UFC Lightweight bout: Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares
Odds: (-115 Stout /-115 Tavares )
Betting Pick: Stout
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In a featured Lightweight matchup, submission wiz Thiago Tavares will square off against heavy-handed slugger Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout in a classic striker versus grappler matchup. This is an interesting matchup not only because the two guys excel in different areas, but because each of their strengths are perfectly suited to exploit the other’s weaknesses. Stout’s aggressive, heavy-handed slugging is going to give the notoriously glass-jawed Tavares fits, and Tavares’ ultra-technical ground game will confound Stout, whose ground game pretty much consists of getting punched and standing up.
Thiago Tavares is a very talented submission grappler whose inability to take a punch or strike effectively has made him an inconsistent performer. Tavares has great submissions from every position, but he is not a dominant wrestler who can force opponents to fight his fight and he isn’t a competent enough striker to keep himself alive while he is unable to get fights down. Against Stout he is going to have to find a way to get this fight down, because Stout has more than enough punching power to exploit Tavares’ glass jaw. On the ground Tavares will wrap Stout up and control him from any position, so finding a way to take Stout down has to be his biggest priority if he wants to avoid another disappointing loss.
Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout is a tough, experienced brawler with an aggressive style and good power punching. He isn’t always the most consistent fighter, but he is durable, heavy-handed, and brings the fight to his opponents. He will be able to destroy Tavares standing, both in terms of technique and power. As long as he can stop Tavares’ anemic takedowns, Stout has all the tools to make it two knockout wins in a row.
This is going to be a tough fight for Tavares. He can’t box and he can’t really wrestle either, which really makes his top-notch submissions pretty useless. Stout is hardly a bastion of takedown defense, but he’s good enough to keep this fight standing, and he will have his way with Tavares on the feet. Stout by T/KO.
Prediction: Sam Stout by second round T/KO.
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