UFC 250 preview: Amanda Nunes returns to face Felicia Spencer
UFC is moving full steam ahead and all eyes are turning to UFC 250 which is set to take place this weekend inside the UFC Apex Arena in Las Vegas. This card fight card has plenty for die hard fight
fans to get excited about. In the main event, Amanda Nunes will be putting her women’s
featherweight championship on the line against Felicia Spencer. The co-main event will feature a fight between Raphael Assuncao and Cody Garbrandt to see who deserves a shot at the vacant bantamweight title. The card will also feature two key bouts for the title race in the men’s bantamweight and the welterweight division respectively.
Amanda Nunes
This weekend, Amanda Nunes seeks to make history by becoming the first fighter — male or female — to successfully defend their UFC Title in two different weight classes, while holding both belts simultaneously. This is the first time “The Lioness” will defend the featherweight title she claimed in
an impressive fashion at UFC 232 against Cris Cyborg. She holds wins over Miesha Tate, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey and now will look to add another legend to her resume when she looks to defend her featherweight title against Felicia Spencer. Speaking to the media before the fight The
Lioness said “I beat all the good girls, the champions and the former champions. All of those girls are very tough girls and those fights made me who I am today. Now, if I have to go through a war to defend my legacy and the title, I’m going to. That’ll make me stronger. I am the ‘Lioness.”
Felicia Spencer
For the 29-year-old Spencer, it’s a chance to shock the world by defeating , arguably, the greatest female fighter of all-time in just her fourth trip into the UFC Octagon. Spencer suffered her lone career defeat last July, a unanimous decision loss to Cyborg at UFC 240, but quickly established
herself as a contender with a bounce-back win over Zarah Fairn earlier this year. Spencer seems as composed as any challenger could be. She has a calm in her approach to this fight despite all the talk of Nunes’ greatness. Speaking to the media before the fight, Felicia said ““I think I actually match up
better with Nunes than Cyborg. Cyborg is very aggressive, she’s extremely well rounded but she’s
maybe known to be more explosive. If Amanda tried to match my style, I’d come out on top because my grinding pressure is better than anyone. I have the ability to find a way to win in a special way that other people don’t. In this weight class, a lot of girls hit hard, so it’s not the first time I’ve felt
power like that. But it definitely gives me the confidence that I belong in the cage with them.”
Will the Brazilian champion show once again why she is the queen of the jungle or will the unflinching challenger saunter into the Octagon and usher in a new era in the featherweight division?
Bantamweight Bout (Co-Main Event) – Raphael Assuncao vs Cody Garbrandt
With a chance to fight their way to a title bout in the bantamweight division due to the shocking retirement of Henry Cejudo, both these fighters will be extra motivated to win the fight and rise up in the pecking order for a shot at the vacant Bantamweight Title
Raphael Assuncao
Assuncao made his divisional debut in 2011 and has boasted wins victories over Sterling, TJ Dillashaw, Pedro Munhoz, and Marlon Moraes, to name a few. Injuries have been the Brazilian’s greatest nemesis over the last several years and with lot of new fighters climbing up the ladder in the
bantamweight division, his second push towards a title shot got delayed. Speaking to the media before UFC 250, the Brazilian said, “I think the fight game is a pretty sincere game. If you go out and get 10 knockouts, you’re going to be appreciated. If you’re a champion who is able to defend the belt
a couple times, you get appreciated. I’ve worked as hard as I can to be able to stay relevant in the division, as a Top 5 fighter for a long time and it shows. You can’t deny that I’ve been a Top 10 fighter for a number of years, and I appreciate that. I have to make adjustments and I’m very critical
of myself. He will see two to three different versions of me in the Octagon, not just one.”
featherweight championship on the line against Felicia Spencer. The co-main event will feature a fight between Raphael Assuncao and Cody Garbrandt to see who deserves a shot at the vacant bantamweight title. The card will also feature two key bouts for the title race in the men’s bantamweight and the welterweight division respectively.
Amanda Nunes
This weekend, Amanda Nunes seeks to make history by becoming the first fighter — male or female — to successfully defend their UFC Title in two different weight classes, while holding both belts simultaneously. This is the first time “The Lioness” will defend the featherweight title she claimed in
an impressive fashion at UFC 232 against Cris Cyborg. She holds wins over Miesha Tate, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey and now will look to add another legend to her resume when she looks to defend her featherweight title against Felicia Spencer. Speaking to the media before the fight The
Lioness said “I beat all the good girls, the champions and the former champions. All of those girls are very tough girls and those fights made me who I am today. Now, if I have to go through a war to defend my legacy and the title, I’m going to. That’ll make me stronger. I am the ‘Lioness.”
Felicia Spencer
For the 29-year-old Spencer, it’s a chance to shock the world by defeating , arguably, the greatest female fighter of all-time in just her fourth trip into the UFC Octagon. Spencer suffered her lone career defeat last July, a unanimous decision loss to Cyborg at UFC 240, but quickly established
herself as a contender with a bounce-back win over Zarah Fairn earlier this year. Spencer seems as composed as any challenger could be. She has a calm in her approach to this fight despite all the talk of Nunes’ greatness. Speaking to the media before the fight, Felicia said ““I think I actually match up
better with Nunes than Cyborg. Cyborg is very aggressive, she’s extremely well rounded but she’s
maybe known to be more explosive. If Amanda tried to match my style, I’d come out on top because my grinding pressure is better than anyone. I have the ability to find a way to win in a special way that other people don’t. In this weight class, a lot of girls hit hard, so it’s not the first time I’ve felt
power like that. But it definitely gives me the confidence that I belong in the cage with them.”
Will the Brazilian champion show once again why she is the queen of the jungle or will the unflinching challenger saunter into the Octagon and usher in a new era in the featherweight division?
Bantamweight Bout (Co-Main Event) – Raphael Assuncao vs Cody Garbrandt
With a chance to fight their way to a title bout in the bantamweight division due to the shocking retirement of Henry Cejudo, both these fighters will be extra motivated to win the fight and rise up in the pecking order for a shot at the vacant Bantamweight Title
Raphael Assuncao
Assuncao made his divisional debut in 2011 and has boasted wins victories over Sterling, TJ Dillashaw, Pedro Munhoz, and Marlon Moraes, to name a few. Injuries have been the Brazilian’s greatest nemesis over the last several years and with lot of new fighters climbing up the ladder in the
bantamweight division, his second push towards a title shot got delayed. Speaking to the media before UFC 250, the Brazilian said, “I think the fight game is a pretty sincere game. If you go out and get 10 knockouts, you’re going to be appreciated. If you’re a champion who is able to defend the belt
a couple times, you get appreciated. I’ve worked as hard as I can to be able to stay relevant in the division, as a Top 5 fighter for a long time and it shows. You can’t deny that I’ve been a Top 10 fighter for a number of years, and I appreciate that. I have to make adjustments and I’m very critical
of myself. He will see two to three different versions of me in the Octagon, not just one.”
Cody Garbrandt
Former UFC bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt, is plotting his comeback story with UFC 250. Garbrandt hasn’t competed since March last year when he was knocked out by Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235.That put him on a three-fight losing streak following his previous two knockout defeats to TJ Dillashaw. “No Love” will get a chance this weekend to show he has fixed those past errors and is ready to reignite his quest to regain the bantamweight title he previously won in such impressive fashion against Dominick Cruz at UFC 207. Speaking to the media ahead of the fight, Cody said, “For me, I’m in the sport to be the best. I’m here to take the throne again. The past is behind me. I honestly wake up every day and feel blessed it’s a new day. I’ve got air in my lungs and love in my heart and that’s all I need to go out there and put the work in. it will pay off.”
(Source - UFC)
