UFC 274 with Billy Ward
An episode of the The Big D Podcast podcast, hosted by Dylan Schmittler, titled "UFC 274 with Billy Ward" was published on May 3, 2022 and runs 37 minutes.
May 3, 2022 ·37m · The Big D Podcast
Summary
In this episode, MMA writer Billy Ward and I preview UFC 274 taking place Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona. We begin our conversation by talking about one of 2022's most anticipated fights: In UFC 274's main event, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje battle for the UFC Lightweight belt in a fight MMA fans have been exciting to see. Oliveira is coming into this fight winning his last 10 fights including knocking out Michael Chandler and submitting Dustin Poirier in his first two title fights. With 15 UFC submissions, Oliveira enters this fights as one of the UFC's most dangerous and versatile submission artists. We then move to Gaethje and discuss his road to UFC 274. This will be Gaethje's second Lightweight Championship belt after losing to the Lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254. After defeating Michael Chandler, Gaethje will have another shot at becoming the UFC's best 155-pound fighter. Billy believes Gaethje needs to use his power and be aggressive against the champion. He also believes both fighters need to be flexible in this bout. I respond with how important Oliveira's reach could be huge in this fight. Onto Saturday's co-main event, where Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza reacquaint for the UFC Women's Strawweight belt. Esparza won the first fight during The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale in 2014. We look at how both fighters have changed since their first bout. Rose is coming into Saturday's rematch winning nine of her last 11 fights - including consecutive wins over Zhang Weili. Billy is interested in this fight going all 25 minutes. With both fighters looking durable, this fight could go a look way. I am still deciding whether to use one or both fighters for cash. With Namajunas a -220 favorite, using Esparza will be a risk-reward strategy in both tournaments and cash builds. After those championship bouts, we talk about other favorite bouts this weekend. Billy likes the excitement in the Michael Chandler-Tony Ferguson fight. This fight will likely have plenty of scoring for DFS fans, and a knockout seems very plausible. I am intrigued to see Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Joe Lauzon fight. With two fighters needing a win, these veterans will be looking for a big win. Billy is worried Cerrone has taken too many hits in his MMA career. We both agree this fight will not be popular for DFS users. We also discuss our cash-game and GPP strategy for this weekend's PPV card. With two five-round title fights, we both like having at least one if not both championship fighters. With the main event, it is almost assured that the Oliveira/Gaethje winner will be in the winning lineup. Having all four fighters in cash builds will lessen the chance of getting multiple winning lineups. I explain how my process could change before Saturday's lineups are locked.
Episode Description
In this episode, MMA writer Billy Ward and I preview UFC 274 taking place Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona. We begin our conversation by talking about one of 2022's most anticipated fights: In UFC 274's main event, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje battle for the UFC Lightweight belt in a fight MMA fans have been exciting to see. Oliveira is coming into this fight winning his last 10 fights including knocking out Michael Chandler and submitting Dustin Poirier in his first two title fights. With 15 UFC submissions, Oliveira enters this fights as one of the UFC's most dangerous and versatile submission artists. We then move to Gaethje and discuss his road to UFC 274. This will be Gaethje's second Lightweight Championship belt after losing to the Lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254. After defeating Michael Chandler, Gaethje will have another shot at becoming the UFC's best 155-pound fighter. Billy believes Gaethje needs to use his power and be aggressive against the champion. He also believes both fighters need to be flexible in this bout. I respond with how important Oliveira's reach could be huge in this fight. Onto Saturday's co-main event, where Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza reacquaint for the UFC Women's Strawweight belt. Esparza won the first fight during The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale in 2014. We look at how both fighters have changed since their first bout. Rose is coming into Saturday's rematch winning nine of her last 11 fights - including consecutive wins over Zhang Weili. Billy is interested in this fight going all 25 minutes. With both fighters looking durable, this fight could go a look way. I am still deciding whether to use one or both fighters for cash. With Namajunas a -220 favorite, using Esparza will be a risk-reward strategy in both tournaments and cash builds. After those championship bouts, we talk about other favorite bouts this weekend. Billy likes the excitement in the Michael Chandler-Tony Ferguson fight. This fight will likely have plenty of scoring for DFS fans, and a knockout seems very plausible. I am intrigued to see Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Joe Lauzon fight. With two fighters needing a win, these veterans will be looking for a big win. Billy is worried Cerrone has taken too many hits in his MMA career. We both agree this fight will not be popular for DFS users. We also discuss our cash-game and GPP strategy for this weekend's PPV card. With two five-round title fights, we both like having at least one if not both championship fighters. With the main event, it is almost assured that the Oliveira/Gaethje winner will be in the winning lineup. Having all four fighters in cash builds will lessen the chance of getting multiple winning lineups. I explain how my process could change before Saturday's lineups are locked.
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