UFC Middleweight bout: Alessio Sakara vs. Jorge Rivera
Odds: (-110 Sakara /-120 Rivera )
Betting Pick: Rivera
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In a fight that has fight of the night and knockout of the night potential, two tough Middleweight brawlers will try to distance themselves from the 185 pound pack as Alessio Sakara faces off with long-time veteran and Ultimate Fighter “Comeback” alum Jorge Rivera. Both of these guys have good striking, heavy hands, and a willingness to trade shots, so this should be an action-packed affair to say the least.
Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara, a skilled striker who had an inauspicious beginning to his UFC career, has flown under the radar lately despite going 4-1 since switching his training camp up and moving to American Top Team. Sakara’s striking is very technical, with good handspeed, accuracy, and power, and his jiu-jitsu game, while not world class, is actually fairly solid. He has a pretty good chin as well, which is going to come in handy against a guy as heavy-handed as Rivera.
Rivera, who has won six of his last eight fights, is a very heavy-handed slugger with a solid chin and a willingness to push forward and let his hands go with reckless abandon. A winner in three of his last four, Rivera has become a mainstay in the middle of the 185 pound division, and a win against the surging Sakara could help him advance his position and get him some bigger fights.
The easiest prediction to make about this fight is that it will not go the distance. Both guys have great striking and knockout power, and both guys are more than willing to stand and trade shots. This is the kind of fight that either guy could win, because both of them can be knocked out and both of them have the ability to put guys to sleep. In the end, though, I would say that Rivera is the more durable and heavy-handed of the two, and should take this one by T/KO.
Prediction: Jorge Rivera via second round T/KO.
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