Zhang vs. Joyce II

Preview and prediction of Zhang-Joyce 2. Also, predictions for this weekends UFC fight night.

Zhilei Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs) -135✅ vs. Joe Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) +105

Zhang, 40, is an Olympic silver medalist and the number 4 ranked Heavyweight in the world according to Ring Magazine. Zhang won the WBO Interim Heavyweight title in April 2023 when he beat Joe Joyce by 6th round TKO. He is now looking to defend the interim belt against the same guy he took it from.

Joe Joyce, 38, is also an Olympic silver medalist and a former WBO Interim Heavyweight champion. Joyce lost his first professional fight against Zhilei Zhang after suffering significant damage to his right eye. The referee had seen enough and called a stop to the bout, for what it’s worth it was a good stoppage.

Joyce weighed in 22 pounds lighter (256 lbs) than Zhang (278 lbs) during their first bout and it showed that night. Zhang imposed his will on the smaller Joe Joyce manhandling him towards the ropes every chance he had, very Tyson Fury-esque. Joe Joyce put on some weight headed into the rematch so size shouldn’t be a factor this time around. Joyce’s head movement on the other hand, is non existent. “It’s easier to hit him than it is to miss him” said Teddy Atlas. You can’t correct something in one fight camp that has been embedded in a fighter his whole career (especially when that fighter is 38 years old). As a result I can’t imagine Joyce’s head movement will look any different from the first fight. I’m thinking Zhang will find his chin early and often, going with a Zhilei Zhang UD victory.

Also…

UFC PREDICTIONS

YTD Record 190-113-6 (62%)

Rafael Fiziev ✅vs. Mateusz Gamrot

Bryce Mitchell✅ vs Dan Ige

Bryan Battle ✅ vs AJ Fletcher

Ricardo Ramos vs Charles Jourdain✅ * my pick for fight of the night *

Dan Arguetta ✅ vs Miles Johns

Tim Means ✅ vs Andre Fiahlo