UFC Champion #JonJones Is Looking Strong For His Heavyweight 

UFC Champion #JonJones Is Looking Strong For His Heavyweight 

On Saturday night, Jones is back in action and training partner Don'Tale Mayes reports he looks great for his heavyweight deb. He had some words to say about challenger Augusto Sakai as well.

At the pre-fight media day, Mayes discussed Jones' key takedown defenses that he expects in the fight and gave his opinion on how Sakai can avoid being taken down.

Don’Tale Mayes vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab

One of the highlights on UFC 277 this Saturday is Don'Tale Mayes and Hamdy Abdelwahab's heavyweight bout. This contest promises to be tough, with plenty of unknowns.

Mayes is a physically impressive man with nine wins and five losses, all by knockout or TKO. Most of his opponents remain anonymous, but he did take on current #1 ranked heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane at UFC Fight Night 162 where he ultimately fell victim to a third-round submission (heel hook).

In a division that's currently stacked with strikers, Mayes should have no problem taking down Abdelwahab. As an ex-GLORY kickboxer, his striking may not be up to par with some of the top lights in this division but he should still be able to put his opponent in an advantageous position.

Mayes should have a major advantage in this fight, boasting a four-inch height and nine-inch reach advantage over Abdelwahab. That should make for an exciting battle that Mayes is likely to win easily.

The victor of this fight could potentially advance to a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. It would be an enormous leap for both men, however, as this will be Abdelwahab's promotional debut and he has yet to compete for the UFC.

Abdelwahab has only had limited MMA experience to date. He's an Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler from Egypt and his record stands at 5-0 with five knockouts.

Abdelwahab's aggressive style will likely result in him being knocked out during this fight. On the other hand, Mayes is a better fighter than him and can control the pace of the match according to what is needed.

Abdelwahab may find this fight challenging if Abdelwahab can take Don'Tale down and keep him on the ground, but Mayes could control the pace and use power to put Abdelwahab on the back foot. With either outcome, this fight could come down to who can use their speed best in order to secure victory.

Don’Tale Mayes vs. Roque Martinez

Don'Tale Mayes is hoping for his first UFC victory when he takes on Roque Martinez at UFC Vegas 14 this weekend. After starting off 0-2 with losses to Ciryl Gane and Rodrigo Nascimento, Mayes has gone 2-1 in his last three bouts.

Mayes, from Kentucky, trains out of Bronx Hill MMA and has been training with Jon Jones since 2018. As a heavyweight fighter, Mayes hopes to make another strong case for himself when he takes on Tai Tuivasa at UFC Vegas 22 on March 21.

At UFC Fight Night on December 18, Mayes defeated Josh Parisian by submission and is eager to continue his winning streak when he faces Martinez. He hopes to use momentum in the third round to bully Martinez into submission, just like he did against Parisian in their previous fight.

He plans to work hard on his striking, as it is the key to winning. He believes that being on the offensive rather than defensive gives him a better chance of defending a striker's attacks, so he has been honing various strikes.

The two-round fight will feature plenty of back and forth action. Mayes hopes to use some of his favorite punches and kicks against a tough foe like Martinez in this battle.

Martinez is no slouch at heavyweight, but his UFC career has been fruitless. He's mostly faced off against WSOF veterans and his only loss came at UFC Fight Night 177 when Alexander Romanov won via arm-triangle choke.

Mayes is confident he can withstand Martinez's submission attempt and anticipates this to be an entertaining fight. He anticipates it being close in the first round before turning into a battle of attrition.

Mayes is a heavyweight with plenty of heart, but his cardio and fight IQ are questionable at best. He boasts an impressive chin but needs to find a way to score more often in his UFC bouts. Although Mayes hasn't looked particularly great in his last two UFC outings, he remains an impressive heavyweight who could potentially become one of the top contenders going forward.

Don’Tale Mayes vs. Josh Parisian

Don'Tale Mayes had a completely different attitude at UFC Vegas 45 after missing the previous year. At 29 years old, Mayes managed to pick up his first victory and complete a third-round TKO over Josh Parisian in just over one hour of fighting action.

Mayes is an experienced judo practitioner and skilled wrestler, possessing deadly punches and great grappling techniques. On average, he lands 3.65 significant strikes per minute at 45% accuracy, plus 1.11 takedowns every 15 minutes at 53% precision.

He's battled some of the top heavyweights in the world and could make a significant impact here. However, he still has much ground to cover and his age may prove an obstacle.

Parisian enters this fight with a 14-4 record and has won seven of his last eight fights. His knockout percentage stands at 65%, and he recently defeated Roque Martinez by decision.

Parisian has scored three submission victories and two knockouts in his last three fights. He is an aggressive grappler who can be difficult to pin down, always seeking ways to take down opponents.

After a strong opening round, Mayes took Parisian down to the mat and started working from top control, dropping some elbows along the way. Parisian fought valiantly and managed to climb back up on his feet; however, Mayes was able to secure him in a crucifix position and land some short elbows for an impressive technical knockout victory.

Parisian has achieved an impressive 14-4 overall MMA record, boasting impressive wins over some of the UFC's top talent, such as former title challenger Roque Martinez. He was previously a standout at middleweight but is now getting his chance at competing in the heavyweight division.

Parisian strives to pass his enthusiasm onto his younger generation, showing them what success looks like. After going through a lot, he's learned that it is possible to rise from failure if you put in effort and effort.

Parisian faces a formidable opponent, but he can use his experience to counter Pogues' power with clinch exchanges or takedowns that keep the fight moving. While taking this fight to the ground for the first time in his career may prove challenging, Parisian must remain mindful not to let it lead to another loss.

Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

Don'Tale Mayes is gearing up for his next fight against Rodrigo Nascimento, scheduled for UFC Fight Night 210 on September 17 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. This contest is part of Mayes' preparations.

Don'Tale may be an underdog in this fight, but he does have a great shot at winning. The Canadian has won his last three fights on the trot and looks to continue that success against Nascimento.

Nascimento has gone undefeated at 7-0 since his professional debut in 2013, and he made an impressive showing at Dana White's Contender Series 22 against Michael Martinek in August. His striking is powerful, but he also utilizes grappling effectively to exert control and wear down opponents.

Nascimento is an expert submission artist with a high rate of success when landing these finishes. His ability to use these as leverage against his opponent will be key here, and Nascimento should be able to score well on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

In his debut UFC fight, Mayes was easily outmatched by Ciryl Gane and ultimately fell victim to a heel hook submission loss in the third round. This proved to be an incredibly challenging fight for Mayes as Gane proved too active and agile for him to keep up throughout the contest.

Mayes remains a formidable Heavyweight who hopes to turn things around against Nascimento. He boasts impressive striking power and an effective ground game. Despite the losses, Mayes remains in excellent form.

Although Mayes may not be as powerful a grappler as Nascimento, he boasts an impressive takedown percentage of 1.11 per fight. While Mayes may not pose much threat on the mat, he does possess an impressive submission game which will attempt to take down his opponent and force them into submission.

Nascimento won their last fight, but Mayes holds a superior record against him and is confident of taking this one. He believes he's done enough training for this fight and is prepared to go head-to-head with any opponent.