UFC Fight Night 142 - Adelaide Breakdown & Predictions
When is UFC Fight Night 142? Sunday 2nd December, 2018 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 142? Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia
What channel is UFC Fight Night 142 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 142? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
Junior dos Santos vs Tai Tuivasa
Two heavy fan-favourites headline the second UFC event that has been staged in Adelaide, with the Sydney slugger Tai Tuivasa hosting the former heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos. This should be a barnburner between two of the heaviest hitters in the division and for Tuivasa, it is the biggest fight of his career so far.
‘Bam Bam’ is unbeaten, finishing all but one of his fights via knockout so we know exactly what to expect from him. However, Dos Santos is one of the most fearsome strikers on the whole roster who combines power with supreme technical ability.
PREDICTION
Tuivasa’s grappling has been untested and that is likely to continue as ‘Cigano’ prefers to finish all his fights with his dangerous hands. If he decides to make this a grappling contest it is finely balanced but he will back the technique of his boxing along with mixing the odd high kick to disrupt the tempo of the Australian and inflict fight-ending damage.
However, if Dos Santos does not respect the explosiveness and athleticism of Tuivasa he will be in trouble. Considering the wars the Brazilian has been in and how fresh Tuivasa is, Dos Santos cannot afford to eat too many shots so his defence will be key. That said, Dos Santos has too much class to make any mistakes and although he has the power to shut the lights out with one shot, Bam Bam has the durability to take this to a decision.
Winner: Dos Santos via Decision
Mark Hunt vs Justin Willis
The Kiwi and thorough fan-favourite will make the short trip from Sydney to take on Justin Willis for the co-main event in Adelaide. Mark Hunt steps out for his 18th UFC fight and potentially his last. Although he has often come up short against monsters in the heavyweight division, he rarely has the fans rooting against him with his uncompromising style.
Willis makes only his 4th UFC appearance and will be well-aware of the threat and weaknesses of the veteran. Willis lost his first professional fight but has responded with seven straight wins and will be confident of adding ‘The Super Samoan’ to his record.
PREDICTION
We know Hunt will take his time and wait patiently to unleash his heavy artillery. He will look to walk into the pocket, back his chin and counter any attack with venomous power and if he does connect, it will be game over for Willis.
What Willis knows however, is that this is the sole weapon to defend against and he will have a game plan to combat the threat. He has obvious knockout power but training with the grappling beasts at AKA, he will be preparing to take Hunt down and keep him there for the duration of the fight. However, his natural urge to stand and trade could be his undoing.
Winner: Hunt via KO/TKO
Mauricio Rua vs Tyson Pedro
The legend Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua takes on home favourite Tyson Pedro. Pedro will have the crowd's support but Shogun has fans all over the world and considering their talents, this should be a lively encounter.
Shogun has fought the very best in the world for over 13 years, starting in his Pride days. He now ventures into Australia for his 18th UFC fight and will have the same intention of putting on a show in search of a blistering knockout.
Pedro is also earning fans with his character and exciting style that has seen him finish all of his seven wins. He came up short against Ilir Latifi and Ovince Saint Preux who are very high-calibre opponents but he has been given no restpite with this match-up against Shogun.
PREDICTION
Stylistically this is fascinating; out of their combined 32 wins, they have finished 28 of them. Shogun’s knockout prowess is well known but Pedro has never been knocked out. He is also a phenomenal grappler and extremely well versed on the ground but despite Shogun’s sole submission win which was 12 years ago, he is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
This fight could really go anywhere but it will start with a tense stand-up battle with both light heavyweights capable of an early knockout. Shogun is coming off a devastating knockout to Anthony Smith which may lure Pedro into a false sense of security. A finish is likely but which way it will go is tough to call.
Winner: Pedro via KO/TKO
Jake Matthews vs Tony Martin
Jake Matthews welcomes Tony Martin to Australia for UFC Fight Night 142. This is a fascinating match-up as they are so evenly-matched on paper. They have almost identical physical attributes as well as their records and interestingly they are both undefeated as welterweights.
They experienced mixed fortunes as lightweights mainly due to the fact they had to cut so much weight. Matthews especially so, as he wouldn’t look out of place in the middleweight division.
Now at a more comfortable weight, Matthews has won three in a row against tough opponents – Bojan Velickovic, Li Jingliang and Shinsho Anzai. Martin is coming off two wins upon his return to welterweigh with a decision over Keita Nakamura and a stunning knockout against Ryan LaFlare.
PREDICTION
They are both black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and utilise their power to control the grappling exchanges and search for submissions in which they have been very successful, with 15 submission wins between them. So, it would be compelling to see them battle it out on the mat.
However, when two fighters with very similar and high-level skillsets meet, we often see their skills cancel each other out. Expect to see a stand-up battle with the odd clinch which is where Matthews should have the edge – he is a better striker and should have the power advantage in the clinch to see him earn a decision at least.
Winner: Matthews via Decision
Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric.