UFC Fight Night 166 - North Carolina Breakdown & Predictions
When is UFC Fight Night 166? Saturday 25th January, 2020 - 23:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 166? PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
What channel is UFC Fight Night 166 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 166? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ which can you sign up to here!
Are tickets still available for UFC Fight Night 166? https://www.ufc.com/tickets
Curtis Blaydes vs Junior dos Santos
Two of the best heavyweights on the roster square-off in Raleigh, North Carolina as Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos look to push towards the front of the queue for Stipe Miocic’s strap.
After eating a second Francis Ngannou sledgehammer and the second loss of his career, Blaydes has got his appetite back and eyes up a title shot. After that second setback to Ngannou in 2018, Blaydes bounced back in a grudge match with Justin Willis, wrestling him into a unanimous decision and he is coming off another dominating display. This time, mauling Shamil Abdurakhimov and finishing him via TKO.
Dos Santos was unfortunately on the same menu as Blaydes in his last outing, experiencing the devastating power of Ngannou. This TKO loss snapped an impressive three-fight winning streak – a decision over Blagoy Ivanov and knockouts over fellow heavy hitters, Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis. After an infection in his leg forced him to withdraw from a fight with Alexander Volkov and a cameo on Brazil’s equivalent of ‘Dancing With The stars’, twinkle-toes looks to get back to his bread and butter in knocking people out.
PREDICTION
This will all come down to the takedown defence of Dos Santos. Their game plans will be predictable and that will be for the Brazilian to hunt the knockout on the feet and for Blaydes to relentlessly pursue the takedown in order to dish out his brutal ground-and-pound.
As you can see from the stats, Blaydes is very successful in getting his opponents down. The Brazilian has exceptional takedown defence but is unlikely to avoid Blaydes’ grasp for the entirety of the fight. However, one of the best technical boxers in the division needs just the slightest of openings to change the course of the fight.
Winner: Dos Santos via KO/TKO
Rafael dos Anjos vs Michael Chiesa
Michael Chiesa looks to make it three from three at welterweight but has a big step-up in competition in the form of Rafael dos Anjos.
The former lightweight champion has had mixed fortunes since he made the move up himself to welterweight but Dos Anjos has stepped in the path of monsters. He is one of many to suffer decision losses to Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman but bounced back with a brilliant submission win over Kevin Lee. However, the Brazilian is coming off another decision loss, this time to Leon Edwards.
Chiesa really struggled with the weight cut to 155 lbs and after getting submitted by Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis, he decided to make the jump to 170 lbs which is clearly the right division for him. He submitted Carlos Condit and then dominated Diego Sanchez in a decision but this will be a true test of his potential against the classy veteran.
PREDICTION
Chiesa’s strengths undeniably lie in his grappling. He has the ability to out-wrestle Dos Anjos but the Brazilian is too skilled on the mat to receive too much damage. Dos Anjos has elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu but Chiesa may try and keep him on the ground to grind out a decision.
If Dos Anjos can leverage his ground skills to force the stand-up battle, you have to back him despite the five and a half reach disadvantage. He is the superior striker but has not finished anyone on the feet since 2015 so a decision is more likely.
Winner: Dos Anjos via Decision
Arnold Allen vs Nik Lentz
Arnold Allen and Nik Lentz have been paired up less than two weeks out of UFC Fight Night 166 as both their opponents pulled out of their fights.
Josh Emmett was the man lined up for Allen which would have been the biggest fight of his career. Emmett is on the rise and a top 10 ranked opponent, so it is a shame Allen has been deprived of this bout but equally grateful that a tough veteran is available as he hopes to extend his impressive eight-fight winning streak.
Lentz was originally scheduled to fight Nad Narimani which would have been a great scrap as well, but this is a better fight with more to gain. Lentz is also coming off a loss in his trilogy fight with Charles Oliveira and desperate to get back to winning ways.
PREDICTION
Despite the last-minute pairing, this should be a very competitive scrap. Allen has rapidly evolved into an incredibly well-rounded fighter and under the tutelage of the coaches at Tristar, we should expect him to arrive an even better version of himself.
Lentz has had 23 UFC fights and will use all of that experience to subdue Allen. He will look to leverage his wrestling to tie up the young Brit and wear him down and grind out the win. However, Allen is a very strong grappler himself and no doubt will be prepared for the takedown attempts of Lentz. His stand-up also gets more threatening with every fight and he should have the tools to pick up his seventh UFC win.
Winner: Allen via Decision
Jordan Espinosa vs Alex Perez
The flyweight division is still standing as Jordan Espinosa and Alex Perez look to show off their talents at UFC Fight Night 166.
After four wins, two of them on Dana White’s Contender Series, Espinosa earned his UFC debut and got off to a great start by earning a unanimous decision over Eric Shelton. However, Espinosa got his five-fight winning streak snapped by Matt Schnell in his last fight back in August.
Perez was riding his own super impressive eight-fight winning streak which included three UFC fights and also a unanimous decision over Eric Shelton. After that win, he knocked out Jose Torres but then met one of the best flyweights of all time in Joseph Benavidez and got finished in the first round. However, he bounced back in his last outing with another decision over Mark De La Rosa.
PREDICTION
This should be a very fast-paced scrap and is likely to have a mix of everything as they are so well-rounded. Perez edges most of the stats and although this is destined to be a close contest, Perez’ output should clinch the rounds mixing in takedowns, clinches and a consistent high output of strikes.
Winner: Perez via Decision
Hannah Cifers vs Angela Hill
The ever-game Angela Hill has stepped up to fight Hannah Cifers after Brianna Van Buren had to pull out of the fight.
Cifers is an exciting prospect, but she met one of the biggest prospects in the UFC on her debut. Maycee Barber has been wrecking through her opponents and was at strawweight at the time, so it was a real baptism of fire for Cifers. However, she has bounced back displaying all her heart and character beating Polyana Viana and Jodie Esquibel - even fighting with a broken arm against Viana.
Hill is a UFC veteran now and will arguably be a tougher match-up for Cifers. She has had mixed fortunes in the UFC going 4-5 but that experience at the top level is valuable. She has also earned a decision over Esquibel but then lost a decision to Yan Xiaonan before a brilliant TKO over Ariane Carnelossi.
PREDICTION
Hill will have the height and reach advantage which she will look to utilize with her striking, keeping Cifers at a distance with an array of jabs and kicks. Cifers will throw back at any opportunity and look to press forward to get in the pocket to offload on Hill.
They both have very high outputs which will create a thrilling contest and the incredible toughness and durability of Cifers should allow her to close the distance and overwhelm Hill to pick up another hard-fought win.
Winner: Cifers via Decision
Jamahal Hill vs Darko Stosic
Jamahal Hill heads to North Carolina for his UFC debut but has one hell of a tough assignment in the form of Darko Stosic.
Hill has only had six professional fights but looks like an exciting talent. He won his first four fights for the Knockout Promotions and then finished William Vincent for the Lights Out Championship which earned him a chance on Dana White’s Contender Series. Here, he made a statement by knocking out Alexander Poppeck and earning a UFC contract.
Stosic is a huge step-up in competition and even though the experienced Serbian is coming off two losses, he is extremely dangerous everywhere. Devin Clark and Kennedy Nzechukwu stifled his progress with decisions but the fight with Nzechukwu could have gone either way. Now, Stosic is out for redemption and wants to get back in the winning column.
PREDICTION
Hill has a significant height and reach advantage and will always be a threat with his knockout power. However, Stosic is used to giving up a reach advantage and will use his explosiveness to step in range and unleash his menacing power.
When two talented strikers with knockout power clash, either man can fall but the difference here will be Stosic’s experience and crucially his grappling. He has a strong judo base and he has the ability to throw Hill to the mat and potentially get the finish with ground-and-pound.