The Fight Analyst is coming off of his worst outing of the year with an 0-3 night. That brings his overall record to 42-21 and will be looking to get back on track this weekend at UF C 278.
The UFC is heading back to Salt Lake City, Utah for an exciting PPV event. We finally get to see the king of the welterweight division, Kamaru Usman back in action. He takes on a familiar foe in surging contender Leon Edwards. These two don’t like one another, so you can expect an all-out war between them. The rest of the card is stacked from top to bottom and with that said, let’s take a look at the Best Bets for UFC 278.
Ange Loosa vs. AJ Fletcher
In the welterweight division, we have an exciting fight between two prospects Ange Loosa and AJ Fletcher.
Loosa comes into this fight with a 1-2 record in his last three fights. His two losses have come against elite competition as he took on Jack Della Maddalena and Mounir Lazzez. He has some slick movement on the feet, fast and quick combinations, and good grappling to complement it all.
Fletcher burst onto the scene with a flying knee knockout of Leonardo Damiani on the Contender Series which saw him get a contract. He had a tough debut against Matthew Semelsberger and looked good until fading as the fight went on. He has great grappling skills to go along with power on the feet.
I fully expect this fight to play out for long periods of time on the feet because both fighters have good takedown defense. If this fight stays on the feet and at range, I fully expect Loosa to run away with it. He is more diverse with his striking, has better movement, and has a sizeable 7″ reach advantage. Ultimately, Loosa defends the takedowns and outstrikes Fletcher to a unanimous decision victory.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
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Ange Loosa to win +139 |
Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon
In this fight, we have an exciting one between two all-action fighters in the lightweight division between Leonardo Santos and Jared Gordon.
These two fighters come into this fight with different career trajectories. On one hand, Santos is coming off of two brutal losses that saw him getting finished by Clay Guida and Grant Dawson. Meanwhile, Gordon is coming off of a loss at the hands of Dawson as well.
Durability seems to be a bit of an issue for both fighters. Santos is getting older and he doesn’t take damage well and tends to fade as the fight goes on. Gordon on the other hand is only 3-4 at lightweight and all 4 of his losses have come inside the distance. I don’t expect this fight to hit the judges and that’s where I see value in this fight.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
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Fight Doesn’t Go To Decision +105 |
Daniel Da Silva vs. Victor Altamirano
In the flyweight division, we have a fight between Daniel Da Silva and Victor Altamirano that you can guarantee will not be boring.
Both of these fighters haven’t had much success in their short time inside the octagon. Da Silva and Altamirano are looking for their first win with the biggest organization in the world which normally brings out the best in fighters.
Da Silva has yet to see the judges’ scorecards in his 14-fight professional career, as he the kill or be-killed style of fighting. Altamirano on the other hand can fight with fire and he too has been finished in one of his professional losses. I am expecting a finish one way or another between these two, which will come under the two-and-a-half-round mark.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
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Da Silva vs. Altamirano Under 2.5 Rounds -178 |