Seattle Fights has got you covered for UFC 273 which takes place tonight in Jacksonville, Florida. Return here following the event for a recap of the main card fights. There are two title fights on the card, as well as the highly anticipated welterweight matchup of Gilbert “Durhino” Burns and Khamzat Chimaev. The following is a preview of the main card fights in the order they appear on the card.
Vinc Pichel vs. Mark Madsen – Lightweight Bout
The opening bout of the pay-per-view pits Vinc “From Hell” Pichel (14-2) against the undefeated Mark Madsen (11-0). Madsen is an interesting prospect in the lightweight division due to his 2016 Summer Olympic Games silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. However, the 37 year old Dane is well past the wrong side of 30 in a lightweight division that tends to be dominated by fighters in their late 20s or early 30s. Madsen had taken only two professional MMA bouts prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics and then did not fight again until 2018 when he fought four times. Madsen had a busy 2019, as well, with three fights. However, at this point in his career it is still difficult to tell how much of a prospect Madsen may be as his first few fights in the UFC were against guys nobody ever heard of. And Madsen’s last bout was a split decision victory against a well-past-his-prime 39 year old Clay Guida. Madsen likely gets it done here and we are still left wondering how good he is.
Seattle Fights prediction – Madsen by unanimous decision.
Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres – Women’s Strawweight Bout
Tecia “the Tiny Tornado” Torres (great fight name!) looks to continue her momentum as she is riding a three fight win streak, coming off a brutal stretch in which she had lost four straight fights, albeit against very high level competition. Torres is a very likable person and fighter as she employs a fan friendly style with blitzes of activity, as well utilizing a lots of kicks in her striking attack. In Mackenzie Dern she faces a very dangerous grappler as Dern is an ADCC and no-gi BJJ (black belt) world champion. Dern had issues managing her weight earlier in her career, but has since hired a nutritional specialist and has completely transforming her body, gaining muscle and getting much leaner. Dern has also shown improvement in her striking, to the point that she is approaching something of a well-rounded MMA fighter. While Dern lost her last bout to Marina Rodriguez, she brings an impressive 11-2 record into the fight against Torres (13-5).
Seattle Fights prediction – Dern by unanimous decision.
Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev – Welterweight Bout
This may be the most highly anticipated bout on the main card, despite the presence of the two title fights. Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev is a prospect unlike any other. It somewhat boggles the mind to think that Chimaev has absorbed only one or two (or none depending on the source) significant strikes in his four UFC contests. Chimaev’s ability to take guys down and “smesh” them is reminiscent of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov. Except Borz is much bigger and seems to have significantly more power in his hands. Bossman Dana White has said that Colby Covington is likely next for Chimaev on the big ABC event later this year if he comes through in this fight against Gilbert “Durinho” Burns. Still, questions linger whether Chimaev is the real deal considering the level of his first few opponents. Although his last victory against Li Jingliang was of the high quality variety considering “The Leach” always brings the fight and is an incredibly tough out. Durinho seems like the perfect opponent for Chimaev and to test whether the Chechen standout is ready for the upper echelon of the welterweight division. Burns does give up significant size to Chimaev, but Burns is an outstanding martial artist as he has both excellent jiu-jitsu and can also put your lights out. While Chimaev may make me look foolish, I think Burns is able to get it done tonight.
Seattle Fights Prediction – Burns by knockout.
Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Petr Yan – Bantamweight Championship Bout
Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling, the current bantamweight champion, has received his fair share of criticism and disrespect considering the way he won the title against Interim Champion Petr “No Mercy” Yan. Sterling, the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, earned the title shot against Yan at UFC 259 with his impressive finish of Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250. The Funk Master (20-3) struggled in the first bout with Yan as he was unable to impose his game on Yan and was losing the fight before Yan blasted Sterling with an illegal knee. Yan, from this writer’s seat, may be the best martial artist on the UFC’s roster. His ability to get a read on, figure out, and then pressure opponents is beautiful to watch. Once he gets a slight edge on his man he usually then proceeds to control fight with his outstanding MMA boxing. He also is largely able to dictate where he likes the fight to take place, on the feet, due to his excellent takedown defense. Look for Yan to get the early finish here.
Seattle Fights prediction – Yan by TKO.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie – Featherweight Championship Bout
Chan Sung Jung “The Korean Zombie” has been one of my favorite mixed martial artists ever since I saw him hit a twister submission on Leonard Garcia at a UFC Fight Night event way back in 2011 at Key Arena. In his last nine fights since the Garcia fight, Zombie is 6-3 with the losses coming against Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez in a fight Zombie should have won but for one of the most unlikely and incredible fifth round last second knockouts you will ever see. TKZ is a fan favorite who can ball hist fists and throw down with the best of them. Jung would do well to take a more measured approach against the champion Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski. Volkanovski is such a useful mixed martial artist due to his excellent fight IQ and his well rounded skill set. Volkanovski is one of the better fighters in the UFC at getting in and out with his striking attack. Still, Volkanovski should pump the brakes on his recent comments suggesting he is getting close to ranking himself high on the all-time featherweight greats list. It wasn’t too long ago that the great Jose Aldo and Max Holloway each had their own impressive reigns as featherweight kings. Volkanovski surely has a lot more work to do in order to place himself above either of those champions.
Seattle Fights prediction – Volkanovski by decision.