The Fight Analyst Garrett Kerman is coming off of a lackluster night going 1-2. He is now 4-2 over the last two events, and is looking to get back on track this weekend!
On tap this weekend we have a great lightweight main event between top lightweight contender Islam Makhachev taking on “King” Bobby Green.
Green is taking this fight on just 10 days’ notice after defeating Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271. He is one fighter that will not back down from a tough matchup which makes this fight possibly more intriguing.
Top to bottom this will be an exciting fight card with some up-and-coming prospects.
Let’s dive into my 3 Best Bets for UFC Vegas 49.
Armen Petrosyan vs. Gregory Rodrigues
| Garrett’s Pick |
|---|
| Armen Petrosyan +135 to win |
We have a scrap in the Middleweight division between two of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alumni Armen Petrosyan and Gregory Rodrigues
Petrosyan came into his Contender Series matchup with a ton of hype behind and rightfully so. He was able to dispatch his opponent with a nasty head kick in round one. Petrosyan comes into this fight finishing all six of his wins by knockout. This will be his first fight at middleweight as the majority of his career has been fought at light heavyweight.
We first saw Rodrigues on the Contender Series but he didn’t have the same sort of success as Petrosyan and was knocked out by Jordan Williams. He has then put together a 4-fight winning streak with three of those coming by knockout. Even though Rodrigues has been knocking his opponents out lately, he is actually known for his submission ability (he is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt).
This should be a banger for however long it lasts. Petrosyan has shown the takedown defense that I needed to see to make him a solid bet as an underdog in his debut. He is by far the more skilled striker and has the takedown defense to keep Rodrigues from taking him down. Petrosyan defends the takedowns early and knocks Rodrigues out midway through round one.
| Finish Odds |
|---|
| Armen Petrosyan +165 by KO/TKO |
Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam
| Garrett’s Pick |
|---|
| Terrance McKinney -105 to win |
The much-anticipated fight between Terrance McKinney and Fares Ziam is finally among us. This should be a great back and forth fight between these two lightweights.
Terrance McKinney came into his UFC debut guns blazing capturing one of the fastest debut knockouts in UFC history. He has raw power with athleticism and good wrestling to go along with it. McKinney is a finisher and one that finishes early as 10 of his 11 wins have come in the very first round.
Fares Ziam is coming off of the first UFC win streak of his young career with consecutive wins against Mullarkey and Vendramini. Although those wins didn’t come without controversy. Ziam is a very tall, long and rangy striker that utilizes his height and reach very, well which is something he needs to showcase against McKinney.
McKinney is the type of fighter that can break his opponents with pace and pressure. That is something I expect to happen against Ziam. McKinney’s aggression will be too much for Ziam to handle eventually landing the devastating blow knocking him out.
| Finish Odds |
|---|
| Terrance McKinney +250 by KO/TKO |
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Michael Gillmore
| Garrett’s Pick |
|---|
| Ramiz Brahimaj -125 by Submission |
Last up, we have a welterweight scrap between two fighters desperately in need of a win: Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Michael Gillmore.
Brahimaj came into his UFC debut with a lot of chatter around him due to his submission game. He was quickly reminded that there are levels to this game during a one-sided beatdown by Max Griffin. Since that fight, he has gone 1-1 and is stepping in on short notice to take on Michael Gillmore.
Gillmore got his recognition for being a short notice replacement on The Ultimate Fighter. White liked his attitude and grittiness enough to give him a shot on the TUF finale after losing on the show. He succumbed to the grappling of both Urbina and Petroski in his last fights and gets yet another relentless grappler in Brahimaj.
This will be yet another tough task at hand for Gillmore. He has shown his defensive grappling is his biggest weakness which makes this fight pretty straightforward. As long as Brahimaj doesn’t get caught on the feet, he takes Gillmore down and sinks in the rear-naked choke to get back into the win column.
