UFC 247 - Houston Breakdown & Predictions

When is UFC 247? Sunday 8th February, 2020 - 01:00 start (UK)

Where is UFC 247? Toyota, Houston, Texas

What channel is UFC 247 on? BT Sport 1

Where can I stream UFC 247? 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 247? https://www.ufc.com/tickets

Jon Jones vs Dominick Reyes

The greatest light heavyweight of all time steps out in Houston for his 15th title fight. His next challenger - the surging and unbeaten, Dominick Reyes.

There is a lot of talk about Jon Jones’ supposed decline in form. However, he is still beating the best of the best and has never looked in great trouble. To continue defending a belt against young savage after savage is the hardest feat in MMA and nobody has come close to dethroning him. It seems the only fighter that can beat Jones is himself as he is always in touch with controversy. After his knockout win against Daniel Cormier was overturned after failing a drugs test, he has gone on to beat Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. He now welcomes the next young beast in line – Reyes.

Reyes is unbeaten and one of the best natural athletes in the division. The former defensive back has quickly risen to the top of the division in just six UFC fights. After three finishes he met the experienced gatekeeper Ovince Saint Preux and won a unanimous decision but knocked him out on the bell proving he is a real threat in the division. Then, after another decision over Volkan Oezdemir and a dispatching of the former middleweight champion Chris Weidman, Reyes earned his shot at gold.

PREDICTION

Reyes is confident he is the man to finally topple the champion and he will look to do so on the feet but how will he negate that reach of Jones? Jones has the joint-longest reach in the UFC and he uses it masterfully. Reyes is going to have to be ultra-aggressive and use his footwork to set up his power left hand and high kick which can easily catch Jones from the southpaw position, but he can’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

Reyes has proven he can grapple with the best but Jones will willingly clinch to tie Reyes up and unleash sharp elbows and dirty boxing. Reyes needs to avoid this and try and pierce through the defence of Jones from a distance. Reyes will be the heavy underdog, but he has nothing to lose and fights like a veteran. He has a great chance of becoming the champion, but Jones is motivated and proven to be a different class time and time again on the big stage. If he can get his hands on Reyes he can pile on the damage like he did to Glover Teixeira and even find a submission late on.

Winner: Jones via Submission

Valentina Shevchenko vs Katlyn Chookagian

The first championship fight of the night takes place between flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko and Katlyn Chookagian.

Shevchenko is up there with Amanda Nunes as one of the best female fighters ever and is in a league of her own in the flyweight division. After battling it out with bantamweights and only (narrowly) losing to Nunes she, has eased her way to 4-0 at flyweight making two defences of her crown. After earning a decision over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she went on to clean Jessica Eye’s clock with a merciless head kick and is coming off a dominant decision over Liz Carmouche.

Worthy challengers are in short supply but Chookagian has earned her shot after two decision wins over Joanne Calderwood and Jennifer Maia. This was after losing a very tight decision to Jessica Eye which snapped a three-fight winning streak.

PREDICTION

Chookagian is a very skilled fighter and continues to improve. She is a strong grappler and brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but has got her work done on the feet. She is a quality striker but lacks knockout power - with all her wins in the UFC coming via decision.

However, Shevchenko is simply better everywhere. She has immaculate technique on the feet and on the ground and despite the height and reach advantage, she is more powerful than Chookagian. Shevchenko is expected to control the fight and is capable of a finish wherever she decides to take it.

Winner: Shevchenko via KO/TKO

Juan Adams vs Justin Tafa

Two rotund sluggers set up the main events in Houston with Juan Adams taking on Justin Tafa - both fighters looking to bounce back from losses.

After going 5-0, Adams is on a two-fight skid and desperate to get back to winning ways. He won his UFC debut with his fifth knockout, finishing Chris de la Rocha in the third round round, but is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Arjan Bhullar and a quick knockout courtesy of Greg Hardy.

The heavy-hitting Aussie won his first three fights by dusting Dylan Tiaaleaiga, Jeremy Joiner and David Taumoepeau for the XFC promotion. However, he experienced the step-up in competition of the UFC in the most violent way possible, suffering a hellacious knockout against Yorgan De Castro.

PREDICTION

It will be interesting to see how Tafa looks after that brutal knockout. He is tough but the punch from De Castro could have put anyone away. If he arrives to Houston confident and aggressive like usual, he has the power to put Adams to sleep with one punch.

However, he needs to be calculated as Adams also has knockout power and a significant seven-inch reach advantage. He is expected to use his wrestling to get the fight to safety, especially coming off two losses. If he is successful, expect an onslaught on the ground but he has to avoid the bombs from Tafa first.

Winner: Adams via KO/TKO

Mirsad Bektic vs Dan Ige

Two up and coming featherweights provide a great match-up in Houston as Mirsad Bektic takes on Dan Ige.

Bektic suffered the first loss of his career in 2017 against Darren Elkins but he was cruising before getting caught and finished late in the third round. The Bosnian bounced back with two good wins – a TKO over Godofredo Pepey and a split decision over Ricardo Lamas but he is coming off his second TKO loss which was to Josh Emmett.

Ige also only has two losses on his record and after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Julio Arce back in 2018, Ige has re-surged with four wins on the bounce. He finished Mike Santiago before earning a unanimous decision over Jordan Griffin and then went on to submit Danny Henry and earn another decision over Kevin Aguillar.

PREDICTION

This fight promises to be as close as the fights suggest. They are very evenly matched and extremely well-rounded. Their skills could cancel each other out to create a scrappy decision and if Bektic can enforce his will on Ige with his grappling he can avoid enough damage to take home the win.

Winner: Bektic via Decision

Derrick Lewis vs Ilir Latifi

The main card for UFC 247 starts with a bang as Houston’s adopted son Derrick Lewis welcomes Ilir Latifi to the heavyweight division.

Lewis’ form has been inconsistent, but he consistently delivers knockouts. After stealing Alexander Volkov’s win with a huge late knockout, Lewis suffered two losses albeit to two former champions. He got dominated and eventually submitted by Daniel Cormier in a title fight and got finished by Junior dos Santos. He was then handed another tough match-up in the form of Blagoy Ivanov and just about squeaked out a decision victory to get back in the win column.

Lafiti has also struggled for consistency. He has all the tools but does not always show up, with his cardio often letting him down. After earning a decision over Tyson Pedro and pulling off a phenomenal performance and guillotine over Ovince Saint Preux he has suffered two losses. A decision to Corey Anderson and a knockout at the hands of Volkan Oezdemir, which has led him to trying his hand in the heavyweight division.

PREDICTION

At heavyweight, Latifi is going to be even more explosive. He has thunderous power but as he is up against a knockout artist with a five and a half inch reach advantage, he would be wise to call upon his grappling.

Latifi is an incredibly strong grappler and even represented Sweden in submission wrestling so he has to try and tie Lewis up and negate his strengths. This is not an easy assignment for Lewis, and his motivation will have to be high for this one, but fighting in Houston should bring out the best in him.

Winner: Lewis via KO/TKO

Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric.