We’re coming off the first back-to-back losing nights of the year thus far. That brings The Fight Analyst’s overall record to 42-18. He is looking to get back on track this weekend at UFC Vegas 59.
UFC 277 had a ton of excitement throughout the entire night. We saw Amanda Nunes and Brandon Moreno both recapture gold while we saw a ton of finishes and barn burners throughout.
Up next is another great event at the UFC Apex, headlined by two light heavyweight contenders in “Sweet Dreams” Jamahal Hill and Thiago “Marreta” Santos. Also we have the two TUF semifinal matchups to determine the next Ultimate Fighter. With that said, let’s take a look at the Best Bets for UFC Vegas 59.
Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal
In the co-main event, we have a barn burner of a fight between two of the best welterweights in the UFC, Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.
Luque is coming off of a loss for the first time since 2019 against Belal Muhammad. He just had trouble finding his range and timing in that fight which will not be the case here against Geoff Neal. Of Luque’s 21 wins, 19 of them have come inside the distance.
Neal got a much-needed win his last time out against Santiago Ponzinibbio via a close split decision. He is now 1-2 in his last 3 fights and has not looked like the title contender that we thought he once was. Of Neal’s 14 wins, 10 of them have come inside the distance with 8 by knockout.
This fight could arguably be the fight of the night. These two are going to come forward, throw caution to the win and bring violence. As for the matchup goes, I think this favors Luque as Neal will give him the fight that he wants. Luque will do what he does, that is come forward, pressure and bring the violence to get the TKO finish.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Vicente Luque -187 to win |
Stephanie Egger vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
In the women’s bantamweight division, we have a fight between two standouts in Stephanie Egger and Mayra Bueno Silva.
Egger had the tall task of facing top prospect Tracy Cortez in her UFC debut in which she lost. Since she has rattled off back-to-back dominant performances due to her grappling prowess. Of her 7 wins, 6 have come inside the distance split evenly between knockouts and submissions.
Silva has had some mixed success inside the octagon between the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She has some really solid stand-up and brings the pace and the pressure to every one of her fights. Of her 8 wins, 6 have come inside the distance with 5 by submission.
Even though Silva may have 5 submission victories, her best attribute is her striking and her aggression. She has shown to be susceptible to takedowns which poses a huge disadvantage in this matchup against the judoka black belt in Egger. Egger is not the most technical fighter on the feet, but she does just enough to get inside and drag it to the mat. Ultimately, Silva will have some success on the feet until Egger gets in the clinch takes her down and dominates her on the mat.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Stephanie Egger -140 to win |
Brogan Walker vs. Juliana Miller
In the women’s flyweight division we have The Ultimate Fighter semifinal fight between Brogan Walker and Juliana Miller.
Walker came into The Ultimate Fighter as the odds-on favorite to win the show with her experience against elite-level competition. She has a well-rounded skill set to be a good fighter in the flyweight division. Of her 7 wins, 6 of them have come by decision with 1 by submission.
Miller was a wild card coming into this season of The Ultimate Fighter as she was very much unknown. She has shown that she is scrappy, willing to engage in a firefight, and has elite jiu-jitsu skills on the mat. Both of her professional wins have come by submission.
This should be a fun scrap between these two women. Miller will always put on a fun fight no matter who is standing across from her. With that said, Walker is better than Miller in every facet of the game except for submission offense even though she is a BJJ black belt. Walker should be able to defend the takedowns of Miller and just piece her up as she just barrels forward as she normally does to win by unanimous decision.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Brogan Walker +105 to win |
