Last nights event marked the first pay-per-view event of our MMANews Fantasy League. UFC 224 was filled with breathtaking fights that captivated the Rio de Janeiro crowd. Home heroes prevailed, but some were unable to do enough to earn the victory. The atmosphere inside the Jeunesse Arena reminded MMA fans why Brazil is considered by many as the birthplace of MMA.
Going into UFC 224, there were many bouts that were considered as difficult to predict. Perhaps the most difficult was the co-main event of the evening between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and a fighter who many experts believe has the potential to be a future champion, Kelvin Gastelum. This matchup divided many MMA fans and after seeing the bout, it’s easy to see why. Both men had their moments in the fight. The first round saw Ronaldo Souza take the fight to the ground, attempting a late armbar before the round ended.
In the second round Gastelum came back with a heavy striking offence, landing heavy shots throughout and dropping a tired and weathered Souza in the process. Amongst the exchanges, Souza was able to land some hard counter strikes of his own, but the second round seemed to be in favour of Kelvin Gastelum. Going into this bout, it was believed that Souza would struggle to hang with Gastelum when it came to the striking exchanges, but although he was hurt on numerous occasions throughout the bout, Souza held his own and landed some hard blows.
The third round continued in the same vein, with both men landing hard shots and moving forward. Souza moved forward like a zombie and took much of the damage dealt in the third round. Gastelum turned up the volume going into the final few minutes, sealing the victory in a split decision win.
On my MMANews Fantasy League Tips for UFC 224, I believed that Gastelum would be able to keep the fight standing and finish the fight on the feet. This prediction was not far off. He kept the fight standing for the majority of the bout, and Souza’s heart and determination were the reason why Gastelum was unable to finish the fight inside three rounds.
Overall, UFC 224 was a success and thank you to everyone who competed in this events instalment of the MMANews Fantasy League.
A winner has been crowned… congratulations to Chrisk17050, who predicted an incredible 10 correct results out of 13 earning an astonishing 2960 points. Your name will be added to the Winner’s Wall when it is up and running! A special mention to War Dog, who made 3 perfect predictions.
Our next MMANews Fantasy League event is UFC Fight Night: Maia vs Usman. It will take place on May 19, 2018, at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.
Stay tuned to MMANews for our Fantasy League top tips article coming on the Wednesday before the event.
You can still join our MMANews Fantasy League! For all information click here.
