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UFC 265 will take place on Saturday, August 7, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. While this pay-per-view is expected to be the promotion's biggest event of the month, it perhaps doesn't stand out as much as previous PPV's.
The main event will feature a controversial interim title bout between top heavyweight contenders Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. It's unclear why the UFC decided to create a placeholder title with undisputed champ Francis Ngannou being neither injured nor inactive. Nonetheless, we'll have to settle for a glorified number one contender's match in the main event.
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It didn't help that the supposed co-main event, a title bout between two-division champ Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña, was scrapped last minute. Unfortunately, the women's bantamweight queen was forced to withdraw from her title defense after testing positive for COVID-19.
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Needless to say, UFC 265 isn't the strongest PPV card. However, it isn't a complete waste of time and money either. With that in mind, let's take a look at the three fights to look forward to and two that will likely disappoint at UFC 265.
Fight to look forward to at UFC 265: Michael Chiesa vs. Vicente Luque
![UFC 265: Michael Chiesa vs. Vicente Luque [Photo credit: @luquevicente & @mikemav22 on IG]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/229c8-16280787052472-800.jpg)
An interesting clash of styles between top welterweights Michael Chiesa and Vicente Luque will take place on the main card of UFC 265.
Luque is a terrific striker and a more-than-capable grappler. He has turned the Brabo choke into his signature move, but he uses his stand-up game to set up his submissions. Needless to say, he prefers to do business on the feet.
In contrast, Chiesa relies heavily on his grappling acumen to grind his opponents down. The former The Ultimate Fighter winner imposes his strength to drag his opponents into the deep waters and either get a submission win or score a dominant decision victory.
'The Silent Assassin' secured six straight wins in the UFC before dropping a decision against Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. Since then, Luque has bounced back with another three in a row, with his latest victory coming against former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley.
Meanwhile, Chiesa is enjoying the best run of his career since entering the UFC. 'Maverick' is on a four-fight winning streak that includes notable victories over Rafael dos Anjos and Neil Magny.
Due to Kamaru Usman's dominance at the top of the division, he's already beaten most elite welterweights and is on his way to beating them twice. This matchup is particularly important for Luque and Chiesa as a victory at UFC 265 would put one of them a step closer to challenging for the 170-pound throne.
Fight that will likely disappoint at UFC 265: Bobby Green vs. Rafael Fiziev
![UFC 265: Rafael Fiziev vs. Bobby Green [Photo credit: @rafael_ataman_fiziev on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/868a8-16280789890297-800.jpg)
Veteran lightweight Bobby Green will test up-and-coming prospect Rafael Fiziev in a preliminary card bout at UFC 265.
Green appeared to be on a decline as he began 2020 with a 1-5-1 slump. However, 'King' found a way to turn the clock back as he turned in vintage performances against Clay Guida, Lando Vannata and Alan Patrick.
However, Green's good fortune ran out when he squared off against Thiago Moises last October. On top of that, a scheduled fight with Jim Miller was canceled when Green collapsed during the weigh-ins.
Fiziev bounced back strongly from his UFC debut loss against Magomed Mustafaev with consecutive decision wins over Alex White and Marc Diakiese. He then earned a third win in a row after dismantling Renato Moicano at UFC 256 in his latest outing.
In this classic veteran vs. rising star matchup, Green is pegged as a massive underdog at UFC 265. It's unsurprising given that the fighter from Kyrgyzstan is six years younger and has been impressive in his last few fights. With that in mind, this preliminary card bout has the makings of a lop-sided affair in favor of Fiziev.
Fight to look forward to at UFC 265: Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz
![UFC 265: Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz [Photo credit: @pedromunhozmma on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/c3ee4-16280791298805-800.jpg)
Brazilian fighters Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz will face off in a critical matchup in the talent-rich bantamweight division. Both men are looking to build upon their success as each competitor is coming off impressive wins.
The former longtime featherweight champ is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Marlon 'Chito' Vera last December. It marked his first successful outing since dropping to bantamweight. Aldo, who understandably has declined at this stage of his career, put his fight IQ on display against the younger Vera to earn the nod on the scorecards.
Munhoz, on the other hand, has served as the 135-pound division's resident gatekeeper in the top 15. While he hasn't found a ton of success against the division's top contenders, Munhoz can always be relied upon to deliver 'Fight of the Night' performances.
In his latest appearance, Munhoz got his win back over Jimmie Rivera after an entertaining back-and-forth battle. Not only was he able to secure the unanimous decision victory, but he also went home $50,000 richer after taking home a performance bonus.
This fight certainly has the ingredients to produce an all-out barnburner. In that respect, this co-main event bout is definitely a fight to look forward to at UFC 265.
Fight that will likely disappoint at UFC 265: Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill
Tecia Torres and Angela Hill will rekindle their rivalry on the main card of UFC 265. Six years ago, the two met at the beginning of their UFC journeys, fighting each other in their second fights in the octagon. Torres walked away with a unanimous decision in their first go-round, but much has changed since then.
Torres fought the best contenders at strawweight but fell short against all of them. She suffered consecutive losses against Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Weili Zhang and Marina Rodriguez. But as of late, 'Tiny Tornado' has scored back-to-back rebound wins against Brianna Van Buren and Sam Hughes.
Meanwhile, Hill has come a long way since her first meeting with Torres at UFC 188. She exited the promotion and returned as a better version of herself. Thanks to her dramatic improvements, Hill has been a consistent presence in the top 15 in the past few years.
However, the curse of inconsistency has never seemed to leave Hill. The 36-year-old has been unable to string together more than three consecutive wins since her arrival at the UFC. Nonetheless, 'Overkill' was victorious against Ashley Yoder in her recent outing.
It can be expected that Hill vs. Torres will go down as one of the closest fights of the night. But would it be a particularly good one? It's hard to say. Both women have a history of underperforming, and given that they're familiar with one another, there's a potential for this fight to turn into a stalemate.
Fight to look forward to at UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane
![UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane [Images via Instagram & Twitter @ciryl_gane @ufc]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/5877d-16280796456539-800.jpg)
While Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane isn't the most exciting main event for a pay-per-view, it's still a good fight and an interesting matchup. Regardless of what you think about the involvement of an interim title, the winner of this UFC 265 main event definitely deserves to fight Francis Ngannou for the undisputed belt.
Lewis literally punched his way back into title contention after scoring four straight victories, including back-to-back knockouts over Alexey Oleynik and Curtis Blaydes. On top of that, Lewis is the only man other than Stipe Miocic to survive Ngannou's power and emerge victorious against 'The Predator.'
Gane, meanwhile, has strung together six straight wins since arriving in the UFC. One of the best technical strikers at heavyweight, the Frenchman presents an interesting contrast to Lewis' knockout or bust gameplan.
On paper, Gane should have the advantage in almost all facets of the game. But Lewis has proven, time and again, that he only needs one punch to put the lights out on anybody and UFC 265 could be no different.
