The Fight Analyst is finally back in action! He is off the heels of an incredible 2022 campaign (70-35 67%) and is looking to leave where he left off this weekend at UFC Vegas 67.
Happy new year! I hope you all enjoyed the time off with your loved ones. We are finally back in action and this week we have a great fight card to come back to at the UFC Apex.
We have two ranked middleweights in #7 Sean Strickland taking on #12 Nassourdine Imavov in our headliner. Meanwhile, the rest of the fight card is littered with elite talent. With that said, let’s look at the Best Bets for UFC Vegas 67.
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Kelvin Gastelum
In a last-minute change, the main event now features a banger catchweight fight as #7 (25-5) Sean Strickland takes on #12 (12-3) Nassourdine Imavov.
Imavov is coming in hot into this matchup riding a three-fight win streak. He has finishes in 9 of his 12 wins which are split, five knockouts, and four submissions. This will be his toughest fight to date against Sean Strickland.
Strickland hasn’t had the same type of luck losing two straight in the span of five months. He is back in less than a month to try to right things and get back on track.
Imavov has gotten better and better after each fight. This will be his first real test to see how he fares against the elite of the division. Strickland poses a different threat than Imavov’s original opponent in Gastelum, in that he is a volume striker with exceptional cardio. Imavov is the much more diverse and technical striker of the two and if he’s able to keep this a technical kickboxing affair than a brawl he should get the biggest win of his career and soar up the rankings.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Nassourdine Imavov to win -115 |
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Sijara Eubanks
In the women’s flyweight division, we have a fight between Priscila Cachoeira and Sijara Eubanks.
Cachoeira has really shown some resurgence in her game. She’s coming in with two straight wins while winning four out of her last five. A win against Eubanks could put her in line for a ranked opponent next.
Eubanks isn’t on the same path as Cachoeira. She is coming off of a loss and only has one win in her last four fights. Her lone win came against strawweight Elise Reed, who took the fight on short notice.
Eubanks has shown in the past that while she has some elite skills, she may never be an elite contender. While I’m not too keen to wager on Cachoeira, she’s streaking at the moment, looks in phenomenal shape, and is an underdog in this spot. Cachoeira makes Eubanks work early, drowns her, and finishes her late to notch three in a row.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Priscila Cachoeira to win +210 |
Ketlen Vieira vs. Raquel Pennington
Two top-ranked female bantamweight contenders battle it out between #2 (13-2) Ketlen Vieira and #5 (14-9) Raquel Pennington.
Vieira is coming into this fight on a two-fight winning streak beating, not one but two former world champions Miesha Tate and Holly Holm. She has the power on the feet and the judo skills to either take the fight to the mat or keep it where she is comfortable on the feet.
Former title challenger Pennington has been defying the odds and showing that she’s still got a lot left in the tank and wants another title run. She has dominated each of her last four opponents and if she makes Vieira number five there’s a good chance she gets that second crack at Amanda Nunes.
This fight is most likely a title eliminator fight, the winner gets a crack at the champ. While I do think Pennington is as tough as they come especially during this career resurgence but I think it’s Vieira’s time to show what she’s made of. Should be a relatively close fight throughout but the power and forward pressure of Vieira should be the difference maker in this fight to get the job done on the scorecards.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Ketlen Vieira to win -125 |
