UFC Featherweight bout: Charles Oliveira vs. Jonathan Brookins
Odds: (-200 Oliveira /+160 Brookins )
Betting Pick: Brookins
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In a featured Featherweight matchup, prolific grapplers Jonathan Brookins and Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira will square off against each other. Both of these guys have terrific ground games, but Oliveira also has very heavy hands, while Brookins is the better wrestler. It’s interesting to see whether Brookins will be able to handle Oliveira’s boxing, or if he will try to take this to the ground, where Oliveira is also very dangerous.
Charles Oliveira just recently dropped down to Featherweight after mixed results at 155 pounds. Despite a strong start to his UFC career, the difference in size became too much for him once he broke into the upper crust of the division. At 145, he is much more physically competitive, and has a better chance to showcase his excellent technique. Oliveira has heavy hands and great submissions, and has finished all but one of his professional victories. He was finished in both of his losses, though, being submitted once and knocked out once. He will probably enjoy an advantage in the striking, but he needs to be careful because Brookins has the wrestling to take him down and the submissions to test his defense if he can’t keep this fight upright.
Jonathan Brookins, who is returning to the Ultimate Fighter finale after capturing the Season 12 Ultimate Fighter title, is a very tough and efficient fighter with very strong grappling. His background is in wrestling, and he has solid takedowns and very effective submissions. His standup is not up to par with the rest of his game, but he is a moderately efficient boxer nonetheless. Against Oliveira, who has substantially more punching power, Brookins will need to be careful in the striking exchanges. His best bet here will be to look for takedowns early and often and force Oliveira to play a defensive game off his back.
This has all the makings of a very competitive fight. Both of these guys have great cardio and versatile skill sets, so this one should be very exciting. In the end I think the edge goes to Brookins, who should be able to use his superior wrestling to neutralize the standup advantage of Oliveira. I think this one will go the distance, but Brookins will spend enough time on top to earn the decision victory.
Prediction: Jonathan Brookins by Unanimous Decision.
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