The Fight Analyst got back on track with a 2-1 night (52-26 overall). Momentum is on his side so let’s see who he is on this weekend at UFC Vegas 62.
We are back just after a short one-week hiatus and this is a great fight card to come back to. Headlining this fight card is a women’s flyweight matchup between two contenders in #5 Alexa Grasso and #6 Viviane Araujo. A win from either fighter could put them right in the title talks.
The rest of this card is littered with up-and-coming talent along with long-time veterans of the UFC. This should make for an exciting fight card. With that said, let’s take a look at the Best Bets for UFC Vegas 62.
Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araujo
In the main event for this weekend’s fight card, we have a fight in the women’s flyweight division as #5 Alexa Grasso takes on #6 Viviane Araujo. A win from either fighter could potentially catapult them into title contention.
Grasso has looked the best she ever has since moving up in weight. She is now 3-0 in her new weight class and truly has been making massive improvements. It has shown in her most recent win against former top ranked flyweight in Joanne Wood as she submitted her in the very first round.
Araujo has been making some waves in the flyweight division as well. She is coming into this fight winning 3 of his last 4 fights with her most recent win coming against Andrea Lee. Araujo has a very well-rounded skillset that could very much cause some problems for Grasso here in this main event spot.
This could very much well be the #1 contender fight in the women’s flyweight division. While Araujo cashed for me in his last fight, I have a hard time betting on her against the surging Grasso. Grasso as shown her grappling is starting to catch up to her overall game which makes her a legit threat to Valentina Shevchenko. Ultimately, Grasso defends the takedowns and grappling exchanges and takes over down the stretch as Araujo gasses to a unanimous decision victory.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Alexa Grasso to win -227 |
Dusko Todorovic vs. Jordan Wright
In the middleweight division, we have a fun scrap between Dusko Todorovic and Jordan Wright. Both fighters are desperately in need of a win which should bring an exciting fight out of each of them.
Todorovic was on the wrong end of one the most vicious elbow knockouts in the history of the UFC against Chidi Njokuani. Before that knockout, he was looking good mixing in takedowns with his strikes which is something we should see him do here. Wright has been subbed in the past and Todorovic’s ground game is quite underrated.
Wright is a kill or be killed type of fighter as he has been finished in each of his 3 losses in the UFC meanwhile, all of his wins have come by finish as well. He has some serious power in his limbs and can put anyone’s lights out with just one strike making him a dangerous opponent for Todorovic.
This fight is going to come down to who wants it more and I personally think that will be Todorovic. He has more paths to victory and as long he avoids the power shots of Wright this should be his fight to lose. Todorovic goes in there, lands some heavy shots, drags Wright to the mat and finishes him inside two rounds.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Dusko Todorovic to win -205 |
Nick Maximov vs. Jacob Malkoun
We have a grapplers delight in the middleweight division as Nick Maximov takes on Jacob Malkoun. Both fighters are coming off of a loss and are in need of a big win here, expect some fireworks.
Maximov had a ton of hype coming into his last fight against Andre Petroski. That was quickly derailed as Petroski sinched up his d’arce choke early in round 1. He will need to put that first loss behind him if he wants to get back into the win column.
Malkoun is coming off of a close decision loss to middleweight standout Brendan Allen. He is one of the more underrated fighters in the division. He is a strong grappler with solid fundamentals and power on the feet.
This fight is going to be a relatively close fight throughout. These two are primarily grapplers so expect a ton of grappling and scrambling exchanges. As the grappling goes, Maximov is the better of the two at controlling his opponent which will be the difference maker here. Ultimately, Malkoun will willingly exchange in the grappling with Maximov only to get controlled for a vast portion of the fight.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Nick Maximov to win -130 |
