UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega staff picks and predictions

The Bloody Elbow team has submitted its forecasts for UFC 231, and while everyone who wrote something up chosen Max Holloway over Brian Ortega, overall opinion is fairly divided. As for the co-main occasion, again things are divided as to who will prevail involving Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Valentina Shevchenko. It’s excellent to have toss-up title conflicts like these two, is not it?
Note: Predictions are entered during the week and collected the day before the event. Explanations behind each pick are not required and a few authors opt to not do this for their own reasons. By way of instance, if Phil Mackenzie entered all of his predictions on Wednesday without incorporating in any explanationshe has no idea if he is likely to be the only one siding with a single fighter for any specific fight.
Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega
Anton Tabuena: This really is fairly simple to me. Barring any weird health issues, Max Holloway should fully run through Ortega here. Holloway is just much better and far more dangerous than the rest of the folks Ortega has beaten. This is clearly still MMA and Ortega has proven that he has adequate power, but he certainly won’t pick apart someone as technically adept as Holloway. I believe this will seem a good deal like Ortega’s past spells, but he’ll have a far worse beating and will not be able to fix that miracle comeback. Max Holloway by TKO.
Mookie Alexander: There’s a degree of unsustainability to Ortega’s love of completing battles over winning rounds, and Holloway is a masterful round winner. I am obviously assuming we are receiving the best version of Max Holloway, therefore that is the key here. Ortega has increased tremendously as a striker, but up until this stage, Holloway has proven a ridiculous chin and he’s probably not the person who you want to take part in a high-paced brawl with. Ortega loves the jumping guillotine, I suspect Holloway will be prepared for that, and he’s a damn good grappler in his very own right. Takedowns are unlikely on both sides, and Ortega specifically has revealed himself to be not especially good at shooting his opponents down in the first place. While Ortega is very dangerous based on what we’ve seen from him in recent fights, I trust Holloway to do more harm and prevent the timeless Ortega comeback. Max Holloway by unanimous conclusion.
Zane Simon: Ortega’s fight against Frankie Edgar was something of a revelation. He has always been always been reckless, but that was the very first time his striking style – assembled around a lot slicker moves and frequently a lack of fundamental ones – has looked like a whole game. He worked behind the jab, feinted, pulled out predictable responses and changed up his entrances to club Frankie into unconsciousness. It was damn pretty. Additionally, it suggests that it’s hard to say just how much more improved Ortega could be now. Without seeing more consistency and variety to his game, and without seeing an ability to keep output multiple hard hitting rounds, I have to pick Holloway. His ability to push a speed then to up that pace because his competitors tire, his capacity to change targets in conjunction and open up new combinations off sooner, easier ones, just aren’t skills that Ortega has shown yet. And Ortega still has a history of dropping rounds he has not finished the struggle in. Despite Max’s health scare, the majority of the queries are on Ortega’s side and most of the replies are around Holloway’s. Max Holloway by choice.
Victor Rodriguez: Neither guy will be looking to take the other down, and Holloway’s clinch game is deadly. Having said this, Ortega’s been a man I’ve counted out in a lot of fights, I just feel stupid picking against him. He ought to have a range disadvantage and Max’s frenetic pace must make this difficult for him because of volume, but Ortega doesn’t get hit that far and seems to keep finding ways to pull a rabbit out of his hat. I want to pick Ortega by diving for a flying armbar from a clinch situation, but that’s a small reckless for me personally. And while I’m still worried about the fact that we still don’t understand what health issues Holloway had last time, it seems that the man that wears harm well and contains a more comprehensive and composed approach to his attacks should be able to take over as the fight continues on and employ pressure so. Max Holloway by choice.

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