Who will win the UFC 230 main event between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis?
Sean Covington, MMATorch Contributor
I think Derrick Lewis is going to try to implement a different game plan and be taken down at will by Daniel Cormier. I didn’t agree with this fight from the moment it was booked and I still don’t. It makes more sense to keep the belt on Cormier and give Stipe Miocic a rematch down the line. Then they could let Derrick Lewis fight Brock Lesnar to set up Lesnar-Cormier.
Chris Bishop, Columnist – Bishop’s Breakdown
Derrick Lewis’ continuing issues with cardio will be tested in this fight yet again. I expect Daniel Cormier to be in his face the whole fight, not letting Lewis get much power behind those punches. Recovering from his broken hand and with so much at stake including a potential Brock Lesnar fight and possibly a third Jon Jones fight, I don’t expect Cormier to take many chances with the knockout power of Lewis. I expect Cormier to take Lewis down and keep him down, draining his cardio. I’m predicting a victory for Cormier via submission in the third round.
Frank Hyden, Columnist -The Good the Bad and the Ugly
This is a dangerous fight for Cormier, as Lewis has tremendous power, but I think Cormier catches Lewis and finishes him in the first round. Lewis could absolutely knock Cormier out himself, and I think that gives Cormier added incentive to try to end the fight early. Not with some wild charge forward, but with a controlled takedown attempt followed by ground and pound until the ref jumps in. We just saw Lewis losing in his last fight, looking gassed, but still get the knockout shot. That will surely be fresh in Cormier’s mind and he won’t want that to happen to him so he’s got to try to finish Lewis as soon as he can.
NEXT: UFC 232 PRESS CONFERENCE FEAT. JON JONES, ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON
Michael Hiscoe, MMATorch Managing Editor
With everything we know and have learned about mixed martial arts over the years, Daniel Cormier should absolutely win this fight. He should win this fight “9 times out of 10” as he said this week. He’s clearly the more skilled fighter. His wrestling can give Derrick Lewis a lot of trouble, and as we saw with the Stipe Miocic fight, he’s not afraid to throw down when necessary. So with all that in mind, Cormier is my official pick. But what if Saturday night is that one time out of ten? Cormier’s hand is hurt and that can affect both his wrestling and his punching ability. I’m also sensing that Cormier is feeling the pressure of all of the media obligations he’s had this week. His head may not be in the right space. Cormier could be looking ahead to Brock Lesnar or Jon Jones so he could be ripe for a Derrick Lewis right hand. If Cormier has his head in the game and his hand isn’t hurting too much, there’s no reason he doesn’t take a TKO in the first three rounds.
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