The upcoming UFC 198 will be held on May 14th, at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. The event will start up early, with four preliminary bouts on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m. ET. The pay-per-view main card event will start at 10 p.m. ET.
The card is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Fabricio Werdum, who is a legend in Brazil. It will also feature a battle between UFC veteran Anderson Silva and the up and coming Uriah Hall. There will also be a fight between the controversial Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, making her first UFC appearance, and Leslie Smith.
Check out our betting odds on the UFC 198 fights right here.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic
Current odds: Stipe Miocic +130 Fabricio Werdum -170
Records: Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1), Stipe Miocic (14-2)
After almost a year of waiting, Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1) will defend his heavyweight title at UFC 198 against (14-2) Stipe Miocic. Miocic comes from an NCAA Division I wrestling background and he has a Golden Gloves championship under his belt, but may face a struggle against the 38-year-old defender, who is known for his devastating submissions. Werdum is also on a roll lately, with six straight wins, four of them by stoppage. If Miocic can get in some solid strikes, he might surprise everyone with an underdog win, and since the UFC has provided more than one shocking upset lately, I’m going to predict another in this fight.
Prediction: Miocic by Decision
Ronaldo Souza vs. Vitor Belfort
Current odds: Vitor Belfort +205 Ronaldo Souza -280
Vitor Belfort has been around a long time. He’s almost 40 years old and his career in the UFC has been plagued by drug controversies. That said, he’s a powerful striker and won six of his last eight fights and is coming in off a win over Dan Henderson. This match up against Ronaldo Souza could be too much for him to handle though, as Souza is overall the better fighter who is also younger and in better shape. Belfort likes to finish fights, so if he manages to stay on his feet, this match could be a grind that will end in a decision.
Prediction: Souza by Decision
Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith
Current odds: Leslie Smith +800 Cristiane Cyborg -1350
Cyborg will enter the octagon this weekend with a 15-1 record. She’s won 87% of her fights by knockout, and there’s no indication that her first official UFC fight will be something different. The UFC is interested in promoting her as a marquee fighter, so they’ve likely set up this match so that she has a very good chance of winning it, hence the -1350 odds she’s currently posting. To be fair though, the last fight with odds that lopsided was Rousey vs. Holm. Leslie Smith isn’t Holly Holm however, so I don’t see this fight going her way, or very long for that matter.
Prediction: Cyborg by TKO
UPDATE: Silva forced to withdraw from the card after reporting pain in his abdominal area. No replacement will be scheduled to fight Uriah Hall.
Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall
Current odds: Uriah Hall n/a Anderson Silva n/a
Anderson Silva hasn’t been the same since suffering what has to be one of the most gruesome injuries in UFC history at UFC 168. He’s 41, hasn’t won a fight since 2012, and is coming in off a recent loss to Michael Bisping. Uriah Hall isn’t exactly a consistent winner either, and this fight is likely an attempt by the UFC to bring him some attention by pitting him against an aging star who’s a decade older than him. Four of Hall’s last five wins have come by knockout, and he’ll try to repeat that here in Silva’s backyard. I see this fight going to a decision for the younger fighter.
Prediction: Uriah Hall by Decision
Mauricio Rua vs. Corey Anderson
Current odds: Mauricio Rua +200 Corey Anderson -280
This light heavyweight bout between Brazil’s Mauricio Rua (23-10), and the American winner of the Ultimate Fighter season 19, Corey Anderson (8-1) will likely be an easy win for Anderson, who is not only younger than Rua, but is also the faster fighter with harder strikes. Anderson wants to make it into the top ten fighters in his division, and he has been winning and performing consistently, taking five of his last six fights.
Prediction: Anderson by Decision
UFC 198 Full Fight Card
Main Card Heavyweight: Fabrício Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic Middleweight: Ronaldo Souza vs. Vitor Belfort Catchweight (140 lbs): Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith Light Heavyweight: Maurício Rua vs. Corey Anderson
Preliminary Card Welterweight: Demian Maia vs. Matt Brown Welterweight: Warlley Alves vs. Bryan Barberena Middleweight: Thiago Santos vs. Nate Marquardt Bantamweight: John Lineker vs. Rob Font
Preliminary Card Light Heavyweight: Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Patrick Cummins Lightweight: Francisco Trinaldo vs. Yancy Medeiros Welterweight: Sérgio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas Featherweight: Renato Moicano vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
