The UFC has announced two major fights today for their return to Chicago on July 25th. UFC Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw and Renan Barao will finally have their rematch at UFC on Fox: Chicago.
The co-main event will see former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis fight for the first time since losing his title to Rafael Dos Anjos. His opponent is the #8 ranked lightweight Myles Jury.
Here are the Instant Predictions for both of these fights at UFC on Fox: Chicago.
TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao (Bantamweight Championship)
Not quite an instant prediction as this rematch has been scrapped twice before. This first rematch saw Barao pull out the day before the fight due to an accident while weight cutting. The second, and most recent, was called off due to Dillashaw injuring his rib.
This fight will be a close one, unlike their first one. Dillashaw shocked the world when he upset the former champion Barao. Dillashaw knocked Barao down in the first round, dominated him for three more rounds until finally getting the finish in the fifth.
Barao has had a lot of time to recover from the loss, as well a lot of time to game-plan for Dillashaw. Although TJ is an exceptional fighter, it seemed that it was the game-plan that caught Barao by surprise, and it’s unlikely that the same one will work again. Dillashaw did show that he was the faster, smoother fighter though.
This will most likely be a fight decided by game-plan. Can Barao find a way to deal with the movement of Dillashaw? Can Dillashaw adapt to an opponent who has trained for the game-plan that saw him at his best?
I predict this will be a war of attrition, with neither fighter taking the other one out. It will come down to who takes the least amount of damage over five rounds, and Dillashaw’s style will most likely help him avoid damage and get him the win.
Prediction: TJ Dillashaw def. Renan Barao (Unanimous Decision)
Anthony Pettis vs. Myles Jury
Where the first fight has the potential to be a close back and forth war, the co-main event has the potential for Anthony Pettis to put on a show.
Both fighters are coming off of losses against top lightweight fighters. Anthony Pettis did not look good against Dos Anjos, but he still has some of the best striking in the division.
Myles Jury is a good striker, but showed in his last fight that he still has room for improvement. Jury was overwhelmed by the veteran Donald Cerrone, a man who Pettis finished in the first round.
Jury looked very tentative in his fight with Cerrone. If Jury shows that same tentativeness against Pettis, it’s going to be a short night for him. Pettis is one of the best one hit knockout artists in the UFC, and will be looking to make up for his last loss.
The way to beat Pettis is to overwhelm him with a mix of striking and wrestling. Jury does not have this same overwhelming style, and will most likely go down to one of Pettis’ powerful strikes early in the contest.
Prediction: Anthony Pettis def. Myles Jury (1st Round TKO)
