On the midnight of July 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 276 will be the main event of the month with two title fights at once. All main card fights and prelims will be covered in full by 1ufc.net – the broadcast will be free to watch in excellent quality! Today’s review will focus on the main fights of the UFC 276 main card: fights for the middleweight and featherweight titles.
The main fight of the night: Adesanya vs. Cannonier
Fans are all waiting for the main fight at UFC 276, in which reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (22-1) will try to defend his welterweight title against No. 2 ranked Jared Cannonier (15-5). For the New Zealander, it will be his fifth title defense since winning the title against Robert Whittaker. Romero, Costa, Vettori and again Whittaker could do nothing against Adesanya.
Experts say the champion’s fighting style is not very spectacular, in the last 9 fights he didn’t make a single attempt of take-down or submission. On the other hand, what to expect from the owner of a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu?
Interestingly, the 38-year-old veteran Jared Cannonier suffered his last loss against the same Whittaker at UFC 254 in 2020, for Adesanya the only loss so far was against Blachowicz. And that was in a bantamweight title fight. After the decision loss, Israel decided to return to his weight, and he did it perfectly. In June 2021, he defeated Marvin Vettori by decision and previously Whittaker.
The veteran Cannonier got the main shot of his life by defeating Derek Brunson in the second round by knockout at UFC event 271. Since moving up from heavyweight, Cannonier has a perfect 5-1 average due to a combination of power and speed. Adesanya hasn’t faced a fighter like this lately, a technical kickboxer against an athletic and powerful puncher is a great set up for a spectacular fight the night of July 3. Obviously, Adesanya is seen as the clear favorite, but the seasoned veteran Cannonier could clinch the opportunity to take the first title of his career.
Viewers of promo-ufc.ru can see the Adesanya vs. Cannonier fight live in great quality without registration.
Title Fight #2: Volkanovski – Holloway
Second in stature, but perhaps not in spectacle, the fight of the evening is expected to be a clash between Holloway (23-6) and Volkanowski (24-1). Holloway is not a guy with Hawaiian roots, he doesn’t like boring fights, he’s always aggressive, he likes to punch and get exchanged back. The featherweight legend and former UFC champion is known for his unpredictability, but for him, current champion Volkanowski is an insurmountable obstacle so far. Twice Holloway has tried to take back the lost title from the Australian, and both times he lost by decision. A third loss would drop Holloway from the list of top welterweight fighters.
Holloway after losing to Volkanovski in his own style defeated Kelvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. The 30-year-old former champion smothered them both with a hell of a pace and hail of punches: 675 attempts in 2 fights of 25 minutes – impressive!
What about Volkanovski? An unbeaten fighter in the UFC, 11-0 speaks for itself. The fight at UFC 276 will be Volkanowski’s fourth title defense. Holloway and Ortega were defeated by decision and Sohn by TKO. He has become one of the most accomplished fighters in the division, with a wide arsenal of skills. For him, there are no situations that can stump him. The 33-year-old Australian has a total of 21 straight wins and only 1 career loss in 2013.
Both of Volkanovski and Holloway’s previous fights were uncompromising and very close, today we should expect all 25 minutes of “tough chopping” on one side and tactical combat on the other. Can “Blessed” finally defeat his arch-rival and make a bid for a fourth fight? We’ll find out around 6 a.m. Moscow time. As a reminder, promo-ufc.ru is running all the fights of the event in Las Vegas.
Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira
Before the two title bouts, we’re treated to a showdown between Sean Strickland (25-3) and Alex Pereira (5-1). This is where Adesanya or Connonye’s future opponent for the middleweight throne could be determined.
Back from injury after a two-year injury hiatus, Strickland has won five straight and moved up to the top-5 in the middleweight rankings. The 31-year-old fighter is undefeated in this weight class with 20-0 and recent wins over Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall and Jack Hermansson.
Pereira only had two fights in the UFC, but he was a two-division champion under Glory Kickboxing. In the world’s premier promotion, the 34-year-old black belt in karate defeated Michailidis in his debut with a wild jumping knee kick and then defeated Bruno Silva by decision. Pereira, nicknamed “The Stone Hand,” has already defeated Adesanya himself and intends to pursue the champion in the best promotion in the world.
The fight should be spectacular: Strickland gets a chance to be a title shot contender, and Pereira can cement his position as the main man of the tournament.
Robbie Lawler vs. Brian Barberena
Former welterweight champion and UFC legend Lawler (29-15) will square off against standout contender Brian Barberena (17-8). The spectacular and uncompromising Lawler has had just 1 win over Nick Diaz in the last 5 years, losing 4 straight fights to Dus Anjus, Askren, Covington and Magny in 2021. The 40-year-old veteran’s fight at UFC 276 could be his last chance to cling to the promotion’s main event status. If he loses, there’s a high risk of ending his career – but let’s not be in a hurry.
Brian Barberena is less known in the MMA world, the fighter nicknamed “Bam-Bam” has a spectacular fighting style, in his last 4 fights in the UFC 3 of them earned “Fight of the Night” status. His last win came last March of this year over Matt Brown. Despite health issues that have deprived him of many fights since 2019, Barbarena is serious about regaining his lost ground and becoming a permanent contender for the welterweight title.
Lawler got the fight on the maincard because of his name in the promotion, with few opportunities left for the veteran to prove himself, especially in the face of powerful losses. A second straight win over a big name and 4 wins in 5 fights from Barbarena will lift the Tennessee savage to previously unattainable heights in his new welterweight division.
Pedro Munoz vs. Shawn O’Malley
35-year-old Brazilian promotion veteran Pedro Munoz (19-7) has yet to say his final word, while 27-year-old Sean O’Malley (15-1) will face a truly top-tier fighter for the first time in his career. The bantamweight title contenders fight will be the first run of the UFC 276 main card in Las Vegas
Munoz has been considered one of the top lightweight fighters in recent years, with his heavy punches and steely jaw seen by many of the division’s top fighters. Munoz has taken on Aldo, Edgar, Sterling, Garbrandt, but only beaten the latter. The fight with the bright but inexperienced O’Malley should show whether the Brazilian veteran remains a real fighter in the division, or if new names are coming to replace him. Many believe Munoz has enough potential to win and slow O’Malley’s climb up the rankings.
The 27-year-old American O’Malley has had eight fights in the promotion and won seven, fighting in an ultraspectacular style, kicking his opponents’ legs off with low kicks and high kicks, not for nothing he has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. And tomorrow he’ll have his first opponent in the Top 10 of the Lightest division (Munoz is ranked #9). O’Malley has looked great in his last three fights, beating Raulian Paiva in the first round, but he has yet to face an opponent as diverse, powerful and experienced as Munoz.
Many have been waiting for a real test for O’Malley, and now the time has come. In the first fight of the main card we will see what kind of ambitions the youngster has for getting to the prime time and how the experienced Brazilian veteran can prove himself.
Worth watching: Donald Cerrone vs. Jim Miller
The legendary Cowboy Cerrone is a UFC legend and one of the leaders in the number of wins in the promotion. Many pundits and fans have joked that he needs to face Jim Miller to decide which of them holds the record for most wins. And now the jokes have come true: 39-year-old Donald Cerrone (36-16) will face 38-year-old Jim Miller (34-16).
Cerrone was scheduled to fight a couple of weeks ago at UFC 275, but Joe Rozon’s knee derailed the fight between the two for the second time. Miller, on the other hand, had his fight with Bobby Green snapped, and the great Cowboy immediately came to the rescue of his fellow fighter. Yes, now Cerrone is on a streak of 5 straight tough losses, but it won’t take away the love of the audience. His last win in the promotion dates back to 2019, when Cerrone defeated Jaquinta, since then McGregor, Pettis, Gagey, Fergusson have inflicted tough defeats on the Cowboy. The last fight was a May 2021 loss to Alex Morono.
The pair already fought eight years ago, then Cerrone knocked out Miller in the third round. Today, Miller is in a much better position. Earlier this year, Miller showed he still has power to fight, when he stopped Nikolas Motta, the promotion’s newcomer, in the second round.
Speaking of the record: after beating Gonzalez and Motta, featherweight veteran Miller is now tied with Cerrone and Andrei Arlovski for the most wins in the UFC – 23, but Arlovski has one less fight, while Cerrone has two more.
Cerrone and Miller have a combined total of 76 fights in the UFC, with 46 wins, 31 bonuses and countless respects from other fighters, viewers and promotion organizers. It will be very interesting to see who is going to be stronger in this legendary rivalry, even if not in the main card.
Live broadcast of all fights for free will be available at 1ufc.net. Come and see the main fights of UFC 276!
