OPINION: Chicago will host one of the most delightfully crammed combat events of 2018, when UFC 225 hits town on Sunday (NZ time).
The depth of the card is startling, so deep that fascinating contests the likes of Overeem vs Blaydes and Lamas vs Bektic have been consigned to the undercard. This one has the potential to be an all-timer.
There's also a distinctly 'down-under' vibe to this one, with three Australian fighters on the main card, including Samoan Tai Tuivasa, highly-touted prospect Megan Anderson and, of course, proud Māori Robert Whittaker in the headline act.
Stacked from bottom to top, this is one you should park up for from the opening bell. Let's take a look at what the main card has to offer, while I offer some predictions that you should, under no circumstances, use as a basis for gambling.
CM Punk vs Mike Jackson
A lot's been said about former WWE superstar CM Punk's (Phil Brooks) positioning in the pay-per-view card. Even more has been said about his position in the sport.
Should he be toiling away and developing his limited skillset on a regional MMA event somewhere? Definitely.
Is that a reasonable expectation, given his fame and the number of eyeballs he draws from the fake sports world? Absolutely not.
Whichever way you want to slice it, Mike Jackson is a far more reasonable standard of opposition for Punk. They also both share one dubious honour – being suffocated by Mickey Gall in the opening round of their respective professional debuts.
Now we have a pair of 0-1 fighters battling it out to see whose 'O' will go.
At 39 years of age, Punk hardly has much of a ceiling left above him. But the one thing the Chicago native will have in his favour is a rowdy and partisan crowd at his back.
By all accounts, Brooks' submission game has markedly improved, but will he really be able to take a punch? Jackson has many amateur fights under his belt, including a handful in kickboxing.
For the simple reason that I've seen footage that proves he can actually throw legitimate strikes, I'm picking 'The Truth' to put an end to the CM Punk circus in fairly unremarkable fashion.
Andrei Arlovski vs Tai Tuivasa
Undefeated Samoan slugger Tai Tuivasa is the latest in a string of combat sports revelations to be unearthed in Australasia and the heavy-hitting Aussie can bang with the best of them.
Belarusian Andrei Arlovski (27-15), a former heavyweight champ and pioneer of the 'Pitbull' nickname, was teetering on the brink of retirement just a year ago after five straight defeats. Now he finds himself amid an unlikely career resurgence, riding a two-fight win streak.
If Tuivasa's able to get on the front foot early, I like his chances. Arlovski has proven vulnerable early in fights and his battle-worn chin is highly vulnerable, as you’d expect after 19 years of professional fighting.
He's still a handy striker, but I don’t think he'll be able to produce enough power to shake the durable Tuivasa.
Victory over a high-profile fighter like Arlovski would significantly boost Tuivasa's profile in a division where the shallow talent pool means you're only ever a two-fight win streak away from the title-contending picture.
I think it will be shoeys up once again for 'Bam Bam' on Sunday. Tuivasa via KO in a performance that makes the rest of the heavyweight world sit bolt upright up and take notice.
Holly Holm vs Megan Anderson
Megan Anderson's debut in The Octagon is one of the most anticipated in the women's ranks recent years. The Australian has already been ear-marked as a genuine contender at featherweight, a division in desperate need of genuine talent to challenge its overlord, Cristine 'Cyborg' Santos.
The 28-year-old (8-2) has been tearing through all-comers at Invicta FC, winning four straight fights on her way to claiming the all-female promotion's featherweight belt.
But going up against a seasoned killer like Holly Holm is one serious baptism of fire.
The 'Preacher's Daughter' definitely does not care for your hype train and the former world champion boxer has a lifetime of elite combat sports experience under her belt.
That said, the road since Holm's Rousey-slaying efforts of 2015 hasn't been an easy one.
She's dropped four of her last five bouts since lifting the belt that night, most recently in a valiant, if futile, effort against 'Cyborg', the very fighter she's replacing in Chicago.
Anderson doesn’t lack in power herself, finishing all of her last four bouts with her relentless brand of Muay Thai striking.
But that very aggression may be her undoing against the calculated Holm. The American is at her most dangerous on the counter-attack, and her diverse range of kicks will be chambered and ready for Anderson's proactive approach, which should play right into her hands.
Add to that the Queenslander's tendancy to brawl to the detriment of her defence and I think we'll see Holm's hand being raised at the conclusion of this one.
Rafael Dos Anjos vs Colby Covington
It's difficult to like Colby Covington.
The crude American protagonist has been on a self-promoting mission over the past year, not afraid to throw out the most lurid bait to draw some eyeballs.
During this shameless campaign, he's made Brazil one of his favourite targets and to his credit, he's never shied away from entering the Lion's Den.
After defeating Brazilian grappling legend Damian Maia in Sao Paolo, Covington lambasted the "dump" host nation, calling the seething crowd a "bunch of filthy animals", inspiring a slew of stray cups and a torrent of abuse.
Shtick or not, it's paid off for Covington, who now finds himself in an interim welterweight title fight against another Brazilian, Rafael Dos Anjos (28-9).
And make no mistake, the man can fight. While his game is predicated on a strong wrestling foundation, the 30-year-old can throw some heat on the feet as well.
But Dos Anjos, fresh off a statement win over welterweight great Robbie Lawler, is a much different and considerably more dangerous proposition for the Trump-loving American.
The former lightweight champion has been on a tear since he moved up to welterweight, where his blend of suffocating pressure and crisp, highly technical striking from all angles has thrust him to the top of the class.
The well-rounded Dos Anjos is proficient enough with his grappling to push forward against 'Chaos' with his high-octane and unpredictable striking, and without too much fear of being taken down.
Combined with his bottomless gas tank, which could be a significant factor if the bout pushes beyond the third round, I think 'RDA' ultimately overwhelms Covington, much to the delight of most MMA fandom.
The people are baying for the self-professed villain's blood. If he does prevail, make sure you stay tuned for the post-fight interview.
The vitriol will be real.
Robert Whittaker vs Yoel Romero
The long-awaited return of the Auckland-born, Sydney-raised Robert Whittaker is finally here.
Injury and illness have curtailed Whittaker's attempts to defend the middleweight belt he won so emphatically against this very opponent, Yoel Romero. Unfortunately, he will have wait a while longer before he has the chance to do so.
In a troubling trend for the sport, Romero became the latest fighter failing to make weight. Whittaker, as game as they come, agreed to let the fight go ahead as scheduled, on the lone proviso that the belt is taken off the table.
Not only did Romero miss weight, he had to be physically carried to and from the scales on his second attempt.
You’d be forgiven for immediately concluding that to be a disadvantage, but from eight fighters who have come in overweight this year, seven of those have gone on to victory.
I’m pretty confident we’ll see that trend bucked here. 'Bobby Knuckles' is a prodigious talent and after almost a year on the shelf with injury, he is almost self-imploding with enthusiasm.
A former Olympic gold medallist, 'The Soldier of God' and his action-figure physique presents an imposing challenge. Romero has proven he’s a fighter you can never count out, no matter how a fight is progressing, ever ready to draw a fight-ending blow from his bag of freakish athletic trickery.
But Whittaker has been there and won that, and he did so fighting with a ligament injury for the best part of four rounds. The improvement he’s shown from bout to bout has been astonishing and there’s no reason to think that ends here.
I see him using his stellar takedown defence to keep the fight upright, then masterfully controlling space and employing all manner of pinpoint strikes to wear his opponent down.
Romero's cardio is notoriously questionable at the best of times, let alone after a debilitating weight cut.
Whittaker makes it nine straight with a late finish. Fourth round, book it.
Stephen Foote is a Newshub online sports producer. Tune in to Newshub Sport on Sunday for all the UFC225 action live.
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