Stipe Miocic seeks to defend the Heavyweight Championship against top-ranked contender Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT FIGHT: GILLIAN ROBERTSON VS. MIRANDA MAVERICK -- 10:36 PM ET
Miranda Maverick earned the biggest win of her career with a unanimous decision victory against Gillian Robertson.
The win should put Maverick (9-2) in UFC’s flyweight rankings by this Monday, and her performance was impressive. Stylistically, Robertson (9-4) posed a myriad of issues for Maverick on the ground. Maverick dealt with all kinds of adversity in the second round, so it was a surprise to learn that the judges ruled the round in Maverick’s favor. But Maverick found a way to overcome Robertson’s grappling in round three, dominating the final five minutes of the fight.
For the first time in her career, the 23-year-old Maverick will now be ranked among the top-15. While a considerable gap still exists between her and Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko, that can be said for every fighter in the division. Her progression will be worth watching, and there is a shot for her to enter the title picture by 2022.
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LIGHTWEIGHT FIGHT: KHAMA WORTHY VS. JAMIE MULLARKEY -- 10:21 PM ET
Jamie Mullarkey has his first win in the UFC.
Mullarkey (13-4) knocked out Khama Worthy just 46 seconds into the opening right. He set up Worthy (16-8) with a right hand, then dropped him with a vicious left.
Following two decision losses, this knockout win marks the biggest moment in Mullarkey’s career.
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A battle of heavyweights is the prize fight at UFC 260, as Stipe Miocic defends the Heavyweight Championship against top-ranked contender Francis Ngannou.
This is a rematch from UFC 220 in January of 2018, when Miocic (20-3) wore Ngannou (15-3) down in a thoroughly impressive showing. Ngannou was less effective as the fight extended and exhausted by the fifth round, all while Miocic executed a strong game plan en route to a unanimous decision victory. Tonight marks Ngannou’s shot at redemption, a chance to show he has evolved as a fighter and finally claim the heavyweight title.
Due to Alexander Volkanovski testing positive for COVID-19, his Featherweight Championship title defense against Brian Ortega is no longer part of the 260 card. That places a higher emphasis on the bout pitting Tyron Woodley against Vicente Luque. Once one of the UFC’s premier talents, Woodley (19-6-1) has dropped his last three bouts, and all signs point to this being his farewell fight in UFC. In order to leave with a win, he will have to overcome a dangerous opponent in Luque (19-7-1), who has won his past two fights.
Another must-win situation presents itself on the card, as “Sugar” Sean O’Malley looks to keep himself relevant in the bantamweight division. After losing his undefeated streak last August, O’Malley (12-1) needs a victory against Thomas Almeida to stay relevant in the division. Almeida (22-4) has dropped three in a row and four of his last five, so this is a bout that O’Malley cannot afford to drop.
Also on the card is Gillian Robertson in a flyweight bout against Miranda Maverick. Both women possess the skill to become stars in the division, further raising the stakes in this encounter. It is a true clash of styles, as Robertson (9-5) will use her jiu-jitsu against Maverick (8-2), who is an elite striker. And the card opener is Khama Worthy against Jamie Mullarkey in a lightweight bout. Worthy (16-7) is coming off a loss, but he had won his prior seven fights. Mullarkey (12-4) is coming off back-to-back defeats and desperately needs this win.
UFC 260 is a solid-but-not-spectacular card, with all eyes on the heavyweights.
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