The Bloody Elbow team has filed its forecasts for UFC 231, and while everyone who wrote something up chosen Max Holloway over Brian Ortega, entire opinion is fairly divided. In terms of the co-main event, again things are split as to who will prevail involving Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Valentina Shevchenko. It is excellent to have toss-up title fights such as these two, is not it?
Notice: Predictions are entered during the week and gathered the day before the event. Explanations behind each pick aren’t required and a few authors elect not to do this for their own reasons. By way of example, if Phil Mackenzie entered all of his predictions on Wednesday without adding in any explanations, he has no idea if he is going to be the only one siding with a single fighter for any specific fight.
Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega
Anton Tabuena: This really is fairly straightforward to me. Barring any weird health issues, Max Holloway should fully run via Ortega here. Holloway is just better and a lot more dangerous than all the other folks Ortega has beaten. This is obviously still MMA and Ortega has proven that he has decent power, but he certainly won’t pick apart someone as technically proficient as Holloway. I think this will look a good deal like Ortega’s past bouts, but he will take a far worse beating and won’t have the ability to fix that magic comeback. Max Holloway by TKO.
Mookie Alexander: There is a level of unsustainability to Ortega’s love of finishing fights over winning rounds, and Holloway is a masterful round winner. I am obviously assuming we are getting the ideal edition of Max Holloway, so that’s the key here. Ortega has grown tremendously as a striker, but until this stage, Holloway has shown a ridiculous chin and he is probably not the person who you want to take part in a high-paced brawl with. Ortega loves the leaping guillotine, I suspect Holloway will be ready for that, and he is a damn good grappler in his own right. Takedowns are unlikely on both sides, and Ortega specifically has revealed himself to be not particularly great at shooting down his opponents in the first place. While Ortega is extremely dangerous based on what we’ve seen out of him in recent conflicts, I trust Holloway to do more damage and prevent the timeless Ortega comeback. Max Holloway by decision.
Zane Simon: Ortega’s fight against Frankie Edgar was something of a revelation. He has always been tricky, always been reckless, but that has been the first time that his striking fashion – assembled around a lot slicker moves and frequently a lack of basic ones – has looked like a whole game. He worked behind the jab, feinted, drew out predictable answers and changed up his entries to club Frankie to unconsciousness. It was damn pretty. Additionally, it suggests that it’s difficult to say just how much more improved Ortega could be now. Without seeing more variety and consistency into his game, and without seeing an ability to keep output over multiple hard hitting rounds, I need to pick Holloway. His ability to push a pace then to up that pace as his opponents tire, his capacity to change targets in conjunction and start up new mixtures off earlier, easier ones, just are not abilities that Ortega has revealed yet. And Ortega still has a background of dropping rounds he hasn’t finished the fight in. Even with Max’s health scare, the majority of the questions are on Ortega’s side and most of the replies are around Holloway’s. Max Holloway by choice.
Victor Rodriguez: Neither guy will be looking to take the other down, and Holloway’s clinch game is deadly. Having said that, Ortega’s been a man I have counted out in a lot of fights, I feel stupid picking him against him. He should have a range disadvantage and Max’s frenetic pace should make this difficult for him because of volume, but Ortega doesn’t get hit that much and seems to keep finding ways to pull a rabbit out of his hat. I want to pick Ortega by diving for a flying armbar from a clinch scenario, but that is a little reckless for me personally. And while I am still concerned about the fact that we don’t understand what health concerns Holloway had last time, it seems that the man that wears harm well and contains a more comprehensive and written approach to his strikes need to be able to take over as the battle continues on and employ pressure accordingly. Max Holloway by decision.
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