UFC 220 Review
The reason why we’re doing a UFC 220 Review is for a few reasons. One being Francis Ngannou getting a win over Curtis Blaydes yesterday and another being for the fact that we’ve already reviewed UFC 224 and 225 so it’s time we do 220 to 223 so we can finish off that box set. UFC 220 had a double title fight, one being the light heavyweight title and the main event being a heavyweight title fight.
Rob Font Vs. Thomas Almeida
Round 1: Font starts moving towards Almeida early on. Both men are orthodox strikers and Font goes for a takedown but Almedia defends this and they clinch against the cage. Almeida escapes and they are back to striking. Almedia strikes back and he goes for big hooks. Almeida goes for a big head kick - doesn’t connect but it did catch Font off guard. He now outstrikes Font. Font is now losing this fight despite the hot start.
My Thoughts: This was an entertaining opening round to this bantamweight clash.
Round Winner: Thomas Almeida
Round 2: Rob Fonts cracks Almeida with a big right and knocks him down, Almeida is walking on thin ice...but he’s not walking anymore as Font throws him down! They get back up but how long for? Font grapples with Almeida - he knows he’s got this fight in his back pocket. Font hits Almeida with a head kick and throws bombs and finishes Almeida on the ground.
My Thoughts: Big win for Rob Font here, good fight.
My Thoughts: This was an entertaining opening round to this bantamweight clash.
Round Winner: Thomas Almeida
Round 2: Rob Fonts cracks Almeida with a big right and knocks him down, Almeida is walking on thin ice...but he’s not walking anymore as Font throws him down! They get back up but how long for? Font grapples with Almeida - he knows he’s got this fight in his back pocket. Font hits Almeida with a head kick and throws bombs and finishes Almeida on the ground.
My Thoughts: Big win for Rob Font here, good fight.
Gian Villante Vs. Francimar Barroso (Light Heavyweight)
Round 1: Villante applies the pressure early on, Barroso backs off, he’s in a weird situation here. Villante hits a good right overhand to Barroso and Barroso bounces off the cage - he felt that. Villante lands fantastic punches to Barroso. Another fight between two orthodox strikers, Barroso hasn’t done much this round, even Stevie Wonder can see that. Villante continues to out strike Barroso and throws when he throws. Barroso goes for a couple of leg kicks. Barroso hits a nice right elbow. Villante is still dominating this round.
My Thoughts: This was a great round from Gian Villante - expecting a big round from Francimar Barroso here.
Round Winner: Gian Villante
Round 2: Villante has now added leg kicks into his arsenal now, he cracks Barroso with MASSIVE punches and Barroso is showing off his iron chin, absolutely crazy. Those are big punches. Barroso is now complaining about a low blow and takes a small timeout. Villante is using effective leg kicks. Villante is hitting him hard now, these are concussion punches. Both men are running low on stamina now.
My Thoughts: This was another good round for Villante- Barroso needs something big now. It’s all or nothing.
Round Winner: Gian Villante
Round 3: We’re now at the final round. Villante continues to be the man who is applying the pressure and Barroso has a choice, get hit or move back and he continues to move back trying to avoid danger. Villante stuns him with a big right hand. Barroso starts to land a good amount of shots but is it too little, too late? The fight is pretty much over now, it’s only got over a minute left.
My Thoughts: It really does boggle my mind how one judge scored the fight 29-28 in favour of Francimar Barroso - how?! It is clear to anybody that Gian Villante won this fight, in fact he won every round.
Round Winner: Gian Villante
My Thoughts: This was a great round from Gian Villante - expecting a big round from Francimar Barroso here.
Round Winner: Gian Villante
Round 2: Villante has now added leg kicks into his arsenal now, he cracks Barroso with MASSIVE punches and Barroso is showing off his iron chin, absolutely crazy. Those are big punches. Barroso is now complaining about a low blow and takes a small timeout. Villante is using effective leg kicks. Villante is hitting him hard now, these are concussion punches. Both men are running low on stamina now.
My Thoughts: This was another good round for Villante- Barroso needs something big now. It’s all or nothing.
Round Winner: Gian Villante
Round 3: We’re now at the final round. Villante continues to be the man who is applying the pressure and Barroso has a choice, get hit or move back and he continues to move back trying to avoid danger. Villante stuns him with a big right hand. Barroso starts to land a good amount of shots but is it too little, too late? The fight is pretty much over now, it’s only got over a minute left.
My Thoughts: It really does boggle my mind how one judge scored the fight 29-28 in favour of Francimar Barroso - how?! It is clear to anybody that Gian Villante won this fight, in fact he won every round.
Round Winner: Gian Villante
Shane Burgos Vs. Calvin Kattar (Featherweight)
Round 1: Burgos gets a few shots in early - remember he’s the favourite to win this, this is another fight of orthodox strikers - 3 in a row. This feels more like a boxing fight though as it’s a few jabs and just standard boxing punches with a few leg kicks here and there. Kattar lands some good punches. Burgos retaliates with punches of his own. Burgos has the advantage heading into the last minute, will he carry this momentum? It appears that he will, he is utilising that jab to his advantage and is out striking Kattar.
My Thoughts: This was a perfectly fine round. No complaints here.
Round Winner: Shane Burgos
Round 2: Burgos using that left jab and left hook combination, I’ll tell you one thing, you need to be really quick to pull that off, that is some Tyson moves. Kattar is working well now, he’s making better of this round. Kattar goes for a takedown but Burgos defends and gets out of a tricky situation. They continue with their boxing and Burgos lands great shots but Katter is like “I can also land great shots” and he lands great shots.
My Thoughts: Another great round of action.
Round winner: Shane Burgos
Round 3: Burgos starts the round off strong. Burgos goes for a takedown and Kattar hits him with a PHENOMENAL uppercut which wipes Burgos right out and then Kattar finishes it up and wraps up the victory and is he not sitting in, he is very much taking away!
My Thoughts: That was a great finish! Feel quite bad for Burgos but it happened in January so he should be over it by now but what an uppercut!
My Thoughts: This was a perfectly fine round. No complaints here.
Round Winner: Shane Burgos
Round 2: Burgos using that left jab and left hook combination, I’ll tell you one thing, you need to be really quick to pull that off, that is some Tyson moves. Kattar is working well now, he’s making better of this round. Kattar goes for a takedown but Burgos defends and gets out of a tricky situation. They continue with their boxing and Burgos lands great shots but Katter is like “I can also land great shots” and he lands great shots.
My Thoughts: Another great round of action.
Round winner: Shane Burgos
Round 3: Burgos starts the round off strong. Burgos goes for a takedown and Kattar hits him with a PHENOMENAL uppercut which wipes Burgos right out and then Kattar finishes it up and wraps up the victory and is he not sitting in, he is very much taking away!
My Thoughts: That was a great finish! Feel quite bad for Burgos but it happened in January so he should be over it by now but what an uppercut!
Daniel Cormier (C) Vs. Volkan Oezdemir (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Round 1: Oezdemir comes out swinging, Cormier fights him off. He wrestlers him. Cormier goes for a head kick. Cormier clinches Oezdemir But Oezdemir escapes this. Cormier strikes for Volkan, he’s a very underrated striker. Cormier hits Volkan and escapes the situation, a smart fight too, DC is. Volkan goes for a head kick but doesn’t reach him. Cormier landing great punches now, he’s closing in on a title retention. DC grabs the leg and takes Volkan down but it’s pretty useless as there’s only 10 seconds left. NEVER MIND, HE APPLIED A REAR NAKED AND VOLKAN IS SAVED BY THE BELL.
My Thoughts: If there was an extra 5 seconds, it would’ve been over.
Round Winner: Daniel Cormier
Round 2: This is another battle between two orthodox strikers. Cormier capitalising from the last round now, not wasting any time and takes a Volkan down. Oezdemir refuses to give him his back. Cormier is just bullying Volkan now. “Hey Volkan, have a knuckle sandwich” he’s saying while pounding Volkan Oezdemir with fists of fury. Oezdemir is out cold and DC has retained his light heavyweight championship.
My Thoughts: Easy win for Cormier!
My Thoughts: If there was an extra 5 seconds, it would’ve been over.
Round Winner: Daniel Cormier
Round 2: This is another battle between two orthodox strikers. Cormier capitalising from the last round now, not wasting any time and takes a Volkan down. Oezdemir refuses to give him his back. Cormier is just bullying Volkan now. “Hey Volkan, have a knuckle sandwich” he’s saying while pounding Volkan Oezdemir with fists of fury. Oezdemir is out cold and DC has retained his light heavyweight championship.
My Thoughts: Easy win for Cormier!
Stipe Miocic (C) Vs. Francis Ngannou (UFC Heavyweight Championship)
Round 1: The main event is between an orthodox and a southpaw. Miocic goes for a takedown straight away and gets it. He clinches Ngannou Against the cage, Ngannou tries to punch Miocic to get out of it but that doesn’t stop him. Ngannou is tired of the wrestling and tries to fight Miocic by throwing multiple punches but Miocic’s head movement is just superb and avoids them all. Miocic throws punches of his own and they land. Stipe goes for a takedown but Ngannou is a big lad to take down, he’s a big man. It’s like taking down a building with your UFC gloves on (also you’re called the baddest man on the planet). Miocic lands a good right hand on Ngannou’s cheek. Miocic running takedowns Ngannou and maintains position by laying on top of him in side control. Miocic throws a few punches and Ngannou gets up. Miocic going for 1,2’s now - the 2 being a bomb. Miocic throws big punches and they all land, how much damage did that do? The UFC Heavyweight Champion gets a takedown in before the bell goes.
My Thoughts: That was a great round of action!
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Round 2: Ngannou is heavy breathing - someone’s gassed out after one round and it isn’t Miocic and it certainly isn’t Herb Dean. Ngannou jumps and strikes but Miocic avoids any danger he can. He cracks Ngannou with a big thud! His jaw must be rattling. Miocic lands a takedown and pins Ngannou down. He’s a hard guy to keep down but if Miocic keeps holding him down then the more stamina Ngannou is going to lose and that’s really going to benefit Miocic in the championship rounds. We’re seeing the effects of it already, Ngannou physically doesn’t have enough strength to get up because he’s running out of stamina. This is the beginning of the end for Ngannou, things are going to go from bad to worse.
My Thoughts: Ngannou needs a new game plan and fast because if the game plan is what I said it was, he’s going to lose this fight.
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Round 3: Ngannou looks visibly exhausted now and it’s only a matter of time till Miocic picks him apart unless he just lays on top of him for the remainder of the fight and he’s looking for a takedown now but can’t get it. He eventually does get it and the good news for him is, there’s still over 3 whole minutes left. Ngannou gets up but how long for? How long is until he gases out and Miocic just stays on top of him? Ngannou going for a right jab and Miocic hits him with a big right. Ngannou tags Miocic but Miocic decides to take Ngannou down and here comes the laying. He pins Ngannou down and wastes all of Ngannou’s energy. Miocic is still using this tactic, not entertaining to watch but REALLY effective inside that octagon and that’s the logical thing to focus on if you are a fighter - especially if you’re the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
My Thoughts: *copies and pastes paragraph for round 4 & 5*
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Round 4: We now enter the championship rounds. Miocic takes Ngannou down and Ngannou doesn’t even try to defend it, he knows what’s happening and he knows he won’t be UFC champion. Im going to go to the bathroom now and I’m not even going to pause the PPV, fingers crossed I won’t miss anything. Okay I’m back and there’s a minute and a half left. Miocic is still on top of Ngannou - have I missed anything? I doubt it. Miocic starts hitting body shots and that’s bringing the stamina of Ngannou down even further, he’s really punishing Ngannou now who struggles to stand after the round ends.
My Thoughts: Miocic has this fight in the bag, I predict an early takedown in the next round.
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic (10-8)
Round 5: Miocic clinches Ngannou against the cage for like a minute. Ngannou is going to struggle this round. He tries to take Ngannou down but it’s Ngannou who controls it. Ngannou attempts a few punches and is Miocic really going to risk it all by standing with Ngannou? You can take all the stamina away from Ngannou that you like but if he gets a lucky shot in then it can all change. Ngannou and Miocic clinch against the cage to end the fight.
My Thoughts: This was a good fight which Miocic dominated, Ngannou didn’t stand a chance.
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Overall Thoughts: Overall, this was a great PPV with some exciting bouts. Let’s have a look at where it joins the rankings.
My Thoughts: That was a great round of action!
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Round 2: Ngannou is heavy breathing - someone’s gassed out after one round and it isn’t Miocic and it certainly isn’t Herb Dean. Ngannou jumps and strikes but Miocic avoids any danger he can. He cracks Ngannou with a big thud! His jaw must be rattling. Miocic lands a takedown and pins Ngannou down. He’s a hard guy to keep down but if Miocic keeps holding him down then the more stamina Ngannou is going to lose and that’s really going to benefit Miocic in the championship rounds. We’re seeing the effects of it already, Ngannou physically doesn’t have enough strength to get up because he’s running out of stamina. This is the beginning of the end for Ngannou, things are going to go from bad to worse.
My Thoughts: Ngannou needs a new game plan and fast because if the game plan is what I said it was, he’s going to lose this fight.
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Round 3: Ngannou looks visibly exhausted now and it’s only a matter of time till Miocic picks him apart unless he just lays on top of him for the remainder of the fight and he’s looking for a takedown now but can’t get it. He eventually does get it and the good news for him is, there’s still over 3 whole minutes left. Ngannou gets up but how long for? How long is until he gases out and Miocic just stays on top of him? Ngannou going for a right jab and Miocic hits him with a big right. Ngannou tags Miocic but Miocic decides to take Ngannou down and here comes the laying. He pins Ngannou down and wastes all of Ngannou’s energy. Miocic is still using this tactic, not entertaining to watch but REALLY effective inside that octagon and that’s the logical thing to focus on if you are a fighter - especially if you’re the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
My Thoughts: *copies and pastes paragraph for round 4 & 5*
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Round 4: We now enter the championship rounds. Miocic takes Ngannou down and Ngannou doesn’t even try to defend it, he knows what’s happening and he knows he won’t be UFC champion. Im going to go to the bathroom now and I’m not even going to pause the PPV, fingers crossed I won’t miss anything. Okay I’m back and there’s a minute and a half left. Miocic is still on top of Ngannou - have I missed anything? I doubt it. Miocic starts hitting body shots and that’s bringing the stamina of Ngannou down even further, he’s really punishing Ngannou now who struggles to stand after the round ends.
My Thoughts: Miocic has this fight in the bag, I predict an early takedown in the next round.
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic (10-8)
Round 5: Miocic clinches Ngannou against the cage for like a minute. Ngannou is going to struggle this round. He tries to take Ngannou down but it’s Ngannou who controls it. Ngannou attempts a few punches and is Miocic really going to risk it all by standing with Ngannou? You can take all the stamina away from Ngannou that you like but if he gets a lucky shot in then it can all change. Ngannou and Miocic clinch against the cage to end the fight.
My Thoughts: This was a good fight which Miocic dominated, Ngannou didn’t stand a chance.
Round Winner: Stipe Miocic
Overall Thoughts: Overall, this was a great PPV with some exciting bouts. Let’s have a look at where it joins the rankings.
UFC PPV Rankings
15: UFC 225
14: UFC 224
13: UFC 227
12: UFC 230
11: UFC 66
10: UFC 228
9:UFC 200
8: UFC 220
7: UFC 226
6: UFC 229
5: UFC 2
4: UFC 5
3: UFC 4
2: UFC 1
1: UFC 3
With UFC 220 being the 15th PPV we have watched and reviewed, it knocks UFC 66 out of the top 10, ironically as well considering Ortiz & Liddell fought last night. What a fight that was! I don’t know, I’m writing this at 4am - an hour before the fight. The magic of writing articles.
14: UFC 224
13: UFC 227
12: UFC 230
11: UFC 66
10: UFC 228
9:UFC 200
8: UFC 220
7: UFC 226
6: UFC 229
5: UFC 2
4: UFC 5
3: UFC 4
2: UFC 1
1: UFC 3
With UFC 220 being the 15th PPV we have watched and reviewed, it knocks UFC 66 out of the top 10, ironically as well considering Ortiz & Liddell fought last night. What a fight that was! I don’t know, I’m writing this at 4am - an hour before the fight. The magic of writing articles.
