10 Major Predictions For UFC 225: Whittaker Vs. Romero 2
6. Alistair Overeem Vs. Curtis Blaydes
If he hadn't tested positive for marijuana after facing Adam Milstead at Fight Night: Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie, Curtis Blaydes would stroll into UFC 215 on a five-fight winning streak. Overeem, meanwhile, can't put a solid run together without getting himself knocked out. Francis Ngannou was the last man to put him to sleep in December 2017, and he will need to play a smart, evasive game to avoid Blaydes' takedown, and the ground and pound threat that could follow.
Such tactics are nothing new for Overeem, who became a meme after constantly darting away from Stipe Miocic in their UFC 203 title fight. Still, there's no reason he can't defeat Blaydes. Curtis has the superior chin, but Alistair is the more technical striker, with his opponent's stand-up skills still rather robotic. He has undeniably progressed since debuting, but Blaydes ate a lot of power shots against Mark Hunt at UFC 221. There's no way he can afford to take such damage against another former K-1 Grand Prix winner.
That isn't to say Curtis doesn't have the tools, but if he can't toss Overeem around like he did Hunt, he's in trouble.
Prediction: Alistair Overeem via second-round TKO.