UFC Fight Night 251: Cannonier vs Rodrigues
The Middleweight division takes centre stage for the third week running as former title challenger Jared Cannonier takes on Gregory Rodrigues.
The 185lb division looks to have another highlight moment after Champion Dricius Du Plessis’ domination of Sean Strickland at UFC 312 and Nassourdine Imavov’s impressive win over Israel Adesanya in Saudi Arabia.
The co-main event at the UFC Apex sees top ten Featherweight Calvin Kattar look to hold his spot against the surging Youssef Zalal.
Tip 1 - Cannonier vs. Rodrigues - Over 2.5 Rounds - 9/10
Two fighters with differing formlines clash here as Jared Cannonier (17-8-0) takes on Gregory Rodrigues (16-5-0).
Cannonier lost twice in 2024, albeit to top contenders Caio Borralho by unanimous decision in August and Nassourdine Imavov via fourth round TKO in June.
The American fought for the Middleweight title in 2022, coming up short over the full rounds against Israel Adesanya.
Cannonier will turn 41 on the Sunday after the fight, but despite his age has remained competitive with the elite of the division.
With a UFC record of 10-8, his resume shows wins against the likes of Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland in recent times.
Rodrigues is on a three-fight win streak and was last seen in Manchester in June going three rounds with Christian Leroy Duncan.
Earlier in the year the Brazilian stopped Brad Tavares in the third round, while he also TKO’d Denis Tiuliulin in the first round in August 2023.
With a 7-2 record in the UFC, the 32-year-old looks to make a jump into the rankings here and take out the number seven rated Cannonier.
Rodrigues has a nasty ground and pound game and power in his hands racking up five wins by KO/TKO.
Cannonier has five stoppage wins as a Middleweight, however his 2022 TKO of Derek Brunson is his only one since 2019.
The American remains competitive against top competition, while the dangerous Rodriges makes a significant jump in class here.
Both are durable and we could see this one decided as we move into the second half of the fight.
Tip 2 - Zalal, Youssef to win & over 1.5 rounds - 33/100
The co-main event sees an intriguing Featherweight battle between veteran Calvin Kattar (23-8-0) and the surging Youssef Zalal (16-5-1).
Kattar holds the number ten ranking in the division, but finds himself on the wrong end of a three-fight winless run.
The 31-year-old lost to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 300 last April by unanimous decision, his first return to the Octagon since suffering a knee injury in a TKO defeat to Arnold Allen in October 2022.
A defeat to Josh Emmett preceded Kattar’s last UFC win against Giga Chikadze at the start of that calendar year.
The American has good boxing and wrestling, but has generally found life tough against the elite of the division.
Zalal has gained real momentum since being re-signed to the UFC in March last year, winning all three of his outings by submission against Jack Shore, Jarno Errens and Billy Quarantillo.
Despite only being 28, the Moroccan is on his second UFC run, where he was 3-3-1 between 2020 and 2022.
Intriguingly he was one of only two fighters to go the distance with champion Ilia Topuria, albeit in defeat on the scorecards.
Zalal is a true all-round mixed martial artist with solid leg kicks and striking, as well as good grappling and the ability to finish the fight on the feet or ground.
Kattar is tough and is extremely difficult to finish but the momentum is with Zalal, who can carry on his impressive streak here.
Tip 3 - To go the distance - NO - Bonfim, Gabriel - Williams, Khaos - 4/9
Two styles clash here between Gabriel Bonfim (16-1-0) and Khaos Williams (15-3-0), with a finish likely.
Bonfim is a black belt in BJJ and has two submission wins from his three victories inside the Octagon so far, submitting both Mounir Lazzez and Trevin Giles.
Overall the 28-year-old is 3-1 in the UFC, while he also earned his contract with a Von Flue Choke finish of Trey Walters in 2022.
The Brazilian’s only UFC defeat so far saw him TKO’d by Nicolas Dalby in the second round of their fight in November 2023.
Williams is a striker who will come looking for a knockout.
The 30-year-old has four KO/TKO wins from his six inside the Octagon so far, including making fast work of Carlston Harris last time out in May, landing a perfect first-round right hook.
The American has also finished Miguel Baeza, Abdul Razak Alhassan and Alex Morono.
Before his knockout of Harris, Williams had won and lost split decisions to Rolando Bedoya and Randy Brown respectively, while his unanimous decision defeat to submission artist Michel Pereira in 2020 showed he is capable of handling elite grapplers.
Both fighters are proven finishers who will be looking to end this early.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change