With two belts on the line, the UFC is headed back to Fight Island and this card is filled with firepower! After a seven month layoff Jan Blachowicz is ready to defend his belt for the second time against UFC veteran Glover Teixeira. We also have the return of Petr Yan after his last bout ended in controversy that has sent the UFC's Bantamweight division into a whirlwind. Currently Aljamain Sterling is still sidelined due to neck problems after his surgery and is unable to defend his "title", and with that the UFC needed to move forward with the Bantamweight division. With Petr Yan clearly being the number one contender and Sterling out he needed a top tier opponent, enter Corey "Sandman" Sandhagen. So now with an interim belt on the line and two top Bantamweight's ready for war, this will be a battle! This is not all this card has to offer, Yas Island will also hold a premiere matchup between rising star Islam Makhachev and "The Hangman" Dan Hooker, and there is no love lost between these two! Strap in your seatbelt and get ready because there is going to be some fireworks this weekend!
Almost seven months ago Jan Blachowicz looked to do what no other man in MMA could, defeat Israel Adesanya. With this victory Jan solidified his championship leaving no doubt that he was the best in the Light-Heavyweight division. Jan was able to outsmart Israel on his feet but also showed true veteran wit by utilizing his wrestling at the most opportune times throughout the fight. Jan was able to control Izzy and also displayed excellent takedowns mixed in with dominant wrestling throughout. Jan has showed us that he is truly in the prime of his career and has the ability to shut your lights out with his "legendary Polish power" or if needed smother you with no mercy.
Glover's journey to a UFC title fight has been filled with trials and tribulations. For almost a decade he could not travel to the US because of Visa problems and spent all of his time dominating the MMA world in Brazil. After waiting and sharpening his skills for years Glover finally landed in US soil in 2012 and took full advantage of his opportunity. Glover displayed excellent Jiu-Jitsu but also showed he had equally dangerous striking skills as well. Glover took the UFC by storm winning his first five fights finishing four of his five opponents. He beat top tier Light-Heavyweight's in the prime of their career's such as Quinton Jackson and Ryan Bader. After showing that he was a problem in the division Glover finally had his chance at UFC gold in 2014 matched up against arguably the GOAT in Jon Jones. Unfortunately for Glover things did not go his way, he suffered a tear in his labrum early in the fight which hindered his ability to compete. Now almost ten years later and after completely rebuilding his UFC career again from the ground up he once again has his chance.
With these two Light-Heavyweight's ready for a head on collision let's see what Vegas has to say about this fight. Jan opened as a heavy favorite of -350 but has now dwindled down to -280. With Jan being this much of a favorite there really is no value left, so how do we bet this fight. Glover being a +250 dog seems tempting for this fight, but with Jan's ability it is too risky. My play for this fight will be "Under 2.5" rounds at -120. With Jan and Glover both capable of finishing the fight at any instant there is a high possibility that someone gets knocked out. I also see both men neutralizing each other's ability to wrestle leaving this fight to be settled on the feet.
The Co-Main event in the Bantamweight division between Corey Sandhagen and Petr Yan will most likely be the fight of the night. Both fighters are very high skilled in all areas and are extremely dangerous. This may be the first Championship fight in the UFC were both fighter's are coming off of a loss. With that being said, both fighters feel like their last fight was stolen from them and they're back for vengeance. When this fight was first announced Petr Yan opened as a -225 favorite. Since then there has been barely any line movement as he currently sits at -210. I believe these odds stand true. I see Petr beating Corey in any way he chooses. Petr has already shown high-level boxing when he was one of the only men to ever outbox Jose Aldo, and even finishing him in the championship rounds. In Yan's last bout vs Sterling he completely neutralized Sterling's wrestling ability and any desperate attempt for a submission. For this bout I will be taking Petr Yan -210 and fully expect him to leave with the belt he should've never lost.
TOP BETS FOR THIS CARD:
PARLAY OPPURTUNITY:
Petr Yan (-220) + Alexander Volkov (-300)
Odds Combined: +100
Hu Yaozong / Andre Petroski Over 1.5 Rounds -130 Shamil Gamzatov / Michal Oleksiejczuk Michal Oleksiejczuk +110
Amanda Ribas / Virna Jandiroba Amanda Ribas -140
BIG ODDS OPPURTUNITY: Alexander Volkov / Marcin Tybura Alexander Volkov by Decision +185
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