UFC 239 Betting Preview : Jon Jones and Amanda Nunes to exert their dominance

Last Updated : 3rd July, 2019 By Alex M

VENUE

T-Mobile Arena

TIME

Sat 6 July

BROADCAST

Live on BT Sport

See Stats

One of the most impressive cards of the year comes around this Saturday at UFC 239 in Las Vegas, headlined by Jon Jones defending his light heavyweight title against Thiago Santos, but that is only the start of the story.

The preliminary card sees the likes of Claudia Gadelha taking on Randa Markos and rising British star Arnold Allen making his US debut against veteran former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. The main card starts with an intriguing clash between Diego Sanchez and Michael Chiesa, but there are still four fights bigger than that.

Luke Rockhold is finally making his light heavyweight debut this weekend when he takes on veteran of the division, Jan Blachowicz. Rockhold has not fought since February last year and has not won since September 2017, so there is going to be some ring rust for the former middleweight champion. However, a step up in weight class will give him a new coat of paint, he will be re-energised and ready to make a name for himself at 205lbs.

The Ralph Lauren model will have plenty to fight for as a win could hand him an immediate shot at the light heavyweight championship, and he is the favourite to do so. He will not have it easy against Blachowicz, though, who has fought at this weight since his MMA debut in 2007 and has picked up wins in the UFC over the likes of Ilir Latifi, Jared Cannonier and Jimi Manuwa.

The Pole is experienced and tough, but he is not a puncher and is unlikely to test the chin of Rockhold which has seen him knocked out by Yoel Romero and Michael Bisping in two of his last three fights. The American is more of a threat with his hands and equally, if not more, of a threat on the ground.

Rockhold’s fights are always exciting and he has not gone the distance in his last nine, dating way back to 2012. He is just about the same height and with the same reach as Blachowicz, so size won’t be an issue, but he should enjoy the added power that stepping up a weight will give him. He could knock out Blachowicz, while it is hard to see the Pole achieving the same result, Rockhold could also submit Jan, while the American will not be tapping.

Next up is a belter at welterweight between Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren which is tough to call, but one man does present a more impressive argument than the other.

Askren has never lost, in 19 professional fights, winning world titles in two organisations. He very nearly lost his UFC debut against Robbie Lawler, but he came through a terrible start to win via a controversial, but official submission. He could be the best wrestler in MMA and he knows how to use it to his advantage.

Masvidal is a more impressively rounded fighter, with excellent striking and very decent wrestling. He is coming off a stunning knockout of Darren Till, but that is masking a very up-and-down last few years which has seen him go 4-4 in his last eight. He undoubtedly has the power over Askren, but Funky will not be standing and trading with him too much. Gamebred’s best wins in the last couple of years have been over Till and Donald Cerrone, who will certainly stand and bang, Askren will not.

Funky will be looking to take Masvidal down, hold him down and unleash some ground and pound, and he will probably achieve all three of those goals. Gamebred is far too tough to be knocked out by him, but this will be yet another decision victory for the unbeaten welterweight.

The co-main event sees Amanda Nunes defend her bantamweight title against Holly Holm and try to cement her place as the greatest female fighter of all time. An accolade she claimed by knocking out Cris Cryborg to win the featherweight title as well in December.

She is the most fearsome puncher in female MMA, knocking out three of her last four opponents, with Raquel Pennington and Ronda Rousey the other two stopped. Nunes is on an eight-fight winning streak which also includes two wins over Valentina Shevchenko and a submission of Miesha Tate. Holm is pretty much the only big name female fight Nunes has not gone up against.

Holm is just 2-4 in her last six, but she has impressive recent wins over Bethe Correia and Megan Anderson. With the American’s boxing background and kick-boxing skills, this is going to be a stand-up war, but can she beat Nunes with her hands?

With the run the Lioness has been on, it seems not. Nunes looks unstoppable right now and with Holm’s confidence nowhere near what it used to be, it will be the Brazilian who has her hand raised again. The bookies reckon Nunes will score yet another knockout win, but Holm is so slick on her feet she is very tough to catch, hence why she has never been knocked out.

The Lioness will do more damage, exert more pressure and win on the judges’ scorecards.

Arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Jon Jones, headlines yet another card and is the overwhelming favourite, once again, as he takes on Thiago Santos.

Jones is a completely dominant force at 205lbs and his DQ defeat in 2009 and no contest for steroid abuse in 2017 aside, he is pretty much unblemished throughout his career. Since his return from his last drugs ban he has comfortably beaten Alex Gustafsson for a second time and then Anthony Smith.

Santos has been on an impressive tear since moving to light heavyweight, knocking out Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz. The consensus is that his only chance of beating Jones is landing a bomb on his chin and that is certainly a possibility, but not a likelihood.

Bones is incredibly difficult to hit, he has barely been hurt for years and with the threat of the Brazilian, he will not put himself in any danger of it. The American will take this one to the ground and keep it there where Santos is not so good.

Jones could win a comfortable decision this way but he is more likely to trap Santos in a submission at some stage, as he has to six other opponents, and force a tap.