Preview: UFC 226 ‘Miocic vs. Cormier’

Lightweights
Dan Hooker (16-7) vs. Gilbert Burns (13-2)
Odds: Hooker (-120), Burns (+100)

Hooker is on an impressive three-fight win streak, all of them finishes, since returning to lightweight a year ago. The New Zealander has really grown into his frame, and he is now a formidable physical force. He also showed off a new element to his striking in his last bout with Jim Miller: effective pressure fighting. “The Hangman” bangs the legs and body with kicks before stepping in with vicious knees. Hooker’s wrestling and grappling have also greatly improved since his early UFC run. He is much harder to take down than he used to be, and his long limbs make his front headlock dangerous to navigate. Burns will not mind trying to do so, but the question is whether he can take the fight to the mat. “Durinho” is a powerful athlete who has to rely on that a little too much with his wrestling, which can deplete his already shallow gas tank. But if the fight hits the mat, Burns becomes a serious problem, putting his world champion jiu-jitsu pedigree to work. Lately, though, the Combat Club stalwart has been utilizing his striking. His hands are improving, and his natural strength and athleticism are transferring power to his hands as his technique becomes more refined. Burns’ last two wins are by clean knockout -- not TKO -- so he is not to be trifled with standing or on the ground. A kickboxing battle favors Hooker technically, but he can still be hit. Burns’ finishing upside swings it for me. The Brazilian by second-round submission is the pick.

Women’s Strawweights
Jamie Moyle (4-2) vs. Emily Whitmire (2-2)
Odds: Moyle (-190), Whitmire (+165)

A cast member on the women’s flyweight season of TUF, Whitmire gets a second chance to pick up her first UFC victory after getting armbarred by Gillian Robertson at the finale. Moyle, herself a veteran of TUF 23, is looking to bounce back from a decision loss to Viviane Pereira. Whitmire is most at home on the mat, and she typically wastes little time trying to tie up and take it there. On the feet, “Spitfire” is willing to let her hands go, but she is uncomfortable in exchanges. She wants to dart in with a combination, retreat and reset, and do it again. But she attacks linearly with her head on line, and she begins arm-punching when she extends beyond a 1-2. The Xtreme Couture rep wants to tie up, trip the fight to the mat, work to a dominant position, and pound away or nab a submission. She did this to castmate Christina Marks inside a minute on the show, but superior grapplers Roxanne Modafferi and Robertson largely ran circles around her on the mat. Moyle isn’t quite at their level as a grappler, but she is closer to them than she is to Marks. She is also a superior wrestler and striker to Whitmire. The Syndicate MMA product is further along in her development. She takes her head offline when she throws, she’ll work the body, and she mixes in leg and front kicks. Moyle is also more offensive in the clinch. In short, if Whitmire can’t hit an armbar from guard, she’s going to have a hard time finding advantageous positions. Moyle gradually breaks her down to take a third-round submission.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.