UFC 218 Preview
UFC 218 will be an important one for the promotion as two divisions will see two fights that will change the path of both divisions.
In the co-main event, the heavyweight division will see one of their biggest fights in years that will change the path of one of the slowest developing divisions in the promotion.
The Heavyweights are not moving as fast as many would like them to in their quest for new blood in a division full of veterans.
That could all change at UFC 218 when Francis N’Gannou takes on Alistair Overeem in a match of the brightest young star and a member of the old guard.
N’Gannou has been the next one for just over a year as everyone has seen him rise through the division with some impressive wins.
With five straight wins in the UFC, N’Gannou has become the biggest hope for a promotion looking to find heavyweights that can breathe life into the division.
He has yet to see the end of a fight-ending all of his five wins with a knockout or a submission and those exciting wins gained him plenty of talk throughout the UFC.
He quickly became the future of the division and began getting bigger and better competition.
His last fight was a big KO win over Andrei Arlovski putting one of the old guards in the division on his record.
Now he tries to take out another member of that group in Alistair Overeem looking to make another big impression.
Overeem is trying to prove that he still belongs among the top heavyweights in the division as the top contender trying to fend off a young star in the making.
This fight could be the passing of a torch from the old guard to the new star or the continuation of the same old pattern in the division.
One way or another a new contender will come out of UFC 218 as the winner of this fight will likely be the next in line to take on Stipe Miocic from the championship.
The heavyweight division will keep things moving as this fight will get things going but nobody knows in what direction.
The featherweight division hopes to do the same after a couple of years where nothing seemed to be able to happen.
A lot of that has to do with Conor McGregor who won the Featherweight title in 2015 then spent 2016 pursuing bigger things including fighting Nate Diaz twice and then moving to lightweight.
As a result, the featherweight division hung in limbo for all of 2016 leaving no champion and nobody to fight a champion that wasn’t there to fight.
That was until Jose Aldo took back the title he had lost to McGregor after beating Frankie Edgar for the interim title and then being named the undisputed champion when McGregor was stripped of the belt.
The second reign of Aldo didn’t last too long as Max Holloway beat Aldo in his first title defence back as a champion.
That began a new era in the division as the man with one of the longest winning streak in the UFC was now a champion and could begin his reign at the top.
No longer was the champion more interested in other pursuits leaving the division in limbo as Holloway was ready to begin his pursuit of being the best champion in the UFC.
It was just about to start when Holloway was set to take on Edgar in his first title defence but an injury changed things.
Instead, the division stalled a little more when Aldo stepped in to try to take his title back with an immediate rematch.
It is a stall for the division but this fight will hopefully unplug the division and get things going so either Aldo or Holloway can begin a reign and start trying to take out contenders.
Both the heavyweight division and the featherweight division are looking to get things moving after a few years of nothing.
The winner of either fight will determine how that goes though as both fights could end with a lot of the same situations in place.
Should Alistair win the heavyweight division will remain one of veterans while the brightest young prospect takes a back seat.
If Aldo wins there is a likelihood of a third fight between these two and that means that the featherweight division will stall once again.
If N’Gannou and Holloway can take wins they will begin a new era and show a bright future for the new year where a rough end to 2017 can be erased by massive potential.
The Sport Addiction 