UFC 165: Champions Jon Jones and Renan Barao in action
Published:
UFC 165 sees an exciting card with Jon Jones coming out to defend his title and the equally dominant Renan Barao putting his interim bantamweight belt on the line.
There is also a heavyweight contest that could see the loser on the verge of exile to Bellator and that crucial clash completes our treble paying of 1.5/1
Jon Jones (18-1), the UFC’s greatest fighter returns to the octagon to take on Swedish fighter Alexander Gustafsson (16-1).
Little is known about the challenger, who is the main contender but has yet to beat any of the men who join him in the top 10.
The Swede has six victories in a row but is still to defeat anyone near the quality of Jones and will struggle with the step up in class.
The undercard also offers plenty with Renan Barao (30-1) putting his interim bantamweight title on the line.
Much like the aforementioned Jones, the Brazilian has scythed his way through the top order of the game, defeating all comers at this weight.
That does not bode well for Eddie Wineland (20-8-1) who has failed to make a mark at the peak of the sport, failing when handed numerous opportunities, most recently enduring crushing defeats to Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez.
The champion should see off his opponent here with ease and join Jones in retaining his crown.
The last part of this treble sees a battle between two men who could be on the verge of dropping out of UFC should they fail to improve.
Heavyweights Brendan Schaub (9-3) and Matt Mitrione (6-2) were both touted as great prospects but have lost their way of late, both losing two of their previous three bouts.
Both men share similar records and this one could be a tight affair but the aggression of Mitrione could tell and see him bludgeon his way to victory.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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