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The Fight Analyst is coming off of his fourth consecutive winning night. Over the course of the last four weeks he is 11-1 bringing his overall record to 37-14. He is back at it again to cash out this weekend at UFC Long Island.
The UFC has been firing on all cylinders with some great fight cards as of late. UFC Vegas 58 delivered especially in the main event between Rafael Dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev. This weekend we have yet another banger of a main event with two top-ranked featherweights Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez.
The Fight Analyst has been on fire over the last month and he is looking to keep the ball rolling this weekend. So with that said, let’s take a look at The Best Bets for UFC Long Island.
Dustin Stolzfus vs. Dwight Grant
In the middleweight division we have a fight between Dustin Stolzfus and Dwight Grant. This looks like a do or die type of fight from both competitors which should make for a great fight.
Stolzfus is on the heels of three consecutive losses for the first time in his professional career. He had to face a murderous row of opposition in his short stint with the promotion taking on Kyle Daukaus, Rodolfo Vieira and Gerald Meerschaert. He will be looking to bounce back and welcome Grant to the middleweight division.
A mainstay of the welterweight division, Dwight Grant is now stepping up in weight where he hopes to have some success. He is coming off of back to back losses, most recently getting brutally knocked out against Sergey Khandozhko. Grant is making a very quick turnaround to right his ship this weekend against Stolzfus.
It is hard to take Grant as a favorite in this spot as there are a ton of things going against him in this matchup. He is 37 years old, was just knocked out less than 3 months ago and has a big defensive grappling flaw in his game. Stolzfus is 7 years younger than Grant and has the grappling to make this a very tough debut in his new weight class. Stolzfus avoids the power shots of Grant, takes him down and ultimately submits him.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Dustin Stolzfus +120 to win |
Emily Ducote vs. Jessica Penne
In the strawweight division, we have a fight between veteran Jessica Penne and promotional newcomer Emily Ducote.
The former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Emily Ducote has been a name on the UFC’s radar for quite some time now. Ducote will not be phased by the big lights having a plethora of high-level experience outside of the UFC. She has the potential to be a contender in the strawweight division and will show that this weekend against Jessica Penne.
Penne looked rust coming off of a long layoff but ultimately she was able to get the win against rising contender Loopy Godinez in a controversial split decision. She then did one better and dominated Karolina Kowalkiewicz and finished her with a first-round armbar. Of Penne’s 14 wins, 9 have come by submission.
Ducote is the all-around better mixed martial artist and has a clear advantage on the feet. Her counterstriking will make it hard for Penne to just come forward and fall into the clinch. Also, Ducote has shown superb takedown defense in her fight against Murata defending 14 of 20 takedown attempts. Ducote will defend the takedowns of Penne and piece her up at range to secure her first victory inside the octagon.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Emily Ducote -160 to win |
Ricky Simon vs. Jack Shore
We have a fight between Ricky Simon and Jack Shore in a highly anticipated bantamweight matchup.
Since losing to Rob Font back in 2019, Simon has rattled off 4-straight wins with his most recent fight saw him knock out Raphael Assuncao. His plethora of high-level experience will need to come in handy against the surging prospect, Jack Shore.
The undefeated Jack Shore has looked everything we hoped for and more when he was signed from the Cage Warriors promotion. His style of grappling mixed in with his always approving striking has really made him someone to look out for. This will be his biggest test to date when he takes on Ricky Simon.
This is by far the best fight on the entire fight card and that includes the main event fight. These two are guaranteed to deliver on fight night in a back-and-forth battle but a battle that I see Simon becoming victorious. The experience edge along with the wrestling, cardio and improved striking of Simon will help him run away with this fight and cash as an underdog.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Ricky Simon +130 to win |
