UFC 230 Preview: Cormier v Lewis tops the bill in New York
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Daniel Cormier’s Heavyweight Championship bout with Derrick Lewis at Madison Square Garden is the headline fight from UFC 230 this weekend.
Can the champion successfully defend his title? Or will the no. 2 ranked Heavyweight take the crown? Their match-up is the main fight on our rundown of a packed Main Card from New York City.
Daniel Cormier v Derrick Lewis
It’s only been four months since Cormier successfully beat Stipe Miocic to seal the Heavyweight Championship to go alongside his Light Heavyweight title. DC won that despite conceding height and weight to the Croatian – a scenario similar to the one he finds himself in tonight.
He’s an excellent all-rounder and should have too much for Lewis, who had to come from behind to knockout Alexander Volkov for his ninth win in 10 fights last time. The ‘Black Beast’ is limited in his weaponry, but could take advantage if any injury to Cormier’s right-hand hasn’t fully recovered.
Cormier is the 1/8 favourite. Lewis is 11/2 to cause an upset, while it’s 9/1 he wins by Decision.
Chris Weidman v Ronaldo Souza
This is a middleweight bout plenty have wanted for years. And it’s one our traders think is evenly matched – Weidman is 4/7, with Souza further back at 29/20. Both fighters like to dominate on the ground, although Weidman boasts stronger stats where distance attacks are concerned.
That could be crucial, with the New Yorker looking to avoid a second straight defeat in his own city. Opponent Souza lost via split decision in his last fight. It’s even-money to go the distance once again this weekend.
David Branch v Jared Cannonier
This bout could end up being the fight of the night. Branch has been climbing up the middleweight rankings at a rate of knots, while Cannonier is dropping down to the weight after a pair of defeats at heavyweight and light-heavyweight level.
The Executive is unlikely to go toe-to-toe with an opponent who has taken the majority of wins by knockout. So Branch – who is also likely to boast superior stamina and much more experience – is probably going to look for a takedown. He’s 4/17 to win the fight and 20/21 not to go the distance.
Karl Roberson v Jack Marshman
British interest comes in the form of Marshman, who is 22-7 after defeat to Antonio Carlos Junior in Brazil last month. 13 of those wins have come via knockout, which has earned him the reputation as a bit of a bruiser or a brawler.
Roberson is also looking to get back on track after his first Octagon defeat to Cezar Ferreira at UFC 224 in May. The American is a much more technical fighter than Marshman, who is very much a front-foot man. Roberson will attempt to counter the Welshman, while also making use of kickboxing background.
The home fighter is 5/13 to win, against 2/1 for Marshman. We go 4/5 for Roberson to win via KO/TKO or Submission.
Derek Brunson v Israel Adesanya
This bout kicks-off the main card, and it’s fair to say there’s a degree of bad blood between the two fighters. The pair have already traded blows on social media, with Adesanya joking in a video that he’d be surprised if Brunson made it past the first round.
Both fighters boast contrasting styles. Brunson comes from a wrestling background, while Adesanya is 14-0 having entered UFC from a kickboxing background. Something has to give here, with the latter of the pair a 3/10 chance, against 13/5 for Brunson.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
