Who do you think will win Saturday’s fight between Junior Dos Santos and Tai Tuivasa?
Frank Hyden, Columnist – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I think Dos Santos takes the fight by TKO in the 4th round. I think he wears Tuivasa down in the first couple of rounds and starts unloading on him later in the fight. Tuivasa is tough enough to take a beating but I think it’ll eventually become too much and the ref jumps in to stop it. I think it’ll be a pretty exciting fight, I know I’m looking forward to it.
Christian Moore, MMATorch Contributor
Dos Santos in my mind seems like a crisp, smooth fighter. Tuivasa in the other hand is, for a better lack of a term, sloppy. I don’t mean sloppy like desperate for a finish, and throwing just to throw, but he is very aggressive, and I see how aggressiveness losing him this fight. I don’t think he gets KO’d, but Dos Santos did KO Mark Hunt. My bet would be late submission or decision for Dos Santos. However, Tuivasa throws bombs, and all though he isn’t the better fighter, he could easily catch Dos Santos and knock him out. I still have Dos Santos as the safe pick though.
Cole Henry, Live Events Reporter
Junior Dos Santos was once the most feared man in the heavyweight division, possessing a shotgun of a right hand, he seemed capable of stopping any man put in front of him and he did for a very long time. But those days have passed and Dos Santos has not been competing at that level in some time. Tai Tuivasa still has a way to go before he establishes himself as a top contender in the division but a win over JDS would be a huge one. I think this fight will take place on the feet and whoever connects first with a big shot will win. Tuivasa is younger, and likely a bit faster so for that reason I will go with him.
Dylan Bowker, Canadian Events Reporter
I have to favor Dos Santos in this situation. JDS has a better track record against a higher level of competition. There’s something to be said for an undefeated, double digit record but for some reason I have yet to be that impressed with Tuivasa. At least to the magnitude that I’ve seen in some who describe him as a prospective championship level contender. That’s not to say Tuivasa cannot reach that status eventually; being that he’s still young, has a statement win over a former UFC champion in Andrei Arlovski, etc. Anything can happen in MMA however and that especially rings true within the Heavyweight class. Stranger things have happened but I still have to go with “Cigano” in this tilt.
Sean Covington, Columnist – Covington’s Corner
I’m a big fan of Junior Dos Santos and love his attitude, certainly one of the best heavyweights I’ve ever seen. Junior has beaten some absolute monsters and in dramatic fashion. With that said I don’t know how dangerous Dos Santos still is. Tai Tuivasa hasn’t really beaten anyone that has tested him. Tuivasa was taken to decision by Andrei Alovski so he is largely unproven. Even with a victory over Dos Santos Saturday, he can still get knocked out by Ngannou like former up and comer Curtis Blaydes. I believe Junior will knock Tai out and we will forget Tai by 2019.
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Michael Hiscoe, MMATorch Managing Editor
Everything about this fight is designed for a Tai Tuivasa win. He’s fighting in his home country against an aging fighter with strong name value. Tuivasa is undefeated but we have yet to see him against true top competition. Junior Dos Santos is certainly the biggest test of his career to date. Dos Santos returned early this year with an acceptable performance against Blagoy Ivanov. I think Saturday is going to be Tuivasa’s time to shine and he may knock Dos Santos out as early as the first round.
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