On Sunday morning Beijing time, the highly anticipated and globally anticipated UFC264 will be held at the T-Mobile Stadium in Las Vegas, one of the long-lost meccas of contemporary sports. Although there is no championship battle, this edition of the event has unsurprisingly become the most concerned and influential super digital competition in recent years, because on this day, the undisputed number one superstar in the history of the UFC, an important promoter of the prosperity of the MMA movement, the "Proud Son of Heaven", "Legend of the Industry", "Pride of the Irishman" who has created countless unprecedented achievements in the octagon cage, and created one box office myth after another - Connor McGregor will be in the headline main game of the evening. The most critical and thrilling key battle in his career.
If the "mouth cannon" was crazy to call the "king" and cross-level challenge to Avarez' amazing move, which determined whether a magnificent myth could really be born, then today, in the face of the "diamond", it determines whether this unprecedented great legend will end.
Mains Race 1 Werderweight
Sean O'Malley vs. Chris Moutinho
If the championship can be chosen by the audience, the young "honey" O'Malley is likely to have already taken the throne of the chickweight. From the day he entered the octagon, this well-behaved and well-behaved spiritual boy has become the most anticipated future star in the chickweight with his excellent physical fitness and super blow talent, but after a few years have passed, except for a few amazing KO endings, he has not made any substantial progress on his way to winning the championship.
Although "Honey" stabilized his position by beating his predecessor nova Almeida after losing to Malone Villa due to an unexpected leg injury, the fact that the winning content is not high is still a problem that he cannot avoid at present. Therefore, for O'Malley, what is most needed now is not to continue to perform beautiful KO on the playing field, but to use high ranking, high-profile big-name opponents to prove his true strength, even if he does not want to meet the top wrestling master too early, there are still enough standing strongmen for him to choose.
O'Malley's original opponent in this game was Luis Smoka, who defeated China's famous Sumudalji in Beijing, a powerful player who has played in the octagon cage for many years, although his reputation is not obvious and the ranking is not high, but his rich experience and excellent record are enough to make him a touchstone for testing the rising potential of "honey".
However, Smocca retired due to illness before the game, but pushed O'Malley to a slightly embarrassing situation again, the octagonal cage new Ding Moutinho who came off the bench, although the record is acceptable, but the personal reputation and strength are slightly inferior, in the face of such an opponent, the only thing "Honey" can do is to try its best to stage a gorgeous ending.
Mains Race 2 Women's Chickweight
Erin Aldana (#4) VS. Yana Kunitskaya (#5)
33-year-old Mexico's Erin Aldana, entered the octagon cage in 2016 with an outstanding record of 7 wins and 2 losses and a 100% end rate, and after several ups and downs, played a 4-3 octagon cage record, finally at the UFC 245 in 2019, the first leg OF KO star Caitren Vieira, while becoming famous in one fell swoop, also successfully ranked among the top five in the level, becoming a "new force" that is expected to threaten the rule of the "lioness" in the future.
However, on the night of the fight last October, the highly anticipated Ardana was completely suppressed and hung by her predecessors who were also standing in the competition against former champion Holly Holm, exposing the gap between herself and the champion. In this game, she has just suffered a fiasco, and she needs to show good competitive status and enough progress to ensure that she continues to stay in the championship queue.
The situation is just the opposite for Yana Kunitskaya, the 31-year-old Russian player, who entered the UFC as the Invicta champion in 2018 and was given the opportunity to directly challenge the women's featherweight throne, although she was finally terminated by the first leg of the then champion "Mechanical Woman", she was then relegated to the chickweight class and played an excellent record of 4 wins and 1 loss, and now in two consecutive wins, Yana has successfully ranked in the top five, if she can win this game, she has won three consecutive victories. It is likely to be the next champion challenger.
Race 3 Heavyweight
Ty Tuiza vs. Greg Hardy
Two heavyweight "new forces" who were once highly anticipated and suffered several setbacks met narrowly in this game. The 28-year-old Australian player Tai Tuvasa, because of his size, style and ethnic origin, was regarded by the audience as the successor of "Legendary Heavy Gunner" and "Super Samoa" Mark Hunt.
After entering the octagon, his three consecutive wins also made his ranking rise to the top ten at one point, becoming one of the most anticipated new stars in the heavyweight category. However, on the night of the fight in December 2018, the "Rising Star" suffered an unprecedented blow, facing the former champion "Xiaoju" Dos Santos, whose physical function had declined significantly. Tuvasa, who believes that he has "the chance to win", is blindly optimistic and takes the enemy lightly, and as a result, he is KO on the spot by the "Brazilian Boxing God" who is still skilled and skilled, and suffers the first defeat of his career.
After this battle, the confidence-shaken "Tai Fat" was defeated by the wrestling opponent twice in a row, once falling to the bottom of his life, until the last year, he returned strongly with two first-leg KO victories and returned to the public eye, and this game will determine whether he can once again rank in the top fifteen after two years.
Greg Hardy, 32, is also facing his own crucial battle. The former rugby star, nicknamed "Prince of War", has attracted strong attention from all sides since he entered the octagon cage in January 2019, and many people hope to see him play a famous role in the MMA arena with extraordinary physical qualities like Brock Lesner, who crossed over from WWE that year.
However, in the end, it turns out that in the top competition, the lack of fighting talent is difficult to compensate for with physical advantages. Although he had won four games in the octagonal cage, his rough technique, poor physical strength and unfamiliarity with the rules also gave him a bitter fruit of 3-1 invalidity.
After being defeated by the powerful Master Masin Dibra TKO in the last game, many spectators have lost patience with Hardy's fighting career, and if he can't change his layman's performance in this game, his UFC road is likely to come to an end.
United Main Division Welterweight
Gilbert Burns (#2) vs. Stephen Thompson (#4)
Although Gilbert Burns is ranked higher, has a better record in recent years, and has just challenged the title, most senior spectators are still more optimistic about the other side of the game. Because as the uncrowned king of the second middle and the representative of the peak of the karate system today, Stephen Thompson is enough to restrain the opponent who is in the limelight in terms of both technical style and competition experience.
Although KO Maya showed Burns's excellent strike skills, suppressed Woodley, and showed his excellent ground control ability, these advantages may no longer exist against Thompson, who has top-notch distance control and extraordinary mobile strike ability. Because throughout the sub-middleweight, no one has really cracked the "magical" artillery tactics so far.
Even Woodley and Teal, who had once judged to have defeated Thompson, only achieved a limited advantage in the scene through their respective technical characteristics, and pettis, the only "flying kick" who had KO "magical", was even more suppressed in the case of being completely suppressed, relying on the "favor of fate", to play that "earth-shattering counterattack". Because of this, Thompson is still regarded by the outside world as one of the masters who may threaten Usman's insoluble rule, and this game is the key battle for his return to the championship field.
Of course, the advantage in technical style does not mean that Thompson can really sit back and relax. Although he has won the last two games, as he grows older, whether the "Amazing Master", who is now 38 years old, can still maintain the movement and reaction speed at his peak may only be known after playing. The karate system's unique "dancing on the tip of the knife" play, once it loses the support of the speed advantage, it is likely to become a "fatal attack" with no return.
Headlines Main Race Lightweight
Dustin Powell (#1) VS. Connor McGregor (#5)
As a superstar whose influence has broken through the field of martial arts and the promotion of MMA sports, the personal achievements and historical achievements of "Mouth Cannon" Connor have not yet been surpassed or even approached by any player. When Hollywood star Tom Hardy said that he had borrowed Connor's style of words and deeds in film and television performances, rapist Amy Nam added the competition element of the mouth cannon to his personal MV, and more and more outsiders began to imitate the crazy pace of the mouth cannon, we must admit: whether you like it or not, the legendary story of Connor McGregor and himself has become a figurative symbol, beyond the fighting arena, and has become part of world culture.
The advantage of becoming a cultural symbol is that even if the Lord withdraws from the stage of history in the future, his reputation and image will still exist in the collective memory of mankind. However, Connor's problem is that although he has created extraordinary achievements, he has obviously not planned to retire from the stage of history this month, and in his mind, cross-border boxing, regain the championship belt, and re-innovate the glory, one goal after another, is still waiting for him to achieve, and between the ideal and reality is the guy named Dustin Povarier.
Although the two sides have played each other twice, if we look at it from another angle, we can also say that Connor and Diamond have never really played each other so far. Seven years ago, when the arrogant and powerful diamond in his heart encountered a spirited and crazy mouth cannon, he misjudged the situation of the game, and it was not until the first leg was knocked down that he truly realized the precision and coldness hidden under the appearance of the opponent's fanaticism.
A year ago, when the mouth cannon of "being in the octagon cage and caring for Pacquiao" wanted to use his superb boxing skills and opening strong attack to lightly win the defeated generals of the past, and use a big victory to create momentum for his next grand blueprint, he unconsciously deviated from his own heart and advantages and achieved the "sweet revenge" of his opponents; and now, the two who have won each other's respect will decide the final victory and defeat in this game.
Although everyone hopes to see Connor's legendary story continue, for the results of this game, most viewers and industry insiders are still more optimistic about the diamonds that are in good shape and are not what they used to be, including "Kitty" and many players believe that if the mouth cannon cannot end the diamond in the opening stage, the process and result of this game should be the same as the last fight, and the sharp and tenacious diamonds are absolutely capable of ending Connor again in the protracted battle.
However, this relatively objective view ignores a key fact, that is, Connor is not a particularly good offensive player. In other words, Connor's real advantage and killing move is neither the left-handed heavy punch and KO talent he advocates himself, nor the chicken soup golden phrase "timing overcomes speed, precision overcomes strength", but his unique distance change and rhythm control ability.
Looking back at the career of the mouth cannon, we will find that in his best performance, the mouth cannon almost never changes the opponent head-on and roughly, but uses strange pace and rhythm changes to constantly change the distance and angle of the two sides, pulling the game into a state of "only allowing him to hit people, not allowing people to hit him", and when the opponent is repeatedly hollowed out and counterattacked, he will gradually fall into impatience, anger and fear, and finally usher in the efficient harvest of the mouth cannon in the case of physical and mental trauma; and when he is careless When trying to force a victory with an unreasonable frontal attack, the results are often not so good, such as the first time against Nate Diaz, and the second time against diamonds...
Therefore, if Connor wants to win this victory and return to the altar, what he needs to do is not necessarily to end his opponent in the first few rounds, but as Bruce Lee, the pioneer of the MMA movement, said, he transforms into invisible, powerless water, waiting for the moment of victory in infinite change... It's hard to do, of course, but it's by no means impossible for Connor.