SPORTS ARE BACK! Get Ready for UFC 249 with Stitty Wap Sports

LFG!! A big shout out to the MMA gods and Uncle Dana for making this absolute hell a little more tolerable. Starting this Saturday, May 9th we have live UFC action from Jacksonville, FL. And not only do we have live UFC action, this card is insanely loaded. The Main Event has fight of the year written all over and has about as much chance to go all 25 as I do to replace Aaron Rodgers as the starting QB (actually I take that back, GB might do some crazy shit like that). Regardless, you are not going to want to miss this one, whether you buy the PPV or find a free stream ;). I will highlight some of the best fights on the card and give you a brief overview so you know who the hell these fighters are. Enjoy and remember #RideWithStittyWap.

UFC 249 odds

Tony Ferguson (-190) vs. Justin Gaethje (+160)

Henry Cejudo (-240) vs. Dominick Cruz (+200)

Francis Ngannou (-270) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (+230)

Calvin Kattar (-245) vs. Jeremy Stephens (+205)

Anthony Pettis (-130) vs. Donald Cerrone (+110)

Greg Hardy (-180) vs. Yorgan De Castro (+160)

Fabricio Werdum (-310) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (+255)

Carla Esparza (-145) vs. Michelle Waterson (+125)

Jacare Souza (-125) vs. Uriah Hall (+105)

Vicente Luque (-265) vs. Niko Price (+225)

Bryce Mitchell (-175) vs. Charles Rosa (+155)

Ryan Spann (-380) vs. Sam Alvey (+300) 

(via CBSSports)

MAIN CARD (Overview/Fighter Profile/Prediction) #RideWithStittywap

Men's Lightweight Interim Title Fight/Main Event (155)

#1: Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson, (25-3 MMA, 16-1 UFC), (Favorite)

#4: Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), (Underdog)

While this is an "interim title fight" (Current Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov is on Ramadan and out until September) there is nothing secondary about this fight. Besides Khabib (28-0) and Tony (#1, 12-fight win streak, longest in UFC) has been scheduled and cancelled 5 times, 5 TIMES! So considering that fight might never happen, you couldn't ask for a better fight to come back to.

Tony Ferguson: Not only does Tony have the longest current win streak (12), he also is one of the most entertaining fighters, inside and outside of the cage (he came dressed like a hit-man with biker gloves and a baseball to his last press conference). The guy built a gym on top of Big Bear Mountain complete with wooden dummies to practice his Wing Chun on. This out-of-the-box training has made Tony on the hardest guys to figure out in the cage, between his awkward movement, spinning combos, and crazy heart/cardio. Tony likes to get in your face, eat your best shots, and break you mentally/physically. Even when Tony gets caught with big shots he has a knack for (literally) rolling out of trouble. That's not to even mention his ridiculous submission skills after slicing his opponents up with elbows. Either way the fight goes you can always count on a lot of blood and a lot of crazy shit whenever "El Cucuy" straps on the 4 oz gloves.

Justin Gaethje: Love him or hate him (I very much hate him) "The Highlight" has been one of the most exciting fighters the UFC has ever seen (all 6 UFC fights have won Fight of the Night). It's pretty feast or famine for him, all 4 of his wins have come via TKO/KO and his 2 losses have come via TKO/KO. His game plan is very simple, he is going to come forward chop your leg off with leg kicks and look to put you on Mars with an overhand right. The guy is a bit of a wet towel so he hasn't hit with the casuals fans the way he could, but please take time to watch his highlights (no pun intended). If you area fan of violence you picked the right fight.

BET/PREDICTION (Ferguson, Under)

This is one of the hardest fights to predict. With the current Corona pandemic how much has Gaethje been training? Tony has been preparing for 4 months combined with an already superior gas tank. Don't get me wrong, Gaethje can tear up Tony's leg and put him away with a big right hand (Tony gets dropped A LOT), BUT, Tony has shown the ability to recover and drown his opponents in the 3/4th rounds. Gaehtje would rather get KO'd/submitted than lose a decision which is why I'd almost bet my life it doesn't go the full 25 minutes. I see Tony gassing Justin out and submitting him in the 3rd. Ferguson by Submission.

Men's Bantamweight Title Fight/Co-Main Event (135)

C: Henry "The Messenger" Cejudo, (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC), (Favorite)

#4: Dominick "The Dominator" Cruz, (22-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC), (Underdog)

There's so packed into this fight and how it came about so I'll try to sum it up as simple as possible. Due to the Coronavirus (probably the only good thing to come out of it) Jose Aldo (one of the greatest 145/Featherweights of all-time) had to drop out of the fight. Jose was coming off a loss in his 1st fight at Bantamweight/135 to #1 Marlon Moraes (albeit it was a horrible decision) but a fight not too many people were excited for. We were waiting for Dominick Cruz's (Greatest Bantamweight champ of all-time) return since his 1st UFC loss back 2017 due to injury and what a more perfect fight for him. Cejudo has already defeated 1 GOAT in Demetrious Johnson (Flyweight/125), TJ Dillashaw (arguably right up there with Cruz at 135), and then moved up to take out the #1 contender Marlon Moraes to win the 135 lb belt. Can Cejudo take out a second GOAT or can Cruz once again win the belt after a 3-year layoff.

Dominick Cruz:

Once again considered the Greatest Bantamweight of all-time. He has a really annoying style to watch, he continuously moves, throws loopy punches, and overall is just super awkward in his movement and footwork. But, not only is he annoying to watch, his is extremely annoying to fight. His style frustrates opponents and makes them fight very emotionally (that and he is an absolute troll). He is the Floyd Mayweather of MMA, he has mastered the ability to land without being landing on for the entire duration of the fight. He might not be super entertaining to watch but his style is so hard to prepare for and obviously produces results. Cejudo will not doubt get Cruz down but Cruz has very slippery grappling and is extremely hard to take down, don't sleep on Cruz in this fight.

Henry Cejudo:

What else can you say about Triple C (Olympic Wrestling Gold Medalist, 125 lb champ, 135 lb champ) the guy has rocked the world with his shocking victories and intentionally bad trash talk. Obviously, his bread and butter is his Olympic-level wrestling and toughness but he has gotten better and better in the stand-up department, in fact he took out two elite strikers in Moraes and Dillashaw. If Cejudo can stay away from the game Cruz plays and control him on the ground, Cejudo can really dominate the fight.

PREDICTION/BET (Cruz, Decision)

I really torn on this fight. I don't like either one of these guys, in fact I can't stand either of them. That being said, these are two elite of the elite and one of the best match-ups in Bantamweight history. I normally don't love the guy coming off a long lay-off but Cruz has proved through his injury-plagued career that it doesn't really matter. Cejudo obviously has the wrestling advantage but Cruz has such a great ability to escape and is a master on the feet. Cruz will draw you in, touch you, and then move out of range. I think he will be able to land just enough and stay away from engagement to squeak out a close win. Cruz by Split Decision.

STITTY WAP FIGHT OF THE NIGHT

Vicente Luque (-265) vs. Niko Price (+225) (Welterweight 170)

How do I even choose a fight here? There are so many great fights on paper, including the two title fights. But if there is one fight I would choose to make someone a fan of the sport, this is the one that sticks out the most. Both of these guys are absolute savages and rarely ever have a boring fight.

BET/PREDICTION I really wanted to put the Main Event here but that would be boring and I have much more integrity than that. This fight should be absolute war between two of the most entertaining strikers in the UFC. Niko Price has yet to see the final bell in the UFC and 3 of his last 5 have been FOTN winners. Vicente has been on a tear at 170 (Welterweight) and has won FOTN bonuses in 3 of his last 4 and a previous win over Price. So needless to say these guys like to throw down and love to put on a show, ultimately I like Luque by TKO but there will be no losers in this one, especially not the fans.

STITTY WAP LOCK OF THE NIGHT (Ngannou)

Francis Ngannou (-270) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (+230) (Heavyweight, 206+)

I highly considered taking Jacare over Uriah Hall but Hall has shown an ability to pull last minute wins out of his ass so I would hate to pick against him. Instead, I am rolling with "The Predator".

BET/PREDICTION

Ngannou is, without doubt, the scariest human being to ever participate in a sport filled with terrifying humans. That hasn't been anyone with the type of power Francis has, just take a look at these brutal decapitations. Rozenstruik was pretty outmatched and outclassed in his last fight against Alistair Overeem (the fighter on the link thumbnail) before landing a last second KO punch. Don't get me wrong, being undefeated at HW is a huge feather in the cap. But unless you can take Francis down it is only a matter of time before he lands and lands big. I think this is too big of a step up for Jairzinho and ultimately I like Ngannou by TKO/KO.

STITTY WAP UPSET OF THE NIGHT

Greg Hardy (-180) vs. Yorgan De Castro (+160) (Heavyweight 206+)

BET/PREDICTION

I like De Castro to pull off the upset of the night to kick-off the main card. While many people will bet against Hardy for his domestic violence history, I really haven't been impressed with his skills in the Octagon. To say he has been given cans thus far in his career is like saying the sky is blue. Hardy looks very stiff in his movement and strikes while not having much of a gas tank to speak of. Hardy is the big name here but I am not really sold on his talent at this point especially not for being as big of a favorite as he is.

De Castro by Decision.

STITTY WAP HONORABLE MENTIONS

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis (-130) vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (+110) (170, Welterweight)

Loser of this fight to Bellator. But in all seriousness, what a difference a few years will make. At one point, this were two of the biggest names not only at Lightweight (155) but in the entire UFC. Fast forward a few years and both guys have really hit a major rough patch. I do love this fight being at 170 as there is not much of a reason for either guy to cut to 55 at this point in their careers. All that being said, I can't wait for this fight. If you're a casual fan, there is a reason you know both of these names. These guys are willing to fight anyone anywhere at anytime and bring the fight every time out. Showtime got the best of the first fight via a TKO with a nasty body kick. I see Pettis really pressing the action mixing up his strikes and catching Cowboy with a big right to end the fight in the 1st. Pettis by TKO.