UFC 299 Preview
Sean O’Malley lands a body kick on Marlon Vera. Credit: MMA Mania.
This Saturday, one of the most anticipated pay-per-view events of the year finally reaches the octagon. In the co-main event, we’ll see an established veteran taking on a quickly rising star when Dustin Poirier and Benoît Saint-Denis collide. In the main event, a long-awaited rematch between a gritty brawler and a true technician takes place when Sean O’Malley faces Marlon Vera. The entire main card is filled out with high-profile, ranked matchups and should be fantastic from start to finish. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
#4 Petr Yan vs #7 Song Yadong
Petr Yan lands a jab on Aljamain Sterling. Credit: DraftKings Network.
Bantamweight Bout
Petr Yan: 16-5-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Song Yadong: 21-7-1, 9 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Yan has won one of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #3 ranked Cory Sandhagen (16-5-0), former Featherweight champion Jose Aldo (31-8-0), and Urijah Faber (35-11-0). He’s very well-rounded and highly dangerous at all times. He has excellent technical striking and does a great job of mixing kicks into combinations. Training at Archangel Michael Club, Yan never slows down, always pursuing a finish and throwing with maximum power and speed. He has excellent cardio and can push a crazy pace for 25 minutes, whether grappling or striking. He has excellent takedowns and top control, constantly throwing brutal ground and pound. Yan has faced nothing but the best in his UFC tenure, with a third of his bouts being for a title.
Song Yadong rains down ground and pound on Ricky Simon. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Yadong has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #5 ranked Bantamweight Marlon Vera (23-8-1), #15 ranked Bantamweight Ricky Simon (20-5-0), and Chris Gutierrez (20-6-2). He’s an excellent technical striker who’s constantly pressuring forward and throwing every shot with knockout intentions. He has significant power in both hands, throws everything in combination, and remains technical throughout the fight, usually fighting behind his jab. Training at Team Alpha Male, Yadong varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and remaining technical at all times. He’s powerful in the clinch and won’t typically pursue takedowns, but he has defended 73% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. He’s always willing to eat a shot to land one, regularly marching through punches to close the distance and throw offense of his own. Yadong has won bonuses in six of his thirteen fights in the promotion and always leaves it all in the cage.
#4 Gilbert Burns vs. #11 Jack Della Maddalena
Gilbert Burns cracks Belal Muhammad with a right hook. Credit: Sports Illustrated.
Welterweight Bout
Gilbert Burns: 22-6-0, 6 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.
Jack Della Maddalena: 16-2-0, 11 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Burns has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over #8 ranked Welterweight Stephen Thompson (17-7-1), #12 ranked Welterweight Neil Magny (29-12-0), and Jorge Masvidal (35-17-0). He’s a decorated grappler with serious power in his hands and is always pursuing a finish. He’s always moving on his feet, constantly looking to close the distance, dip his head, and unleash brutal overhands. Burns has explosive takedowns, excellent top control, and a fantastic submission game. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he has a granite chin and pushes a consistent pace across all 15 minutes. He favors power to volume, throwing everything with knockout intentions, and is always willing to brawl inside the pocket. Burns is in his tenth year in the promotion and is dangerous wherever the fight goes.
Jack Della Maddalena blasts Bassil Hafez with a left hook. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Maddalena is on a sixteen-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #13 ranked Welterweight Kevin Holland (25-10-0), Randy Brown (18-5-0), and Danny Roberts (18-8-0). He is an excellent striker with technical boxing and bricks for hands who carries power going forward and backward. On average, he lands about twice as many significant strikes as he absorbs, using excellent distance management and head movement. Maddalena throws everything in combination and is excellent at changing levels, attacking the head and body evenly. He is one of the most defensively sound strikers, always keeping his guard high and tight, and has defended 67% of strikes thrown at him. Training at Scrappy MMA, he fights behind his jab and often strings together long, seven or 8-piece combinations that badly damage his opponent. While Maddalena won’t usually go to the ground, he’s shown great scrambles, takedown defense, and an ability to escape in deep waters.
#13 Kevin Holland vs. Michael “Venom” Page
Kevin Holland knocks out Santiago Ponzinibbio. Credit: Zuffa, LLC.
Welterweight Bout
Kevin Holland: 25-10-0, 13 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.
Michael Page: 21-2-0, 13 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Holland has won two of his last five fights and has wins over #13 ranked Middleweight Anthony Hernandez (12-2-0), #14 ranked Welterweight Michael Chiesa (18-7-0), and Joaquin Buckley (17-6-0). Willing to engage the fight anywhere, he’s dangerous at all times and is constantly pursuing a finish. He’s an aggressive striker, typically throwing combinations and always willing to brawl. Holland does a great job of moving in and out of the pocket, although he has no problem hanging close to exchange on the inside. Training at Travis Lutter BJJ, he tends to throw kicks at range, using his kicks to set up his hands, often throwing kicks naked or at the start of a combination. He pushes a consistent pace throughout the fight, always coming forward and pushing the action. In 20 bouts in the promotion, he’s only seen the judges seven times and can produce finishes from anywhere.
Michael Page finishes Goiti Yamauchi with leg kicks. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Page has won four of his last five bouts and is making his UFC debut. Arguably the biggest star in Bellator history, he held a record of 17-2 in the promotion in his decade-long tenure. One of the most dangerous kickboxers in the sport, he has a fantastic arsenal of flashy kicks and flashier celebrations. Training at London Shootfighters, Page is in perpetual motion, keeping his hands down and his stance wide, looking for openings to land devastating kicks or combinations. He never telegraphs his attacks, constantly changes his target, and has fantastic distance management. He won’t typically pursue grappling exchanges but has solid takedown defense and submissions. With 13 finishes in the first round, Page is most dangerous early on.
#3 Dustin Poirier vs. #12 Benoît Saint Denis
Dustin Poirier lands a left hand on Dan Hooker. Credit: Essentially Sports.
Lightweight Bout
Dustin Poirier: 29-8-0, 15 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Benoît Saint Denis: 13-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.
Poirier has won 3 of his last five fights and has wins over former UFC champions Conor McGregor (22-6-0), Max Holloway (25-7-0), and Eddie Alvarez (30-8-0). He’s been in the UFC for over a decade and has established himself as one of the best boxers in the sport, possessing power and speed in both hands. He pushes a heavy pace and always comes forward, averaging about 91 significant strikes landed in his last five wins. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu along with his exceptional boxing, making him dangerous everywhere. Training at American Top Team, he’s averaging over one takedown landed per fight and over one submission attempt. Poirier is a true veteran, having fought nearly every significant name at Featherweight and Lightweight, and he can finish a fight from anywhere.
Benoît Saint Denis throws a front kick at Matt Frevola. Credit: Yahoo Sports.
Saint-Denis has won all of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Ismael Bonfim (19-4-0), Thiago Moises (17-7-0), and Matt Frevola (11-4-1). A well-rounded scrapper, he’s constantly pressuring forward with heavy kicks and throwing bombs. He throws everything with fight-ending intentions and uses his striking to get inside and pursue takedowns. Saint-Denis is an excellent grappler, holding a black belt in Judo, a brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and a great variety of submissions on his record. Training at CYFIT, he typically secures takedowns quickly and has heavy top control, always choosing position over submission and rarely putting himself in risky spots. Whether on the feet or the mat, he’s always trying to end the fight and is always dangerous. A decorated veteran and former Special Forces paratrooper, Saint-Denis is incredibly tough and has possibly the best chin in the Lightweight division.
(C) Sean O’Malley vs. #5 Marlon Vera
Sean O’Malley looks to land ground and pound on Aljamain Sterling. Credit: The Independent.
Bantamweight Title Bout
Sean O’Malley: 17-1-0, 12 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Marlon Vera: 23-8-1, 8 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.
O’Malley has won 4 of his last five outings with one no-contest and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Bantamweight Aljamain Sterling (23-4-0), #4 ranked Bantamweight Petr Yan (16-5-0), and Thomas Almeida (22-5-0). He’s a wild, flashy striker, throwing out a variety of spinning and flying kicks seemingly at will. Averaging over seven significant strikes landed per minute; he’s always pursuing a finish, holding knockout wins in more than half of his bouts in the promotion. Training at MMA Lab, O’Malley rarely engages in grappling exchanges, preferring to stay at range and pick his opponent apart with long punches and kicks. Beyond his arsenal of flashy attacks, his most dangerous weapons are his straight punches, often putting them at the end of combinations and regularly resulting in knockdowns or knockouts. O’Malley carries his power throughout the fight and can produce a finish anytime.
Marlon Vera lands a head kick on Rob Font. Credit: Sportskeeda.
Vera has won four of his last five fights and has wins over #9 ranked Bantamweight Rob Font (20-8-0), #12 ranked Bantamweight Dominick Cruz (24-4-0), and his current opponent, Sean O’Malley. He is an experienced veteran with a diverse striking game and a granite chin. In his last five fights, he has absorbed, on average, about 140 significant strikes, something utterly absurd due to the fact that he won four of those bouts. Vera improves as the fight continues and can land damage inside or at range, with some particularly dangerous clinch striking. He stays technical across five rounds and regularly switches stances, holding power in both hands but never telegraphing or loading up. He supplies his opponent with a constant dose of kicks, constantly throwing various attacks with his legs, all with heavy power. Vera has dangerous BJJ and slick submissions, so although he’s most comfortable on the feet, he can find a finish anywhere.
Best Bets
Yan vs. Yadong to Go the Distance: This is easily the closest matchup on the card. Both have incredibly similar styles and granite chins, so while I can’t definitively predict a winner, I’d be shocked to see a finish in this one.
Dustin Poirier Moneyline: Saînt-Denis is undeniably a killer, and it seems the UFC is ready to strap a rocket to his back and send him to the top. Still, he would’ve benefitted from another fight or two before cracking the top five; going from fighting Matt Frevola directly to Poirier is a crazy leap in competition. Poirier has plenty left to give to the sport and will show that this Saturday.
Marlon Vera Moneyline: While I don’t place a ton of stock in their first meeting, I still think Chito is a very tough stylistic matchup for O’Malley. Regardless of what you hit Vera with, he’s going to stay right in your face and make you fight his style of fight. While O’Malley showed a lot of toughness in his fight with Petr Yan, I don’t think he can weather the storm Vera will bring this Saturday.
