MMAjunkie Radio co-host and MMAjunkie contributor Dan Tom provides an in-depth breakdown of UFC 225’s top bouts, and today, we look at the rest of the main card.

UFC 225 takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago, and the main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

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Holly Holm (11-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 5’8″ Age: 36 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 69″

Last fight: Decision loss to Cris Cyborg (Dec. 20, 2017)

Camp: Jackson-Wink MMA (New Mexico)

Stance/striking style: Southpaw/kickboxing

Risk management: Excellent

Supplemental info:

+ Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion

+ Pro-boxing experience (33-2-3 record)

+ Multiple boxing and kickboxing accolades

+ 6 KO victories

+ 5 second-round finishes

+ Disciplined footwork and movement

^ Excellent distance management

+ Active and accurate cross

^ Coming forward or off of the counter

+ Diverse kicking arsenal

^ Sidekicks, oblique kicks, etc.

+ Deceptively strong inside the clinch

^ Works well off of over and underhooks

+ Consistent round-winning sensibilites

– Shown past struggles off of back

Megan Anderson (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 6’0″ Age: 28 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 73″

Last fight: TKO win over Charmaine Tweet (Jan. 14, 2017)

Camp: Glory MMA and Fitness (Missouri)

Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:

+ Invicta FC featherweight title

+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt

+ 4 KO victories

+ 2 submission wins

+ 3 first-round finishes

+ KO power

+ Aggressive pace and pressure

^ High-output striker

+ Solid combination work

^ Punctuates well with kicks

+ Strong inside the clinch

^ Strikes well off the breaks

+ Shows improved wrestling

+ Serviceable transitional grappling

– Coming off of 18-month layoff

Summary:

In a featherweight fight of importance, Holly Holm will welcome Megan Anderson to the UFC.

A former champion at bantamweight, Holm finds herself taking up another challenge at 145 pounds when she meets Anderson, a natural featherweight threat who has been calling for a shot on the big stage for some time.

Starting off on the feet, we have a battle between a marauding pressure-fighter versus strategic southpaw who likes to stick and move.

Anderson, the more aggressive of the two, will steadily stalk forward with inviting feints from a low-handed guard. A seemingly natural striker, Anderson can spring into offense, stringing together jabs, hooks and crosses with ease.

When feeling in stride, Anderson will punctuate her combos with heavy, sweeping kicks. The 28-year-old Australian is also forceful from boxing to clinching ranges – a place where she makes most of her money. However, given the striking dynamic at hand, I am not sure how much Holm will oblige her where she prefers.

Gallery Photos: Best of Holly Holm view 31 images

More of a stick-and-move stylist, Holm demonstrates excellent footwork and distance management, traditionally playing just outside of range. Utilizing lateral movement until finding an opening to her liking, Holm will engage in strafing runs, throwing a variety of pre-programmed combinations like a finely tuned fighter jet.

A consistency of patterns that she carried over from boxing, Holm will usually circle to her left to reset, and move to her right when attempting to achieve attack angles and counters, something that I feel will serve her well in this fight. That said, Holm will be facing a much longer and larger threat than she is used to, making Anderson’s already potent punches even more powerful if she can counter catch the former champ in transit.

But regardless of how things initially play out on the feet, I suspect that the clinch could play an important factor in this fight.

Holm, who is deceptively strong in the clinch, works well off of over and underhooks, framing with her forearms as she looks to break away. In Holm’s last fight with Cyborg, she showed that she has more than just defensive framing and underhook awareness, engaging and controlling clinches on her terms throughout the contest. Should Holm tie-up with Anderson, she’ll need to be careful.

Typically striking to find her way into the clinch, Anderson appears to be a consummate worker, whether she is dirty boxing or working off of a plum/collar tie variations to get off her strikes. And since moving shop to the states to train in Missouri, we have seen measurable efforts from the Australian to improve her wrestling, both defensively and offensively.

Should Anderson decide to pull a double-leg out of her back pocket, then we may get a glimpse at the current level of Holm’s ground game. But with both fighters demonstrating serviceable scrambling ability, I doubt that grappling stanzas will last too long.

Gallery Photos: Best of Megan Anderson view 7 images

The oddsmakers and public are favoring the former UFC champ, listing Holm -225 and Anderson +185 as of this writing.

Given the fact Anderson is making her promotional debut off of an 18-month layoff, I can understand why confidence in her isn’t as high. However, Anderson is the bigger fighter by a decent stretch, presenting ranges that aren’t as familiar for Holm. If the Australian shows an improvement to her countering game or can controls exchanges against the fence early, then expect a long night for Holm. But until I see more relevant information on Anderson, I have to side with Holm’s stick-and-move style on paper to stay from Anderson’s power for a competitive decision win.

Official pick: Holm by decision

Andrei Arlovski (27-15 MMA, 16-19 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 6’4″ Age: 39 Weight: 247 lbs. Reach: 77″

Last fight: Decision win over Stefan Struve (Mar. 3, 2018)

Camp: American Top Team (Florida)

Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:

+ Former UFC heavyweight champ

+ Multiple sambo accolades

+ 17 KO victories

+ 3 submission wins

+ 13 first-round finishes

+ KO power

+ Deceptive hand and foot speed

+ Dangerous right hand

^ Accurate crosses and uppercuts

+ Shows improved combination flow

^ Variates well to legs and body

+ Strong inside the clinch

^ Stifles/favors outside trips

+/- Traditionally conservative grappler

^ Primarily stalls or secures position

– Dropped or stopped in 6 of past 9 fights

Tai Tuivasa (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 6’2″ Age: 25 Weight: 265 lbs. Reach: 75″

Last fight: TKO win over Cyril Asker (Feb. 10, 2018)

Camp: Tiger Muay Thai (Thailand/Australia)

Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:

+ Regional MMA titles

+ Pro-boxing experience

^ Record of 5-2 (3 by way of KO)

+ 7 KO victories

+ 7 first-round finishes

+ KO power

+ Deceptively athletic and agile

^ Explosive distance closer

+ Diverse shot selction

^ Variates attack levels well

+ Strong inside of the clinch

^ Strikes well off the breaks

+ Shows improved grappling/getups

^ Positional and underhook awareness

+/- Never been out of first round

^ Limited overall sample size

Summary:

Serving as the lone heavyweight fight for UFC 225’s main card, Andrei Arlovski will take on Tai Tuivasa.

A former heavyweight champion who has seen it all, Arlovski remains ranked and relevant 18 years after first touching down on the UFC canvas. Riding a semi-resurgent two-fight winning streak into this matchup, Arlovski will look to come up large in his old stomping grounds of Chicago.

Looking to take the veteran’s slot is Tuivasa, a young Australian lion who is explosively rising the ranks. A Training partner to legendary Mark Hunt, Tuivasa will be representing the new breed of fighter to come from down under.

Starting off on feet, we have a battle between two men who – despite their difference in age – are amongst the more athletic of their contemporaries.

Since bursting onto the UFC scene back in 2000, Arlovski has always stood out as an athlete who could pull things off at a moment’s notice. But as time went on, Arlovski became much more measured, typically spending most of his time in stanzas waiting just outside of range with his right hand. However, since moving shop to American Top Team in Florida, we have already seen signs of positive changes and trends from the 39-year-old fighter.

Arlovski, similar to his former stablemates at Jackson-Wink MMA, will still use the outside as a staging area for potential strafing runs. The difference, however, is that there seems to be much less hesitation to the veteran’s striking flow and triggers. In his bout with Albini, we saw Arlovski welcoming his opponent in just enough to allow himself to return with the appropriate fire. The 19-year pro variated his shots well to the legs and body, mixing between straight punches and hooks upstairs.

Nevertheless, Arlovski will still be playing with fire anytime he’s exchanging with the man who will be standing across from him.

From flying knees to crushing elbows, Tuivasa bears all the weapons to keep his counterparts up at night. A former boxer and longtime training partner to Australia’s top fighters, Tuivasa carries a bit more experience than meets the eye.

Despite still having to cut to make the weight class, Tuivasa moves deceptively well for a man of his size. The former Rugby stud’s athleticism especially shines through with his ability to quickly close distances, going from flicking jabs to blitzing combinations at the drop of a dime.

And though Tuivasa shows improved counter grappling skills to go with his healthy awareness for underhooks, his admitted wildness on the feet often leaves him out of position. Should Tuivasa put himself in any precarious positions here, he could certainly pay for it in some measure given the veteran savvy and possible gameplan of Arlovski.

Although the former champion spent much of his career shying away from his grappling base in sambo (primarily looking to stall for standups or play it safe whenever grounded), Arlovski has since shown rejuvenation in that part of his game. Against Stefan Struve, Arlovski went 4/9 in takedowns, breaking his career record for takedowns secured in a single fight. Tuivasa, who seems to find his way into clinch space often, will need to be mindful of the outside trips and other threats Arlovski offers in this space.

That said, the Australian native has shown he is not a complete fish out of water when on the floor, making steady but practical improvements throughout his short career. Despite sometimes ending up on the floor to his own doing, Tuivasa is typically quick to correct his mistakes by swimming for an underhook and looking to get up. Whether he is using his legs for an assist or trying to establish a single-leg to stand, the six-year pro will need to be urgent in his efforts given that his counterpart will likely be trying to control him.

The oddsmakers and public seem to be on the side of youth, listing Tuivasa -240 and Arlovski +200 as of this writing.

Given how this game works, I can certainly understand the current spread of the betting lines. Arlovski has been fighting for almost 20 years and has been dropped or stopped in 6 of 9 of his last outings, while Tuivasa has been practically blowing his competition out of the water.

That said, there is a drastic difference in their sample sizes, and I’m not sure how confident I can be in a fighter who has never been out of the first round – especially one who has arguably shown to tire within his one-round destructions (as well as competitions outside of MMA). In Tuivvasa’s defense, he has moved this camp to Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, where the Australian has appeared to have gotten into the shape of his life.

A focused Tuivasa can be a troubling sign Arlovski, but I still find myself siding with the vet. It doesn’t make sense, but Arlovski has continued to prove that an old dog can learn new tricks and improve. Now, I’m not sure that will be enough to get him the win here, but – despite my excitement for everything that a character like Tuivasa brings to the cage – I will be picking Arlovski to survive the early storm to put on a classic lesson-learning decision win.

Official pick: Arlovski by decision

CM Punk (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 6’1″ Age: 39 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach: 73″

Last fight: Submission loss to Mickey Gall (Sep. 10, 2016)

Camp: Roufusport (Milwaukee)

Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:

+ Former WWE pro-wrestler

+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt

– 0 professional wins

– 1 submission loss

– Limited overall sample size

Mike Jackson (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 6’2″ Age: 33 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach: N/A”

Last fight: Submission loss to Mickey Gall (Feb. 6, 2016)

Camp: 4 oz. Fight Club (Texas)

Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:

+ Pro-boxing and kickboxing experience

+ Amateur MMA experience

– 0 professional wins

– 1 submission loss

– Limited overall sample size

Summary:

Kicking off the main card is a unique attraction by UFC standards when Phil “CM Punk” Brooks collides with Mike Jackson.

A former WWE superstar, Punk announced his intentions to prove he is more than a pro wrestler back in late 2015, signing a contract with the UFC. And despite being on the wrong end of one-way traffic against Mickey Gall in his UFC debut, Punk is showing his resolve by attempting to, once again, climb the mountain that is mixed martial arts.

Looking to crash Punk’s party is Jackson, a fellow promotional sophomore who is also coming off a submission loss to Gall. Hailing from the media side of the sport, Jackson will be doing his best to remind Punk and masses that he does have experience in actual combat.

Now … where do we begin?

Even when putting Punk’s pro wrestling exploits aside, both men’s sample size leaves little for the imagination. That said, there is a bit more to digest on Jackson’s side.

Taking up his training in MMA back in 2008, Jackson has since garnered sporadic experience in combat sports throughout the years, competing in boxing, kickboxing and amateur MMA. In what little tape I could watch on Jackson, he likes to stay light on his feet while getting settled into his preferred place to fight.

The 33-year-old will work behind a prodding jab to both the body and head, looking to set up counter or follow-up opportunities – a conservative approach that will probably serve him well here.

Punk, whose strength is perceived to be within the grappling arena, will have to close the distance at some point. The question, however, is will he rush in headfirst like before?

Unless Punk panics or his second-nature shines through in some odd way, then I have to imagine that Duke Roufus and company have equipped him sufficiently for a more measured approach. Although Punk is currently 39-years-old, he is also a diligent worker that has had another 21 months to better prepare himself to perform. And if the former WWE wrestler manages to get into clinch space to secure a takedown, then I do suspect we will see more of his abilities come to the surface.

Jackson, who stated he was working on his ground game in recent interviews, claims to have a secret weapon. I’m not about to begin to speculate on what that could be, but I have to imagine that Jackson has at least had access to quality training throughout the many gyms that Texas has to offer. Ultimately, it’s hard to give either man an edge in the grappling department with a straight face.

The oddsmakers and public seem to be playing against the former pro wrestler, listing Jackson -210 and Punk +175 as of this writing.

As someone who has both competed and taught various martial arts, I can tell you that there are no magical shortcuts without a lot of hard work and some type of seeds – whether they be genetic or environmental – being planted first. And with Punk having no competitive martial arts background (including any type of amateur wrestling) before making the jump to MMA late in life, I am still hardpressed to pick him here. I respect him for forging his own path, but the pick is Jackson to land enough shots to get Punk out of there in the first round.

Official pick: Jackson inside the distance

Preliminary-card predictions

For more on UFC 225, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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