Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw will face the heavy-handed John Lineker, while flyweights Louis Smolka and Ray Borg kick off the UFC 207 pay-per-view.
Time marks for each fight preview from Before The Battle can be found underneath the video.
Time Marks – Before The Battle: UFC 207
Early Preliminary Card – UFC Fight Pass (6:30PM ET, 3:30PM PT)
Brandon Thatch vs. Niko Price – 4:34
Alex Oliveira vs. Tim Means – 9:23
Preliminary Card – Fox Sports 1 (8:00PM ET, 5:00PM PT)
Mike Pyle vs. Alex Garcia – 15:17
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Marvin Vettori – 20:21
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Tarec Saffiedine – 26:56
Johny Hendricks vs. Neil Magny – 32:04
Main Card – PPV (10:00PM ET, 7:00PM PT)
Louis Smolka vs. Ray Borg – 39:34
TJ Dillashaw vs. John Lineker – 45:49
Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez – 51:25
Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt – 58:50
Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey – 1:08:14
“Fight of the Night” & “Performance of the Night” Predictions – 1:20:19
DraftKings Picks – 1:22:21
Closing Remarks – 1:25:25
Social Media
Nick Baldwin: @NickUFC
Go Paolo: @GoPaoloMMA
Wesley Riddle: @AllThatMMA
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