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UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

Alex Ballentine

International Fight Week concludes with one of the biggest attractions MMA has to offer, with Jon Jones set to defend his light heavyweight title against Thiago Santos in Las Vegas at UFC 239. 

The offerings don't stop there, though. Amanda Nunes will attempt to cement her legacy as the greatest women's mixed martial artist of all time by knocking off yet another former champion in Holly Holm. 

The most intriguing bout on the card might be the welterweight clash between Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren. The winner is likely a No. 1 contender, and between Askren's penchant for trash talk and Masvidal's exciting style, it brings a lot of intrigue to the card. 

Odds via MMABettingOdds.com

        

UFC 239 Fight Card

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Prelims (ESPN at 8 p.m. ET)

Prelims (UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ at 6:15 p.m. ET)

      

Predictions

Jones Nullifies Santos' Power

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Jones has faced some strong competition throughout his career. From Shogun Rua and Lyoto Machida to Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson, he's defeated the who's who of light heavyweights from his era and the one previous to it. 

When it's all said and done, Santos isn't likely to crack the top five of his most impressive wins. 

The Brazilian has never held a championship, and he also has knockout losses to David Branch and Eric Spicely on his record. 

But he boasts real knockout power. He's only fought three times at light heavyweight, but all three have resulted in knockout wins, and that's about the only thing that gives him a shot in this fight. 

Even though he's coming from the middleweight division, he still has good size for a light heavyweight. At 6'2" with a 76" reach, he's just as big as anyone else who has challenged Bones for the title. Still, he'll be much smaller than Jones, who stands at 6'4" with 84 inches of reach. 

Santos' use of leg kicks to set up his powerful punching sets him apart from most of Jones' challengers. If Santos stands a chance, it's through the heavy use of those leg kicks to eventually set up knockout blows. 

However, Jones has fended off fighters with many more tools in the bag than Santos. His use of range and the clinch makes it hard for fighters to stay in boxing range where Santos could thrive.

Marreta has just enough to market this fight, but not likely enough to actually pick up the win. 

Prediction: Jones via fourth-round TKO

        

Nunes Adds Holm to Her Resume 

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Nunes has amassed the best resume in women's MMA. She's defeated Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Valentina Shevchenko and, most impressively, Cris Cyborg. 

Basically, if a woman has accomplished something in this era of the UFC, Nunes has defeated her. 

Except for Holm, of course. Holm is no stranger to long odds. She'll forever be the woman who ended Ronda Rousey's streak to win the bantamweight crown. Now she'll try to add another massive upset to her resume. 

Unfortunately, Holm just hasn't shown the skill set to make that happen. The win over Rousey was the result of a perfect storm of a stylistic mismatch. Holm's kickboxing was the perfect foil to Rousey's less-than-impressive striking, and she caught her at the right time. 

Since that momentous win, she's just 2-4 in the Octagon. 

If her plan is to once again try to turn a fight into a kickboxing match, that's not going to go well for her. Nunes has won 12 of her 17 professional wins by knockout, and she will ultimately find her chin. 

Instead, Holm will need to employ a gritty style that includes plenty of clinch work to try to work Nunes to the mat and test her cardio. 

That's easier said than done, as one does not simply take the Lioness down with ease. Holm will have to spend too much time in boxing range where Nunes' power will ultimately win out. 

Prediction: Nunes via second-round TKO

       

Askren Does Askren Things to Masvidal

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The welterweight bout between Masvidal and Askren is about as contrasting stylistically as it gets. Askren is a methodical, prodding wrestler. He's a fighter who is all too willing to grind out an opponent and turn their will to dust in a fight that isn't going to please the fans. 

Masvidal grew up literally fighting on the streets and brings a toughness and willingness to throw down that's hard to match. In short, he's a fan favorite.

However, his willingness to fight anyone anywhere and under any terms of engagement is tough to bring against Askren. Fighting against Askren means avoiding grappling at all costs and utilizing explosiveness and power on the feet to dissuade his relentless takedown game. 

There's definitely a path to victory for Gamebred, but it's hard to see him pulling it off. 

Masvidal is the king of the split-decision loss. Sometimes a lack of urgency hurts him on the scorecards—he often lets his opponent set up the pace and style of the fight. 

That will cost him against Askren, who is an elite wrestler and will take him up on the opportunity to turn this into a heavy grapple fest for three rounds. 

Prediction: Askren via decision

   

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