Tag: UFC predictions

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos – LowKick MMA Staff Predictions

Valentina ShevchenkoIn the co-main event of UFC 275, Valentina Shevchenko will seek to defend her flyweight title for the seventh consecutive time. She takes on Brazilian contender Taila Santos, who is coming off a first-round finish over Joanna Wood. As with the majority of her fights, Valentina Shevchenko is a heavy favorite. Let’s see if any […]

Valentina Shevchenko

In the co-main event of UFC 275, Valentina Shevchenko will seek to defend her flyweight title for the seventh consecutive time. She takes on Brazilian contender Taila Santos, who is coming off a first-round finish over Joanna Wood.

As with the majority of her fights, Valentina Shevchenko is a heavy favorite. Let’s see if any of the LowKick MMA Staff predict a massive upset at UFC 275:

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos

Frank Bonada

It’s been a long time since I picked against Valentina Shevchenko, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon. Taila Santos is one of the more interesting contenders to match up with the flyweight champ in recent memory, but it’s still impossible to predict the fight playing out in any other way than a Valentina Shevchenko victory.

It’s worth noting that few gave Julianna Pena a chance against Amanda Nunes, and yet she now holds the 135lb title. But there simply isn’t an aspect of this fight that you can feasibly argue Santos will come out on top in. The Brazilaianns durability may allow her to hold out to the judge’s decision, but it would be extremely impressive if she even wins a single round.

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko by Dec.

Ross Markey

In seach of successive successful title defense number seven against Brazilian contender, Taila Santos, flyweight outlier, Valentina Shevchenko is the unmovable object at 125lbs. Prolonged periods of dominance within divisions in professional mixed martial arts usually have their sell-by date or, at the very least, an eventual tell that stylistically, an end of an era is close.

However, when it comes to Shevchenko – it feels like Santos, nor any other contender, currently at their level can cause the Kyrgyzstan native any real, noteworthy cause for concern. An upward move back to the bantamweight limit may be on the horizon for Shevchenko in the very near future, and beyond a return to 135lbs, I really find it difficult to picture the champion in any significant distress at flyweight. Shevchenko, And Still – within the distance seems like a safe pick – but it’s really just giving credence to her unmatched ability.

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko by KO or Sub.

Makoa Goble

Valentina Shevchenko is looking to add another title defense to her impeccable career at UFC 275. Meanwhile, Taila Santos is preparing to face a legend. Not too long ago we saw one of the greatest fighters in Women’s MMA suffer a historic upset loss when Amanda Nunes was dethroned by Julianna Peña. At UFC 275, anything can happen, but don’t expect to see the same thing.

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko via Third round KO/TKO

Nikhil Sharma

Valentina has been so dominant on her way to UFC 275. Her aura of near invincibility can also play against her. People seem to be counting Santos out even though she has more KO wins than Valentina. Santos has also never been finished in her career so far. I see this going the distance with Valentina coming out on top but probably not in a lopsided decision.

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko by Dec.

Craig Peikos

Taila Santos’ best chance is to use her strength and grappling to work Shevchenko to the ground and keep her there. Unfortunately, I don’t see her doing that for five rounds. ‘Bullet’ gets it done with technical striking and scores a unanimous decision.

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko by Dec.

Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka – LowKick MMA Staff Predictions

Glover TeixeiraThe upcoming headline fight of UFC 275 features a light heavyweight title fight between veteran champion Glover Teixeira and rising Czech KO artist Jiri Prochazka. The fight promises to be an action-packed striking affair, with both men possessing their own individual routes to victory. Jiri Prochazka goes into this fight as the bookie’s favourite to […]

Glover Teixeira

The upcoming headline fight of UFC 275 features a light heavyweight title fight between veteran champion Glover Teixeira and rising Czech KO artist Jiri Prochazka. The fight promises to be an action-packed striking affair, with both men possessing their own individual routes to victory.

Jiri Prochazka goes into this fight as the bookie’s favourite to win, but Glover Teixeira has built a career on defying the odds. Who will pick up the win in front of a sold-out crowd in Singapore? Let’s see what the LowKickMMA staff have to say:

Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka

Frank Bonada

Whilst Glover Texeira’s late-career resurgence to claim the 205lb title was one of the best stories in MMA over the past few years. However, one can only continue to subvert expectations for so long in the world of combat sports.

Jiri Prochazka may well be one of the most athletically gifted fighters to have ever competed inside the UFC. The combination of speed and power that the Czech samurai possesses is entirely unprecedented.

Whilst Teixeira’s ground game could serve as the great equalizer in this fight, I can’t look past the raw power of Jiri Prochazka. I believe we will hear “and new” after less than three rounds of pure violence, courtesy of ‘Denisa.’

Prediction: Jiri Prochazka via KO/TKO

Ross Markey

Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka The current run of veteran Minas Gerais native, Glover Teixeira is nothing really short of a fairytale. The undisputed light heavyweight champion has continually survived worrisome moments en route to taking the belt from Jan Blachowicz last October, however, amongst this current travel, I believe Czech challenger, Jiri Prochazka presents the most intriguing, and unorthodox matchup for him at 205lbs.

A shrewd grappler with fantastic top control and smothering ability – on display in notable victories opposite both Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos, Teixeira managed to mount the back of Blachowicz, and his wrestling and grappling ability seem to be one of the most interesting factors of this pairing – given the still unknown aspect of Prochazka’s ability to defend both.

The sticking point does come, however, if Teixeira can manage to land Prochazka in a position of danger himself – without absorbing something quite significant from the former Rizin FF champion, with Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes failing to avoid catastrophic knockouts. Personally, Prochazka gets my nod to defeat Teixeira and land a UFC title at the first time of asking – damaging the Brazilian beyond continue. Keep a close eye on potential grappling scenarios, however.

Prediction: Jiri Prochazka

Nikhil Sharma

I see Prochazka going for the jumping knee but I’m sure Teixeira will be aware of the possibility and will deal accordingly. If you’re Glover Teixeira, you’d want to look at Prochazka’s fight against Brandon Halsey. Prochazka got taken down and was deep in a guillotine but refused to give up. And that was knowing there are about 8 mins left on the clock as this was under Rizin.

I’m going to take it a step further and say Jiri Prochazka has a 100% Finish rate at Light Heavyweight, which is a fact. His only decision win was against a heavyweight in an open weight contest. If we depend on the data we have available, I don’t see any reason why this fight would be any different, except Glover Teixeira who also has a similar ability to win.

Prediction: Jiri Prochazka by KO/TKO in the 2nd round.

Makoa Goble

The main event of UFC 275 features a time-tested tale of age vs. wisdom. Glover Teixeira asserted his greatness by defeating the seemingly unbeatable Jan Blachowicz, and he made it look easy. On the other side stands Jiri Prochazka. Part myth, part mystique. Will the young prospect find his shine, or does Teixeira prove that all along he was deserving of his current throne? On one side you see that Teixeira gets hit a lot, but on the other hand, you can say he has a chin of steel. A guy like Prochazka will test that, and even push the Brazilian’s chin to its limits.

But in that same aspect, Teixeira will test the grappling of Prochazka, in addition to presenting an interesting enigma on the feet. While Prochazka looks like the next legend in MMA, you could say he’s not ready to face a man with the number of tools as Glover Teixeira.

Prediction: Glover Teixeira via decision

Craig Peikos

Prochazka has a speed advantage on the feet and both have knockout power. Where Teixeira excels is on the ground. I think Teixeira gets it to the ground and stops Prochazka with ground and pound.

Prediction: Glover Teixeira via KO/TKO

UFC 275 Betting Preview

UFC 275UFC 275 is a stacked event full of elite talent featuring two title fights and a rematch of one of the greatest five round bouts of all time. Glover Teixeira makes his first 205lb title defense, taking on Czech knockout artist in the main event. Valentina Shevchenko will see to defend her flyweight title yet […]

UFC 275

UFC 275 is a stacked event full of elite talent featuring two title fights and a rematch of one of the greatest five round bouts of all time. Glover Teixeira makes his first 205lb title defense, taking on Czech knockout artist in the main event. Valentina Shevchenko will see to defend her flyweight title yet again as she takes on surging contender Taila Santos. In the co-co main event, former champs Zhang Weili and Joanna J?drzejczyk run back the all-time great bout they both featured in two years ago.

Also featured on UFC 275 are a number of fan favorites such as Jack Della Madellana, Andre Fialho, Jake Matthews, and Brendan Allen.

Join LowKickMMA as we preview, predict, and hopefully win some money betting on UFC 275.

Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka

Glover Teixeira has made an entire career of constantly defying expectations, culminating in him claiming the UFC light heavyweight title at the age of 41. However, as with every fighter, there will come a time when Teixeira is unable to continue competing at the very pinnacle of his weight class, and unfortunately, Jiri Prochazka is exactly the kind of physical specimen that could make this point abundantly clear.

Prochazka is one of those individuals who is as close to unique as you can get in the fight game, both in terms of the mental and physical side of things. The surging Czech samurai is monstrously strong and fast, with unorthodox striking that saw both Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes left unconscious on the canvas.

It is worth noting that Teixeria may be able to shift the tide of this fight if he can take Prochazka down. But we will be backing ‘Denisa’ to be victorious at UFC 275, winning this fight via KO/TKO. Betway has the prop priced at 1.72.

Pick: Jiri Prochazka to win via KO/TKO.

Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Joanna J?drzejczyk

The first fight between these two elite strawweight’s was one of the best fights to have ever taken place inside the UFC octagon. Whilst it is often the case that rematches of great fights don’t live up to expectations, the style clash of Weili and Joanna just makes it appear inevitable that this will be another war for the ages.

One of the factors that made the first fight so thrilling was just how close it was. Weili Zhang ultimately left with her hand raised, but there is a very strong case to be made that Joanna deserved the nod. Since that first fight, Zhang lost back-to-back title fights with Rose Namajuans, whilst Joanna has not competed at all.

Inactivity can have disastrous consequences in MMA, but it truly is subjective to each individual fighter. It could also be argued that the physiological toll of losing two fights on the run, both in very different ways, could tale an equally detrimental psychological toll.

This fight will be incredibly close, to the point where it is near impossible to make a clear case for one fighter or the other. However, the bookies have Zhang as a decent favorite for this UFC 275 rematch, with Joanna’s underdog line placed at 2.50. This is the value play, and if you want action on this fight, this is the line to back. If you wanted even better odds, you could also take Joanna by decision, as that seems her most likely route to victory.

Pick: Joanna J?drzejczyk ML.

Jake Matthews vs. Andre Fialho

Portugal’s Andre Fialho has made a name for himself in the UFC over the past few months by being a heavy-handed knockout artist who fights extremely regularly. A short-notice UFC debut saw him come up against the dynamic Michel Pereira, and whilst Fialho did come up short, he took Pereira to the judge’s scorecards in what was an extremely entertaining bout. Since then, Fialho knocked out both Miguel Baeza and Cameron VanCamp.

However, the big difference between these past three opponents of Fialho, and his upcoming opponent at UFC 275, Jake Matthews, is the wrestling. Fialho’s boxing-heavy style relies on his opponents being willing to exchange with him. Matthews will be perfectly happy to grind out the majority of a round in half guard, racking up points and frustrating Fialho.

Matthews opened as a surprisingly heavy underdog, but the line is getting closer at fight night approaches. At the time of writing, his ML is priced at 2.20 on Betway.

Pick: Jake Matthews ML.

What bets will you be placing on UFC 275? Do you agree with our UFC 275 picks?

Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik – LowKick MMA Staff Predictions

Alexander VolkovAfter a short break, the UFC is back, with a fight card headlined by top-ranked heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Both men are looking to get back to winning ways, and have the perfect opportunity to catapult themselves back into the title picture with a big win this weekend. Check out who the LowKick […]

Alexander Volkov

After a short break, the UFC is back, with a fight card headlined by top-ranked heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Both men are looking to get back to winning ways, and have the perfect opportunity to catapult themselves back into the title picture with a big win this weekend.

Check out who the LowKick MMA Staff think will come out on top in this heavyweight clash of titans:

Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Frank Bonada

Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s knockout power could well be the great equalizer in this one. However, ‘Bigi Boi’ often chooses to hang back and catch opponents with lethal counter strikes. Alexander Volkov’s extraordinary reach advantage will likely allow him to fight at range, and not step into the close quarter’s danger zone that Rozenstruik thrives in. It will be intriguing to see if the smaller cage force Volkov into some awkward situations that Rozenstruik could capitalize on, but for the time being, my pick is Alexander Volkov to win via decision.

Prediction: Alexander Volkov to win via decision.

Ross Markey

Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik For all the power and danger possessed by Suriname striking ace, Jairzinho Rozenstruik – we’re almost too often left with the fear of a rather gunshy and halted approach from the heavy-hitter, and to be totally honest, a main event matchup against Alexander Volkov gives me cause for concern that we’ve got a stop-start headliner awaiting up.

Volkov failed to ever get started against the blistering Tom Aspinall back in March en route to his first-round armbar loss, however, in the past against heavy hitters like Derrick Lewis, he’s shown poise and composure, albeit, before suffering a thunderous knockout loss. However, Alistair Overeem is also a prime example in that case – with Volkov managed to stop the Dutchman on that occasion. Rozenstruik and Volkov share that common foe in the form of Overeem, and prior to his buzzer-beating, lip-splitting KO win over the veteran in D.C. – Rozenstruik was conceivably en route to his first promotional blemish.

The Suriname native’s tendency to sit back and await the perfect opening, akin to his not too memorable win over Augusto Sakai leaves with questions regarding his ability to find openings against the tactical approach of Volkov.

Rozenstruik, akin to Volkov also struggled with the puzzle that is Ciryl Gane – however, I’m leaning toward the Moscow kicker and puncher to stray from in-fighting and land a decision victory over Rozenstruik.

Prediction: Alexander Volkov to win via decision.

Nikhil Sharma

Interesting matchmaking from the UFC here. The card looks solid but it’s the main event that will answer some major questions. Volkov goes into the bout as the favorite over Rozenstruik. Both are going through a skid in their careers and share two opponents they both lost to, Ciryl Gane and Curtis Blaydes. Rozenstruik has only ever been KO’d once and that was in 20 seconds against Francis Ngannou. Meanwhile, Volkov dropped his fight against Aspinall.

I see Rozenstruik winning this by KO in the first or second round. The longer the fight goes the more the odds tip in the favor of Volkov, who’s a volume puncher and might feel best suited to take the fight into rounds 4 & 5.

Prediction: Jairzinho Rozenstruik by Rnd 1 KO/TKO.

Craig Peikos

“I see Volkov playing a long technical striking game with Rozenstruik. I expect Volkov to make it a kickboxing match, utilizing leg kicks and the jab to keep distance and outpoint Rozenstruik for a unanimous decision win.”

Prediction: Alexander Volkov to win via decision.

UFC Vegas 56 Betting Preview

UFC Vegas 56After a week off, the UFC is back with yet another event held in the Apex Arena. This time, top 10 heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik face off in the main event. Both men are coming off disappointing losses, and are looking to catapult themselves back into the title picture with a big win […]

UFC Vegas 56

After a week off, the UFC is back with yet another event held in the Apex Arena. This time, top 10 heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik face off in the main event. Both men are coming off disappointing losses, and are looking to catapult themselves back into the title picture with a big win on Saturday night.

Rising undefeated featherweight Movsar Evloev competes in the co-main event slot, taking on hard-hitting 145lb veteran Dan Ige, in what will be his penultimate litmus test to see if he is truly ready to face the elite of the division.

An explosive flyweight bout between Ode Osbourne and Zarrukh Adashev, as well as a clash of light heavyweight titans between Alonso Menifield and Askar Mozharov, round off the main card.

Also featured on the prelims are several notable names, such as Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Felice Herrig, Damon Jackson, and Jeff Molina.

Join LowKickMMA as we preview, predict, and hopefully win some money betting on UFC Vegas 56.

Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

The main event of UFC Vegas 56 is an intriguing one. Rozenstruik is one of the hardest-hitting individuals in the entire promotion. However, he rarely pushes a pace, instead relying on his opponents to engage with him, in order to set up counter shots. Alexander Volkov is a colossal fighter, standing at 6ft 9inches tall. However, he isn’t known as a particularly dangerous finisher, often relying on his size advantage to land high volume attritional damage over the course of the fight.

There are several ways you could bet on this fight. If you are backing Rozenstruik, then taking his KO/TKO prop is likely the way to go. He can be found at solid plus odds on Betway, which have the line priced at 3.00 at the time of writing. Alternatively, if you think Volkov will be victorious, then taking his decision prop is the way to go. This can be found at 2.62.

However, we will not be taking a side. Instead, we will take the fight to go over 3.5 rounds, which Betway has priced at 1.80.

Pick: Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik – Over 3.5 Total Rounds

Movsar Evloev vs. Dan Ige

An excellent featherweight matchup that easily could have been a five-round fight in its own respect, Evloev vs. Ige is a classic UFC prospect vs. veteran matchup. Ige hit’s very hard and is a solid offensive wrestler. However, as demonstrated in his recent loss to ‘The Korean Zombie,’ Ige is lacking when it comes to takedown defense.

Unfortunately for Ige, Evloev is one of the best wrestlers in the division, having absolutely mauled the likes of Hakeem Dawodo and Seung Woo Choi. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Evloev is not able simply to dominate this fight with relentless takedowns and suffocating top control.

Unfortunately, the bookies seem to agree with this assumption, and Evloev’s ML is currently at a ridiculous 1.25. Instead, we will take his decision prop, priced at 1.57.

Pick: Movsar Evloev to win via Decision or Technical Decision

Felice Herrig vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Felice Herrig vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz represents a matchup between two veterans of the UFC, and also a rematch several years in the making. Herrig has not competed for two years now, and is on a three-fight losing streak that includes the decision loss to Kowalkiewicz. However, she enters this fight as the betting favorite.

This is likely due to Kowalkiewicz being on a five-fight losing streak. However, the former UFC title challenger has still remained active, and has recently begun training at ATT. Kowalkiewicz is also a notorious decision artist, and can currently be found at 2.62 odds to win on the judge’s scorecards.

This is the line we will take on this fight, though we’d advise limiting the amount you place on it.

Pick: Karolina Kowalkiewicz to win via Decision or Technical Decision

Who are you backing at UFC Vegas 56?

Exclusive: Billy Quarantillo Breaks Down His Upcoming Fight Against Bill Algeo

Billy QuarantilloUFC Featherweight Billy Quarantillo (16-4 MMA) has recently sat down to discuss his latest thoughts ahead of his first matchup of the year. Quarantillo vs. Algeo (15-6 MMA) is set for July 16th in Long Island, New York. Both fighters will be looking for a much-needed win, after both returning following losses in their last bout. […]

Billy Quarantillo

UFC Featherweight Billy Quarantillo (16-4 MMA) has recently sat down to discuss his latest thoughts ahead of his first matchup of the year.

Quarantillo vs. Algeo (15-6 MMA) is set for July 16th in Long Island, New York. Both fighters will be looking for a much-needed win, after both returning following losses in their last bout.

In a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Billy Quarantillo opened up about his next matchup, where he expressed his confidence going into the fight and why his fans should be excited to see his return to the octagon.

Quarantillo stated that: “I have never been in a boring fight since the second fight of the Ultimate Fighter… If you watch my fights usually exciting stuff happens. I have a lot of finishes, knockouts, and submissions. I’m very dangerous everywhere.”

“These last six months I’ve got to work on some many different things that no one’s seen, so I’m gonna be a better and smarter fighter than I was back in November.”

Billy Quarantillo set’s goal to get a UFC Featherweight ranking

A convincing win for the Buffalo native would surely see him enter the featherweight rankings, however, despite admitting that “- it is up for grabs next,” the 33-year-old doesn’t feel right overlooking his next opponent.

“I want this wild rollercoaster I’m on right now, which is doing all this wild stuff and having these crazy fights to keep going. I gotta go and take out Bill and keep going from there but in the meantime, over the next 7 weeks it’s all about winning this fight.”

Although Billy Quarnatillo is wary of Algeo’s threats, he feels confident he has enough tools to see the job get done.

“He’s a tough dude, he’s very good everywhere he’s got good grappling, got good striking. I really do like the matchup; I like how I match up with him everywhere the fight goes. Every fight is an opportunity for me to show a new level of my game.”

Will Billy Quarantillo finally break through the rankings?