Daniel Cornmeat’s Breakdown: The Predator’s Return, White House Heavyweights, and Why Wrestling Always Wins

What’s up, fight fans? Daniel Cornmeat here, bringing you the real, no-nonsense breakdown for Ultimate Fight Hub. Let me tell you right now, this week has been absolutely crazy in the world of mixed martial arts. I’m sitting here at the desk, I’ve got my notes laid out, I’ve got a fresh three-piece combo from Popeyes sitting just off-camera—because Popeyes is undefeated—and I’m looking at a combat sports landscape that is making my head spin.

When I was fighting, the picture was simple. You hit hard, you wrestled hard, you made weight with discipline, and whoever didn’t get knocked out or gassed out got the gold. Today? We’ve got champions vacating, guys fighting on the lawn of the White House, legends coming out of retirement, and the scariest man on the planet leaving his promotion to fight on Netflix. Let’s get into the real meat of the day.

The Predator is Back... on Netflix?

The biggest story of the day is my man Francis Ngannou. Francis just parted ways with the PFL after taking only one MMA fight in three years. Now, everyone on the internet is talking about whether he’s coming back to the UFC. But let me tell you right now, Francis doesn't need to beg anybody for a job. He just announced he is fighting on May 16th against Philipe Lins on Netflix, co-headlining the massive Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card out in Los Angeles.

People are sleeping on this move. Francis went out there, boxed Tyson Fury, boxed Anthony Joshua, made absolute generational wealth for his family, and now he’s bringing MMA to the biggest streaming platform in the entire world. You don’t understand how hard that is to pull off in this business. As for the fight itself? Philipe Lins is a tough veteran. He’s a big Brazilian with good hands who has fought in the UFC and the PFL. But Francis Ngannou hits like a Ford Escort going 60 miles an hour.

If Lins doesn’t shoot a double leg in the first ten seconds, it’s going to be a very short night. That boy can wrestle when he needs to, but Francis’s takedown defense has gotten so much better since the first Stipe Miocic fight. I’m expecting a big, viral knockout from Ngannou, and then I’m expecting Francis to sit cageside and eat a bucket of chicken while he waits for Dana White to call him with a real, respectful offer.

The White House Heavyweight Mess

Speaking of the UFC, let’s talk about this “Freedom 250” card happening at the White House in June. They’ve got Ilia Topuria fighting Justin Gaethje for the lightweight belt, which is going to be an absolute car crash of a fight. But then they announced Alex Pereira is fighting Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.

Hold on. Stop the tape. Pereira vacates the 205-pound belt to move up to heavyweight and immediately gets an interim title fight against Gane? Meanwhile, Tom Aspinall is sitting over in the UK as the actual, undisputed interim champion, and Jon Jones is on Twitter arguing with Dana White about arthritis and contract negotiations!

Listen to me. Jon Jones is the greatest to ever step foot in the Octagon. You don’t understand the championship-level pressure that man can put on you inside that cage. He says he was lowballed for the White House card. Dana says Jon’s hips are shot. All I know is, if you put Jon Jones in front of the Lincoln Memorial, people are going to tune in. But instead, we have Pereira vs. Gane. Now, stylistically, this is a beautiful kickboxing match in four-ounce gloves.

Gane moves like a middleweight, but Pereira has that legendary touch of death. The problem for both of them? Neither of them wants to grapple. If Curtis Blaydes or Tom Aspinall were in there, they would take them down and absolutely smother them. Because at the end of the day, wrestling wins championships. But since they are fighting each other, expect a high-level striking chess match.

Chimaev vs. Strickland Headed to Newark

Let’s move down to 185 pounds. UFC 328 on May 9th is officially headlined by Khamzat Chimaev defending his middleweight championship against Sean Strickland in Newark, New Jersey.

This is the fight, ladies and gentlemen. This is the one I want to see. You have Strickland, who walks forward with that Philly Shell defense, talking trash the entire time, trying to drown you in volume and pace. And then you have Chimaev. Let me tell you right now... that boy can wrestle. Khamzat comes out of the gate like he double-parked his car outside the arena and needs to finish the fight before he gets a ticket.

People sleep on Sean Strickland’s grappling defense. He’s awkward to hold down, he creates weird scrambles, and he gets back to his feet well. But Chimaev doesn’t just take you down; he chain-wrestles. He puts that heavy Dagestani and Chechen pressure on your hips, rides your legs, and breaks your posture. If Strickland can survive the first round and a half, his cardio could make it very interesting in rounds four and five. But you don’t understand how hard it is to carry Khamzat’s body weight for ten to fifteen minutes. I’m taking Chimaev by submission, but I’ll be eating popcorn the whole time because the press conferences leading up to this are going to be legendary.

The Bantamweight Shuffle: Sterling vs. Zalal

Another fight just announced that caught my eye is Aljamain Sterling taking on Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116 in April.

Aljamain is a former champion, a guy who knows what championship-level pressure feels like. He’s trying to establish himself at 145 pounds, but now he’s fighting Zalal, who is on an eight-fight win streak. Zalal is dangerous, he’s hungry, and he has nothing to lose. But let me tell you right now, Aljamain Sterling’s back-takes are some of the best in the history of the sport. If Zalal gives up his back for even a split second during a scramble, Aljo is going to lock in that body triangle and it’s a wrap. People sleep on Aljamain because of how the O'Malley fight went, but that boy can wrestle, and I think he reminds everyone of that in April.

What It All Means for the Sport

So, what are the divisional implications here? The UFC is clearly trying to stack the deck for the summer and establish new stars. With Pereira moving up to heavyweight, the light heavyweight division is completely wide open. Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg are fighting for the vacant 205-pound belt in Miami at UFC 327. That is a guaranteed knockout waiting to happen, but whoever wins is going to have to face Magomed Ankalaev eventually, and that’s when the wrestling gets real.

The heavyweight division, though? It’s a complete traffic jam. You have Jon Jones holding the undisputed belt, Tom Aspinall holding an interim belt, Pereira and Gane fighting for another interim belt, and Francis Ngannou looming on Netflix like a ghost that hits like a freight train. At some point, these guys have to actually fight each other to unify these titles, or the UFC is going to need a bigger trophy case.

Looking Ahead to UFC Vegas 114

Before we get to all that summer madness, we have to handle business this weekend at UFC Vegas 114 at the Meta APEX. Josh Emmett is taking on the young prospect, Kevin Vallejos.

Everyone is hyping up Vallejos, calling him the next big thing at featherweight. He’s 24 years old, he’s explosive, and he’s hungry for a ranking. But people sleep on Josh Emmett. Emmett is 41 years old, but he still has absolute dynamite in his right hand. Vallejos needs to use his footwork, establish his jab, and avoid getting into a phone booth brawl with Emmett. If he gets sloppy and brawls, Emmett will put him to sleep with that overhand right. I expect the young kid to pull it out based on speed and volume, but he’s going to have to walk through the fire to do it.

Alright, that’s my time. I’ve got a spicy chicken sandwich calling my name, and I need to go watch some collegiate wrestling tape to cleanse my palate after all this kickboxing talk. Keep your hands up, your chin down, and your double-legs sharp. Daniel Cornmeat, signing off for Ultimate Fight Hub.