The Fight Analyst had his first losing event in quite some time (0-3) and will be looking to get back on track this weekend at UFC 286.
The UFC heads to the O2 Arena in London, England for the first PPV in London in quite some time. This go-around we have the hometown boy and the newly crowned welterweight champion Leon Edwards looking to defend his title for the first time against the former champ Kamaru Usman.
The rest of this card is absolutely stacked from top to bottom, especially the co-main event between two top-ranked lightweights #3 Justin Gaethje and #6 Rafael Fiziev. With that said, let’s take a look at the Best Bets for UFC 286.
Joanne Wood vs Luana Carolina
In the women’s flyweight division, we have a matchup between former top contender Joanne Wood and Luana Carolina.
Wood is looking to get her first win since January 2021 as she is 0-3 in her last three fights, albeit against the cream of the crop of the flyweight division. She still has the elite talent to be one of the best in the division and she looks to show that this weekend in London, England.
Carolina is coming off of a knockout loss at the hands of Molly McCann, who beat her in every facet of the fight prior to the knockout. She is tall and long for division, will enjoy a 4″ reach advantage, and will need to utilize that if she wants to get the upset win against Joanne Wood.
This is a pretty massive step down in competition from fighting the current flyweight champion and the last two title challengers prior. Wood’s career would have to fall off a cliff for her to drop this fight against Carolina. As long as Wood’s head and heart are still in the game she should beat Carolina everywhere and finally get back into the win column.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
---|
Joanne Wood To Win -170 |
Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales
In the lightweight division, we have a fight between two heavy hitters Chris Duncan and Omar Morales.
Duncan comes into his UFC debut off two consecutive wins, most recently a brutal knockout of LAW MMA product Charlie Campbell on Dana White’s Contender Series. He has an exciting fan-friendly no backing down style that will be put to the test against the Venezuelan fighter Omar Morales.
Morales is on a bit of a skid losing two in a row and three of his last four fights. He was most recently brutally knocked out by Uros Medic back in May 2021. Morales will need to get back to his old ways when he first bursted onto the scene if he wants to be victorious.
Morales took this fight on short notice in another country after pulling out of a fight just two months ago due to injury. It’s never a good sign with an aging fighter taking a short notice fight that is on a two-fight skid. The pace and pressure of Duncan will be the difference maker in this fight and it will eventually break Morales until he is finished within two rounds.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
---|
Chris Duncan To Win -115 |
Jai Herbert vs. L’udovit Klein
In the lightweight division, we have a banger of a fight between two strikers Jai Herbert and L’udovit Klein.
Herbert got a very much-needed win against Kyle Nelson and really showed his abilities in that fight. He is very tall and rangy for this division standing at 6’1″ with a 77″ reach giving him a 6″ height and 5″ reach advantage. He will need to utilize all of the intangibles that he has in this fight against a former featherweight fighter.
Klein has found his stride in his new weight class in the lightweight division winning each of his first two fights against Mason Jones and Devonte Smith. He has shown a good mix of skills from his kickboxer abilities to his wrestling and grappling. Being able to mix things up will be his key to success in this matchup against a pure striker in Herbert.
This fight should be much closer on the betting line. Klein has been the hotter fighter as of late but he has never faced a legit lightweight in terms of size. Expect Klein to have some issues with the length of Herbert and Herbert using his jab to keep him at bay and crack him as he comes within range and putting him away.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
---|
Jai Herbert To Win +168 |