Welterweight War
In UFC® 245’s main event, Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman and Colby “Chaos” Covington attempt to settle their heated rivalry with the welterweight title at stake. Currently riding a 10-fight win streak, Usman will look to put on another dominant performance to win his first title defence.
Fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Covington, who has won 7 consecutive bouts, naturally enters the fight as a slight underdog. Once a Division I All-American wrestler at Oregon State, Covington goes toe-to-toe with Usman, who also held wrestling honours as a three-time All-American Division II wrestler, making it an interesting matchup in styles.
Bantamweight Battle
Amanda Nunes defends her title against no. 1 ranked bantamweight contender, Germaine de Randamie. Nunes is currently the first woman to simultaneously hold titles in two UFC divisions and is searching for her 10th straight win, hoping to add another bantamweight title defence at UFC 245. Dutch born de Randamie will look to use her Muay Thai background to strike her way to becoming the eighth fighter in UFC history to win championships in two divisions.
Also, in action, no.1 ranked bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes welcomes former UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, into the Octagon® and the 135-pound division. In one of the most intriguing matchups of UFC 245, Aldo makes the move down to bantamweight in a bout guaranteed to produce fireworks. Up-and-coming bantamweight athlete, Russia’s Petr Yan faces off against UFC legend Urijah Faber, who will aim to continue his ascent through the division after his successful return to the Octagon® in July.
Featherweight Fireworks
Having not lost at 145 pounds in over six years, Max Holloway will look to win his 15th consecutive fight by defeating one of the toughest competitors in the division, Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski. Hawaiian-born Holloway, who has a record of 10 wins by knockout and 2 by submission, will look to utilise his Jiu-Jitsu to submit Volkanovski.
Currently fighting out of New South Wales, Australia, Volkanovski will be no pushover with a current 17-fight win streak, 11 via knockout and 3 via submission. A former professional rugby player, the Australian made the switch to combat sport in 2012 after realising his true passion was for fighting and will no doubt bring a gritty edge against Holloway.
Main Card
Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman vs. Colby “Chaos” Covington
Max “Blessed” Holloway vs. Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski
Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes vs. Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randamie
Marlon “Magic” Moraes vs. Jose Aldo
Petr “No Mercy” Yan vs. Urijah “The California Kid” Faber
