UFC 257 & NFL Playoff Predictions – Sporting News
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By Ron Signore
This is an exciting weekend for sports. A blockbuster fight in the UFC is taking place tonight with the legendary Notorious Conor McGregor’s remate with Dustin Poirier. Sunday we have the NFL Conference Championships to see who takes place in this years Super Bowl.
The main event tonight at UFC 257 pins two fighters are different stages in their career to the naked eye. Conor McGregor is getting a little long in the tooth, though can still draw a crowd. While Dustin Poirier is ideally at the pinnacle of his career. McGregor and Poirier faced off in the octagon back in 2014, where The Notorious swiftly exerted his dominance during his climb to the top of the UFC ranks. Tonight pins Poirier in a nice revenge spot, and since his defeat to McGregor in 2014, has displayed strength working his way up to be the current number 2 ranked UFC fighter in the Lightweight division.
McGregor is expressing a rejuvenation both mentally and physically in a new determination to regain the Lightweight Championship belt. He enters tonight as a 3:1 favorite. Whether he wins or not, this has the likings of being a quick and destructive bout.
Ron’s Pick:
McGregor is my favorite fighter and without a doubt the favorite of my daughters who plan to stay up tonight and watch the fight with me. I will be pulling for him to take out Poirier under 3 rounds.
The NFC Championship game on Sunday features Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (-3.5) against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tom Brady is no stranger the Conference Championship games, but it is a bit unfamiliar to him to play in one in the NFC, not with the Patriots and having to go through anywhere by Foxboro to get to the Super Bowl.
Aaron Rodgers is coming off a career year, arguably an MVP season. The Packers have shown as a well-oiled offensive machine that can control any game. Well, most any game. One of their losses this season came in the early hyped match between the Packers and Bucs down in Tampa Bay in late October where the Bucs manhandled the Packers giving them their first loss and causing Rodgers to throw his first interception of the season, and second in consecutive possessions.
Ron’s Pick:
This season has shown that you can never count out Tom Brady. The 43 year old still plays at a level better than many younger quarterbacks in the league and has a stout defense to aid his offense. At 3.5 points, I would actually lean Bucs in many cases. However,… the weather sounds to be cold, blustery and maybe some snow. I will be expecting the revenge spot to be a successful one for the Packers and expect them to play in the Super Bowl in 2 weeks.
The AFC Championship game features two very solid teams with great competitors in every position. The Buffalo Bills (+2.5) take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Andy Reid will look to lead Patrick Mahomes to another Super Bowl appearance against a very young and hungry Buffalo Bills team led by Sean McDermott.
Mahomes just cleared concussion protocol after leaving last weeks divisional game against the Browns. He is expected to play. Whereas the dynamic young quarterback out of Wyoming in Josh Allen looks to drive his hungry Buffalo offense to dethrone the Chiefs atop the AFC.
Ron’s Pick:
The Chiefs showed they are clearly average without Mahomes during his absence last week. With Mahomes believed to be less than 100% at this point, I am unsure of how he will perform after leaving a game from a hit that left him gumby-legged. I would prefer to have 3 or 3 and a hook (3.5) with Buffalo, but I will take the points and back the Bills. It’s a little riskier of a play, but there are a lot of reasons why this play could make sense as the top contrarian play of the weekend.
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