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The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight division’s seemingly endless well of quality match ups offers yet another banger this Saturday (June 27, 2020) when Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker lock ‘em up for up to five rounds at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. ESPN viewers will also get to enjoy Mike Perry swinging leather with Mickey Gall and Brendan Allen welcoming unbeaten Kyle Daukaus to the Octagon.
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What Went Wrong at UFC on ESPN 11?
Fair play to Jim Miller! He capitalized perfectly on Roosevelt Roberts’ misfortune and landed a beautiful submission (watch it). Luckily for us, Lauren Murphy, Gillian Robertson and Curtis Blaydes all came through, though the last one had quite a bit more trouble than expected.
UFC On ESPN 12 Odds For The Under Card:
Luis Pena (-270) vs. Khama Worthy (+230)
Miranda Maverick (-300) vs. Mara Romero Borella (+250)
Philipe Lins (-115) vs. Tanner Boser (-105)
Takashi Sato (-125) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (+105)
Youssef Zalal (-115) vs. Jordan Griffin (-105)
Kay Hansen (-160) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (+140)
Thoughts: Not super blown away by these lines, but there’s value here. The women have been coming up strong, so let’s go with Kay Hansen, as well as Philipe Lins and Jordan Griffin for flavor.
Jinh Yu Frey is a skilled, well-credentialed fighter with plenty of experience against top-notch opposition. Unfortunately, all of that experience came against Atomweights, and Hansen is a powerhouse of a Strawweight with the wrestling skills to give the former Invicta champ fits. Frey had zero success getting out from underneath Ayaka Hamasaki two fights back and Hansen, while less of a technician from top position than the Japanese great, is so relentless with her takedowns that she should rack up heaps of top control time.
Bank on it … literally.
It’s very probable that my picking Lins is a product of my sheer antipathy for the mind-numbing way Tanner Boser fights, but at least I can justify it. Lins punches far, far harder than Boser, has superior wins on his record, and will have a notable three-inch reach advantage. Don’t go crazy, as Boser could cherry tap his way to a decision, but I like Lins to bounce back from defeat.
Youssef Zalal fought essentially a perfect fight against Austin Lingo, constantly staying out of range of the latter’s heavy hands and picking him apart with heavy kicks and well-timed takedowns. While Griffin shares Lingo’s seek-and-destroy mentality, “The Native Psycho” is a far more potent grappler, and Zalal couldn’t stay on his feet when Jose Mariscal went all-in on his takedowns last year. I can definitely see Griffin scoring the (numerical) upset.
If you want to add a little heft to your parlays, stick Miranda Maverick in there. Between her wrestling pedigree and fast-improving striking, she’s more than capable of handing Mara Romero Borella her fourth consecutive defeat.
Never mind, Maverick is out. Put Luis Pena in there instead; Worthy is fragile and technically limited.
UFC On ESPN 12 Odds For The Main Card:
Dustin Poirier (-220) vs. Dan Hooker (+180)
Mike Perry (-310) vs. Mickey Gall (+255)
Brendan Allen (-300) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+250)
Maurice Greene (-235) vs. Gian Villante (+195)
Sean Woodson (N/A) vs. Julian Erosa (N/A)
Thoughts: Bet on Maurice Greene because Gian Villante is terrible.
As reductive and mean as that “analysis” is, the guy barely scraped past an old, blown-up Middleweight in Ed Herman not long ago. Greene’s on a two-fight losing streak, sure, but those losses came to a top contender in Aleksei Oleinik and one of the Heavyweight division’s strongest up-and-comers in Sergey Pavlovich. With four inches of height, six inches of reach, and God knows how much weight on Villante, “The Crochet Boss” has the goods to make Villante’s Heavyweight welcome a rude one.
UFC On ESPN 12 Best Bets:
- Parlay — Luis Pena and Kay Hansen: Bet $60 to make $70.59
- Parlay — Philipe Lins and Jordan Griffin: Bet $30 to make $79.50
- Parlay — Kay Hansen and Maurice Greene: Bet $30 to make $37.80
UFC on ESPN 12 features a killer main event and Mike Perry madness make for a quality evening of fights. See you Saturday, Maniacs!
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 12 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, then the main card portion that will also stream on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC on ESPN 12: “Poirier vs. Hooker” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.