UFC 185 Start Time: PPV Schedule and Pettis vs. Dos Anjos Fight Card Predictions
As pay-per-view events go, UFC 185 doesn't have a ton of curb appeal, but the action might just be better than the name recognition on the card. UFC lightweight champion Anthony "Showtime" Pettis will defend his title against Rafael dos Anjos in the main event.
In the co-feature, UFC women's strawweight champion Carla Esparza will make her first defense against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Both Dos Anjos and Jedrzejczyk are No. 1 contenders in their division, so these challenges are designed to represent the stiffest test for the two champions.
Here's a look at the start times, viewing information and predictions.
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| Larissa Pacheco vs. (No. 15) Germaine "The Iron Lady" de Randamie | Women's Bantamweight | Pacheco by submission |
| Jake "The Librarian" Lindsey vs. "Irish" Joseph Duffy | Lightweight | Duffy by submission |
| Sergio Pettis vs. Ryan "Baby Face" Benoit | Flyweight | Pettis by decision |
| Jared "The Big Show" Rosholt vs. Josh "Cuddly Bear" Copeland | Heavyweight | Rosholt by TKO |
| Daron "Detroit Superstar" Cruickshank vs. Beneil Dariush | Lightweight | Dariush by submission |
| Elias "the Spartan" Theodorou vs. Roger "Silverback" Narvaez | Middleweight | Theodorou by decision |
| Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson vs. Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout | Lightweight | Pearson by KO |
| Chris "Kamikaze" Cariaso vs. Henry "The Messenger" Cejudo | Flyweight | Cejudo by TKO (POTN) |
| (No. 8) Roy "Big Country" Nelson vs. (No. 9) Alistair "The Reem" Overeem | Heavyweight | Overeem by TKO |
| (No. 1) Johny "Big Rigg" Hendricks vs. (No. 5) "The Immortal" Matt Brown | Welterweight | Hendricks by TKO (FOTN) |
| (c) Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza vs. (No. 1) Joanna Jedrzejczyk | Women's Strawweight Championship | Esparza by submission |
| (c) Anthony "Showtime" Pettis vs. (No. 1) Rafael dos Anjos | Lightweight Championship | Pettis by submission (POTN) |
The Champions' Challenges
Jedrzejczyk's Muay-Thai
To put it plain, Jedrzejczyk wants to engage Esparza in a stand-up battle, and you can tell in the interview below from the UFC's YouTube channel that Jedrzejczyk is confident she can get the job done.
The challenger brings an impressive striking repertoire into the Octagon. She doesn't have much power, but she's able to attack from all angles.
Esparza could possibly contend with her on the feet, but the safer and smarter game plan would be to take the fight to the ground where she is more skilled and has the strength advantage.
The champion should win this bout because Jedrzejczyk lacks the explosiveness to thwart her attempts to take her down. Also, Jedrzejczyk's ground game is so underdeveloped that she should be at Esparza's mercy on the mat.
Dos Anjos' Versatility
You can't call Dos Anjos a knockout fighter or a submission specialist. He's simply a dangerous opponent with a few ways to beat anyone he faces. Pettis is undoubtedly prepared for the challenge and not taking Dos Anjos lightly.
Per John Morgan and Ken Hathaway of MMA Junkie, Pettis said this of Dos Anjos and the current elite group of 155-pound fighters [sic]:
"Honeslty, (dos Anjos) is probably the most dangerous guy I see on the lightweight roster besides Khabib. Khabib beat him, so you’ve got to say that. But other than that, dos Anjos beat (Donald) Cerrone. Dos Anjos beat (Benson) Henderson. Us three are at the top of the division, so we’re going to battle it out and see who’s best.
"
Pettis isn't just an athletic and dynamic performer, he's also one of the most cerebral and studied champions in the sport. He will be prepared and victorious on Saturday night.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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