Predictions for upcoming fights (this from someone who doesn't watch many fights but follows MMA news)

Bellator Men's Featherweight Grand Prix- Quarterfinals

Patricio Freire v. Pedro Carvalho 

*Carvalho will make things interesting early and lead 2-1 after three rounds but Freire shows that he's the Bellator double-champ for a reason to win by submission early in round five after putting together a 10-6 or 10-7 fourth round.

Daniel Weichel v. Emmanuel Sanchez 

*Sanchez will make things interesting early enough to have the bout tied 1-1 through two but Weichel will use his wrestling background and twenty-two career submission wins to great effect to control round three and win by submission in the final minute 

Bellator Men's Featherweight Grand Prix- Semifinals

AJ McKee v. Darrion Caldwell

*AJ will put together a dominant first two rounds, Caldwell will mount a fightback in round three but to no avail as McKee will use ground-and-pound to his advantage for the win by knockout in round three

UFC Men's Bantamweight Championship

Petr Yan v. Aljamain Sterling

I see this going the distance but Sterling uses the stronger round four and five to claim the title. We'll hear "and new" by unanimous decision: 48-47 across the board

UFC Women's Featherweight Championship

Amanda Nunes v. Megan Anderson

Anderson does just enough in the first three rounds to make it interesting but Nunes absolutely slams the door in the fourth round, bloodying Anderson to warrant some kind of stoppage- doctor, corner, or TKO. Either way, we hear "and still".  

UFC Men's Bantamweight Bout

Marlon Moraes v. Rob Font

The first two rounds are even but man alive does Font get his second wind in round three- a submission with just seconds left following absolutely brutal offense.

UFC Men's Heavyweight Championship scheduled for March

Stipe Miocic v. Francis Ngannou 2

The first four rounds are 2-2 and the final round is one for the ages- picture Lawler v. Condit or something to that effect. In a final minute that Ngannou seems to be winning, Miocic pins him against the fence only for Ngannou to stun him and everyone with a knockout blow with just seconds left in round five. In a fight of the year candidate just three months in, Ngannou asserts himself the man to beat as we hear "and new".       

UFC Questions

Should Alexander Volkanovski defend his featherweight title against Brian Ortega? 

I'm not sold, honestly. That was Ortega's first fight in almost two years. Have him face the higher-ranked of Rodriguez and Magomedsharipov in a title eliminator. 

Why is the UFC's inactivity standard so interesting?

Who knows, man. Tatiana Suarez and Leon Edwards get booted after sitting out for a little over a year, but Conor McGregor is still ranked at lightweight despite his last bout there in October of 2018 and Brian Ortega was still in the featherweight top five heading into his most recent bout- a gap of twenty-two months. 

What's the next best fight for Donald Cerrone?

Clay Guida at lightweight- both have been around a long time and both have things to prove based on their recent track records 

Why Edwards should face Masvidal

Ninth straight win (and a paycheck) if Edwards wins

Another potential title shot if Masvidal wins

Why Leon Edwards should be the number-two contender

He's won eight straight, all at 170. Simple. 

Is Khamzat Chimaev the right next fight for Leon Edwards?

Not in my opinion- have Burns face Usman for the title, pen Edwards as the number-two contender or give him a matchup with Masvidal, and have Chimaev face Neil Magny. 

Why is Greg Hardy still getting fights in the Octagon?

I've been thinking about this for quite some time- I don't think he deserves any of the bouts he's been getting- but I think I know the answer. The UFC is a business, and they want people to watch their fights. People who hate Greg Hardy and hate that he's still on the UFC roster will be tuning in to watch him lose. 

How does Justin Gaethje fit into the lightweight title picture now?

If the UFC makes McGregor-Poirier 2 for the title, I'd have Gaethje fight the winner. 

If Amanda Nunes defeats Megan Anderson in December, is that it for the women's featherweight division?

You'd think so, but if that's the case Dana White would be releasing some of his women's featherweight fighters-although he might wait until after December 12th. If I was Dana White, I'd be seeing if some of the lower-ranked bantamweights would want to move up. 

Tokyo Summer Games- Water Polo Qualifying

The final women's qualifier tournament- January 17th through the 24th

Group A: France, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia and Uzbekistan 

Group B: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Kazakhstan and New Zealand 

The final men's qualifier tournament- February 21st through the 28th 

Group A: Brazil, Canada, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro and Turkey 

Group B: Croatia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Romania and Russia

Road to the Tokyo Summer Games

The women's water polo world qualifier tournament for the final two spots will start January 17th and conclude on January 24th 

February 18th

Women's soccer: Africa-South America playoff first leg between Cameroon and Chile for final Olympic spot 

February 19th

Women's soccer- Asia qualifiers- first leg between China and South Korea for final Asia spot

February 21st

Men's water polo- World qualifier tournament starts for final three spots

February 24th

Women's soccer- Asia qualifiers- final leg between China and South Korea for final Asia spot 

Women's soccer: Africa-South America playoff final leg between Cameroon and Chile for final Olympic spot 

February 28th

Men's water polo- World qualifier tournament concludes for final three spots 

April 8th

Draws for the men's and women's soccer tournaments