UFC August

UFC: Yoel Romero-Uriah Hall targeted for August

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The UFC held their match making meeting on Tuesday, and the fight news is coming fast and furious. The UFC is targeting Yoel Romero (13-5) and Uriah Hall (15-9) for an event in August per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

Yoel Romero, the UFC’s ageless fighter

There is no doubting the greatness of Yoel Romero. Yes, you might look at Romero’s record over the past three years and wonder, but Romero is at the very top of the middleweight division. Romero is just 1-4 in his last five fights, but those four losses were all razor close decision losses to the top three middleweights in the UFC. If we are being honest, I believe he won the second Robert Whittaker fight which would have made him the middleweight champion. Romero is a freak of nature. At 43-years-old, Romero doesn’t seem to age at all. Romero is coming off of a loss to current champion, Israel Adesanya. This seems to be a good reset fight for Romero. On paper, Romero is going to be a massive favorite, and this should be the kind of fight that can kick start his journey back to a title shot.

Uriah Hall’s Golden Opportunity

This is a golden opportunity for Uriah Hall. There was nobody in the history of the “Ultimate Fighter” who had more hype than Hall did coming off of his season in 2013/ Everyone, including myself, thought he would become the next big superstar in the UFC. However, since leaving the TUF house, Hall is 8-7 in his UFC career. He had a highlight reel win against Gegard Mousasi, but outside of that, he’s lost every opportunity he’s had going up against the top guys in the division. Hall has won two straight fights, but if he’s able to pull off a victory against Yoel Romero, it would make a huge statement. Hall is currently ranked tenth, but a win over Romero might get him inside the top five. He could possibly be just two wins away from a shot at the title.

UFC: Derrick Lewis-Alexey Oleinik to headline August 8th Fight Night

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One of the more popular figures in the UFC will be making his return on August 8th. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the always-entertaining, Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (23-7, 1 NC), will be making his return in a headlining fight against top-15 heavyweight, Alexey Oleinik.

The Black Beast is looking for another UFC title shot

Derrick Lewis became a sensation after his come from behind knockout of Alexander Volkov at UFC 229. The most watched UFC PPV in history featured Lewis knocking out Volkov with just seconds remaining in the fight, after he had been losing the entire time. Lewis’ post-fight interviewing skills are legendary, and a star was born that night. Lewis went from the Volkov fight to fighting for the title against Daniel Cormier. Lewis lost that fight then he lost again to former champion, Junior dos Santos. Since that loss, Lewis has bounced back with back-to-back victories over Blagoy Ivanov and Ilir Latifi. Lewis is currently ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the UFC, and a victory on August 8th would put him in the title conversation once again.

Seasoned and Tested

Probably the most seasoned fighter in the UFC is heavyweight, Alexey Oleinik. At 42-years-old, Oleinik has fought 73 times professionally to a record of 59-13-1. Oleinik hit a bump in the road in 2019 after losing fights to Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Oleinik has bounced back strong in 2020. Oleinik has fought and won twice this year against Maurice Green and former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum. A win over Lewis would be massive for Oleinik. Oleinik is currently ranked as the 11th best heavyweight in the UFC, but a win over Lewis would vault him closer to the top five.