UFC 222 Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya preview: Invicta FC champion the underdog against fearsome featherweight

This weekend’s main event sees the women’s featherweight title up for grabs. Defending champion, Cris Cyborg, will be taking on Invicta FC champion, Yana Kunitskaya. Although this is the only world title fight on the card, it is being slightly overshadowed by the fight immediately preceding their walk to the Octagon.

The co-main event is made up of one half of the original headliner and one of the still-active legends of the sport, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar. When Max Holloway got injured, he was removed from the card, along with the opportunity for Frankie to win the featherweight title. Not wanting to miss the chance to fight, Edgar accepted a very risky bout against one of the most dangerous young prospects in the division.

Brian “T-City” Ortega is a high level Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belt. His slick boxing skills and solid takedown defence allow him to dictate the range of the fight and slowly wear on his opponent. A consistent third round finisher, he either wraps his opponent’s neck up and squeezes the air out of them, or uses his long reach to land fluid hand combinations to set up his knockout knees.

Frankie has a wealth of experience and has spent more time in the UFC’s Octagon than any other fighter in history. The benefit of that is the familiarity Edgar has with that arena will negate some of the nerves, but it also means that there is plenty of footage for Ortega to study.

The strengths of Edgar’s game are the transitions. His boxing fundamentals see him weave in and out of range using well practiced footwork and head movement, to land multiple punch combinations. When his opponent is focused on defending their head he switches to a wrestling attack and chases the takedown until he secures a dominant position.

The risks here are that Ortega has many ways of chaining his neck attacks to his takedown defence. When Edgar level changes and searches for a leg he will have to be conscious of his head position. Not only is he vulnerable to a variety of chokes, but also the knees which dispatched Clay Guida in his bout with Ortega at UFC 199.

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Ahead on the judges’ scorecards, Guida needed to stay out of danger for one more round, but Ortega chased him down and put him to sleep. Edgar is a fast starter and due to his five round experience, it is unlikely that Ortega can use fatigue as a weapon here. It will be a case of staying sharp and focused, not overextending himself and sticking to the skills in his game with which he is most familiar.

Edgar’s ground and pound could be a formidable weapon in shutting down the grappling wizardry of Ortega. Usually he stands over his foe and rains down a high volume of punches, much like his fight with Yair Rodriguez last May. Rodriguez was another rising contender who was expected to give the veteran Edgar problems.

A similar gameplan could be effective here. Smother and damage his opponent early but with more of a focus on getting behind Ortega. The guard game of “T-City” is probably the strongest in the division and his nickname hints at the number of triangle chokes he’s caught people with in previous fights. There are many control positions that have been a staple of Edgar’s game since his wrestling days.

Relying on his wrestling offensively and his Jiu Jitsu skills defensively, to stay out of Ortega’s submissions, is the safest and surest route to success. On the feet his speed and volume are his advantages, along with that wisdom only time and experience can bring.

Ortega is a builder. Cautios and observant, keeping himself safe while he reads and plans his opponents demise. Never seeming to struggle with pressure, I wonder if seeing the former lightweight champion across the Octagon from him will change that.

Edgar taking the risk and putting his number one contender status on the line shows his confidence, at the same time as opening the door for Ortega to get a title shot. This ‘all-in’ approach shows a strong front for team Edgar. Even Ortega is a little confused as to why he would take the risk, but when Frankie walks out this weekend, the fans will remind us all what drives this veteran contender to compete.

He is beloved by the fans and they will show their gratitude for him remaining on the fight card. When the original main event fell by the wayside, the UFC reached out to the female featherweight champion and offered her a chance to defend her title against the next logical challenger to her throne.

Yana Kunitskaya is a teak-tough and highly talented striker. A Russian Taekwondo and Muay Thai champion, kicking makes up a big part of her offensive game. Coming off a successful world title fight in Invicta FC, Kunitskaya has made New Mexico home, working alongside former UFC champion Holly Holm.

After serving as a sparring partner in Holm’s recent training camp, Yana will have seen first-hand the work that Holm was doing to prepare for her own bout with Cyborg. An intimidating striker, Cyborg has seemed to be head and shoulders above the other female fighters in the sport, and the UFC have struggled to match her with a worthy adversary.

She has torn through every offering so far, but Holm managed to push her to a decision, giving Kunitskaya plenty of time to study and take notes. There is no doubt that the Russian challenger has a hard task ahead of her, but any real fighter sees the opportunity of a world title and asks no other questions. Nobody is unbeatable, and Yana Kunitskaya is well aware of that fact.

Many other great bouts make up the rest of the card, including “The Skyscraper” Stephan Struve, taking on former heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski and Hector Lombard and CB Dolloway who kick off the preliminary card.

Watch UFC 222: Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya live on BT Sport 2 from 1am GMT early on Sunday, March 4, or catch the Early Prelims exclusively on UFC Fight Pass from 11:30pm GMT on Saturday