Tag: UFC predictions

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade – UFC 261 Staff Predictions

Valentina ShevchenkoValentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade is the first title bout of the evening at UFC 261. ‘Bullet’ will look to make the fifth defence of her flyweight title against the former strawweight queen. Who’ll win? Let’s see who the LowKickMMA staff are backing. Jordan Ellis: I truly believe this is the toughest test of Valentina’s […]

Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade is the first title bout of the evening at UFC 261. ‘Bullet’ will look to make the fifth defence of her flyweight title against the former strawweight queen. Who’ll win? Let’s see who the LowKickMMA staff are backing.

Jordan Ellis: I truly believe this is the toughest test of Valentina’s flyweight title reign. Jessica Andrade is the best of the rest at 125lbs and has the power to cause problems at UFC 261. I’m not backing her to win though. I expect Shevchenko to look better than ever against this higher level of opposition. Ultimately, I think she’ll walk Andrade onto a perfect shot and secure a highlight-reel KO win.

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko

Alex Lough: Back when we did our predictions for Shevchenko vs Maia, I said the only way someone would beat Valentina is by being an expert in one area and somehow catching her with that. And, you guys? Andrade is an expert at punching people really hard. On top of that, if you look back at her second fight against Rose, she showed a whole new level of understanding when it came to footwork and head movement. Look, I know she lost that fight, but she limited the amount of damage Namajunas was able to do and had completely taken over by the end of the 3rd. If that was a 5 round fight, Rose wasn’t making it out of the 4th. I truly think the Andrade that showed up that night can beat anyone in the division. At worst, Jessica will be the toughest challenge Shevchenko has faced since winning her belt. Facing her first real step up in competition in the past 2 1/2 years could catch Shevchenko off guard. I know it’s going to take a career best performance for her to get it done, but it’s a level of performance we’ve seen her reach before. The UFC better get Al Michaels on the call. Andrade by decision or late (T)KO.

Prediction: Jessica Andrade

Frank Bonada: Valentina Shevchenko is one of the most dominant champions in modern MMA. Whilst Jessica Andrade brings a level of power and tenacity that Shevchenko has not faced since her last fight with Nunes, I still don’t see the belt changing hands. Shevchenko’s versatility will likely be too much for Andrade. Either a late KO or a unanimous decision victory for “Bullet”

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko

Ross Markey: I’ve always maintained that the most difficult test for Valentina Shevchenko to overcome during her flyweight reign, would come from a division lower in the form of former strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade. The Brazilian’s aggression could be an interesting factor in this clash with the striking-oriented Valentina, but when it comes to overall technique, Shevchenko is leaps and bounds ahead of Andrade, and is arguably the most technical strikers amongst her peers at this moment. While I believe Andrade has the ability to make this one quite interesting and pose some dangerous moments herself — Shevchenko is just far too technical and shrewd to allow herself to pocket fight — a possible scenario where Andrade could really score some damage. Shevchenko to take home another successful defence via decision.

Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko

UFC 261 Betting Preview – The Title Fights

UFC 261UFC 261 takes place this weekend at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It’ll be the promotion’s first event with live fans in more than 13 months. The lucky fans who snapped up tickets for UFC 261 will have the pleasure of watching three title fights. In the main event Kamaru Usman once again […]

UFC 261

UFC 261 takes place this weekend at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It’ll be the promotion’s first event with live fans in more than 13 months. The lucky fans who snapped up tickets for UFC 261 will have the pleasure of watching three title fights.

In the main event Kamaru Usman once again puts his welterweight strap on the line against Jorge Masvidal. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ previously beat Masvidal by decision at UFC 251 last year.

Weili Zhang will look to make the second defence of her strawweight crown in the co-main event. The 115lb queen will put her title on the line against the former champion, Rose Namajunas, who has politicized the match-up in recent weeks.

The first title fight of the evening will see Valentina Shevchenko put her belt on the line against former strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade. The Brazilian jumped up to flyweight in 2020 and quickly became the divisions number one contender by stopping Katlyn Chookagian.

Join LowKickMMA as we preview, predict and hopefully win some money on these fights.

If you’re having a punt this weekend, we recommend these MMA betting sites.

Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal

The UFC 261 main event is something of a mismatch according to the oddsmakers. Kamaru Usman is the -400 favourite over Jorge Masvidal who can be found at odds of +300. It is understandable the bookmakers feel this way when you consider the fact Usman dominated ‘Gamebred’ over five rounds less than one year ago. Fans haven’t been keen on the match-up but the UFC and Masvidal believe things will be considerably different now that he’s had a full camp. For those who don’t remember, Masvidal accepted the fight with Usman on just six days’ notice. If ‘’Street Jesus’ is to get the win it seems like he’ll have to knock out the champ. This is not an entirely unlikely scenario. Usman was hurt in his last fight against Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington caused him problems on the feet too. If you fancy Masvidal to score the stoppage win, you can bet on that at odds of +450. That’s not what we’ll be doing. For us, Usman will once again dominate Masvidal for 25 minutes, pick up a decision win and defend his 170lb title. If you bet on Usman to win by decision or technical decision, it’ll bump your odds up to -125. 

Weili Zhang vs. Rose Namajunas

Weili Zhang has enjoyed a phenomenal rise through the strawweight ranks. The Chinese superstar put on a sensational performance to dethrone Jessica Andrade. Zhang then went on to defend her belt in one of the greatest MMA fights of all time against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. After such strong performances Zhang has been made the -200 favourite. Namajunas is the underdog but a live one in our opinion. Only a freak incident separated ‘Thug Rose’ from the 115lb belt. The former champion has since gone on to avenge her loss to the woman who dethrone her. We at LowKickMMA will be backing Namajunas to spring the upset by stopping Zhang at UFC 261. The 28-year-old has an elite level top game which we expect to cause the champ problems. Ultimately, we believe we’ll see Namajunas picking up a submission victory and will be betting on her to get the stoppage at huge odds of +400.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade

The first title fight at UFC 261 will see Valentina Shevchenko attempt to continue her amazing featherweight run. ‘Bullet’ has looked sensational at 125lbs, several levels above everyone she’s stepped into the Octagon with. Of course, she’s the -400 favourite ahead of UFC 261. Andrade is in our opinion the toughest test of Shevchenko’s title reign – by some way. A former champion with power and impressive wrestling, she’s more than capable of winning this fight. I’m sure plenty of fans will be backing her to do so at odds of +300. We won’t be. Shevchenko could be the best female fighter of all time by the time her career is done. The challenge of Andrade will bring out the best of Shevchenko who will dominate this fight and maybe even find the finish.

Which of the three UFC 261 title fights are you most looking forward to?

UFC 261 Betting Preview – The Best Of The Rest

UFC 261UFC 261 takes place this weekend at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It’ll be the promotion’s first event with live fans in more than 13 months. The lucky fans who snapped up tickets for UFC 261 will have the pleasure of watching three title fights. The UFC 261 undercard is stacked with a […]

UFC 261

UFC 261 takes place this weekend at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It’ll be the promotion’s first event with live fans in more than 13 months. The lucky fans who snapped up tickets for UFC 261 will have the pleasure of watching three title fights.

The UFC 261 undercard is stacked with a bunch of epic fights. Join LowKickMMA as we preview, predict, and hopefully win some money on these fights. If you’re having a bet this weekend, check out this information about the best online betting sites.

Anthony Smith vs. Jimmy Crute

Former light-heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith is as game as they come. ‘Lionheart’ is content fighting lower ranked guys as he works his way back into contention after back-to-back losses. He looked great last time out as he made quick work of Devin Clark at UFC Vegas 15. Despite that, he’s an underdog heading into this fight. The bookmakers have him at odds of +163 against Jimmy Crute who is the -188 favourite. The Australian fighter appears to be the next big thing at 205lbs. At 25-years-old he already holds four UFC wins and has beaten the likes of Paul Craig and Sam Alvey. For us, this is a significant step up in competition. That’s why we’ll backing the veteran, Smith, to pull off the upset win at UFC 261.

Uriah Hall vs. Chris Weidman

This fight is a rematch 11 years in the making. Uriah Hall and Chris Weidman previously squared off in 2010 for the Ring of Combat middleweight title. On that occasion Weidman stopped Hall inside one round to stretch his professional MMA record to 3-0. Hall dropped to 4-1. Since then, the ‘All American’ has gone on to claim UFC gold by becoming the first man to beat Anderson Silva inside the Octagon. Hall’s rise to the top has been less glamourous and has involved several hiccups along the way. Despite this, ‘Primetime’ has picked up several high profiles wins throughout his career over the likes of Aung La Nsang, Chris Leben, Gegard Mousasi and Anderson Silva. The bookmakers make him the +100 underdog and we tend to agree. A man of clear talent, Hall has failed to live up to his potential. As of late he appears to be shot shy and even struggled against ‘The Spider’ who was done at UFC level by the time they fought in October 2020. Weidman’s recent form has been worrying. He managed to get back in the win column last time out but failed to impress against Omari Ahkmedov. He’s the -125 favourite. We will be betting on him but would advise anyone else who’s thinking about betting on this fight to approach with caution.

Alex Oliveira vs. Randy Brown

In the featured preliminary bout, we have an exciting welterweight match-up between Alex ‘Cowboy’ Oliveira and Randy Brown. The Brazilian won two fights in 2020 but slipped up in his final bout of the year. Brown fought only once last year and fell short against Vicente Luque. Prior to that, the 30-year-old appeared to be on the cusp of achieving big things in the UFC. Ahead of the bout, Brown has been made the -160 favourite. Oliveira is the underdog at +130. We tend to agree with the oddsmakers. Brown has looked good and beaten a similar level of competition in recent years. ‘Rude Boy’ has only come unstuck when he’s stepped up to elite level. At this stage of his career Oliveira cannot be considered elite level. For that reason, we are backing Brown to emerge victorious in the UFC 261 featured prelim.

Karl Roberson vs. Brendan Allen

Our final UFC 261 pick comes in this intriguing middleweight match-up. Karl Roberson will be hoping to bounce back from his submission loss to Marvin Vettori this coming weekend. The 30-year-olds record is littered with high level wins over the likes of Ryan Spann and Darren Stewart. Despite this, Roberson finds himself the underdog at +138. In our opinion this is the right call from the oddsmakers. Allen, the -163 favourite, has all the tools it takes to beat Roberson who has been out grappled and submitted in all three of his professional defeats. We are predicting Allen will become the fourth man to tap out Roberson and will be betting on his to get the stoppage at +120.

Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum – UFC Vegas 24 Staff Predictions

Robert WhittakerIn the UFC Vegas 24 main event, we have an epic middleweight fight with title implications. The former 185lb king, Robert Whittaker, will take on one-time interim title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum, over five rounds. Who’ll win? Let’s see what the LowKickMMA staff think. Jordan Ellis: A few years ago, when this fight was supposed to […]

Robert Whittaker

In the UFC Vegas 24 main event, we have an epic middleweight fight with title implications. The former 185lb king, Robert Whittaker, will take on one-time interim title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum, over five rounds. Who’ll win? Let’s see what the LowKickMMA staff think.

Jordan Ellis: A few years ago, when this fight was supposed to happen, I would’ve picked Kelvin Gastelum. I’m a big fan and could see holes in Whitaker’s injury plagued title reign. At this point though it’s impossible for me to back against the Aussie fighter. He’s looked brilliant since losing his belt. Gastelum on the other hand has been poor lately. After three straight losses he managed to get back in the win column but failed to impress. I think Whittaker outpoints him over five rounds.

Prediction: Robert Whittaker

Ryan MacCarthy: I just think Whittaker is the hotter fighter, winner of 2 straight while Kelvin has lost 3 of 4, although he did win his last one which was huge but just has not looked great. Gastelum has shown he can compete with the elite guys. He just got into a little funk. The Jack Hermansson thing was a little weird, he got heel hooked. It has to be a mental thing with him. With Whittaker, the fight is going to be mostly standing. How confident is Gastelum going to be standing again with Whittaker? I think Kelvin is so durable. But I do see Bobby Knuckles winning this one via Unanimous Decision.

Prediction: Robert Whittaker

Frank Bonada: I will always respect Gastelum for giving us that 5 round war against Israel Adesanya. However, there is no way I can pick him in this fight. One of the most impressive additions to his fight against Heinisch was the wrestling heavy approach to the fight. Unfortunately for Gastelum, Robert Whittaker is one of the best anti wrestlers in the UFC. It is unlikely Gastelum will have luck in that department. Then in the striking, Gastelum’s lack of movement and range will likely make him a sitting duck. Partner that with Whittaker’s history of success against southpaws (Hall, Till, Romero etc) and I expect this to be a clear cut fight. The one Gastelum has going for him in this fight is a granite chin and solid endurance. Whittaker via Unanimous decision.

Prediction: Robert Whittaker

Curtis Calhoun: Robert Whittaker by Unanimous Decision. Whittaker has looked incredible since falling to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 and I predict he’ll show no signs of slowing down against the tough Gastelum. Gastelum is one of the dark horses at 185, after giving Adesanya issues in their interim middleweight title bout, but has issues competing in the later rounds. Credit to him for taking the fight on short notice after Paulo Costa pulled out, but this is a mountain that I don’t feel he’ll be able to climb with the reduced preparation. Look for Gastelum to catch Whittaker with some shots early, but for “The Reaper” to control the fight on the feet and on the ground as the fight goes on. On a full camp, I feel this could possibly be a different result…. but Whittaker will win with relative ease and move closer to a rematch with Adesanya for the middleweight belt.

Prediction: Robert Whittaker

Alex Lough: There’s a reason this fight is only coming together as a short notice replacement. Gastelum has struggled when he’s taken that next step against the truly elite. His only win in the last 3 years is against Ian Heinisch, who’s never been ranked. Whitaker has taken on some of the best of the best and come out on top. While he hasn’t looked dominate in his wins over Till and Cannonier, he still proved he can top on some of the divisions best and get the W. There’s levels to this thing, and Whitaker is a step above Gastelum here. Bobby Knuckles by decision.

Prediction: Robert Whittaker

Marvin Vettori vs. Kevin Holland – UFC Vegas 23 Staff Predictions

Marvin VettoriIn the UFC Vegas 23 main event, we have a pivotal middleweight match-up between Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland. Who’ll win? Let’s see what the LowKickMMA staff think. Jordan Ellis: For me, it’s impossible to look past Marvin Vettori in this fight. He should stretch his win streak to five against Kevin Holland tonight. The […]

Marvin Vettori

In the UFC Vegas 23 main event, we have a pivotal middleweight match-up between Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland.

Who’ll win? Let’s see what the LowKickMMA staff think.

Jordan Ellis: For me, it’s impossible to look past Marvin Vettori in this fight. He should stretch his win streak to five against Kevin Holland tonight. The Italian is a super serious fighter in contrast to Holland who joked his way to a decision loss last time out. All respect to Holland for stepping up on late notice but I just believe he’ll be out hustled for as long as this fight lasts.

Prediction: Marvin Vettori

Maria Morales: This is such a fun fight to predict!  Vettori is intense, period.  He has done everything to earn that #6 in front of his name.  I expect him to come out aggressive from the first bell.  However, jovial Kevin Holland was putting on fight of the night performances before he decided to “get serious” and be the Trailblazer.   I believe that this new found focus combined with his speed and reach will be the difference in this fight.  I do give the Vettori the advantage if they end up on the ground, but I anticipate that they will stand and bang. Vettori has never been finished, but I think that Holland can be dynamic enough to get it done.  My prediction is Holland in 3.

Prediction: Kevin Holland

Ty Rosson: First off, much respect goes to Kevin Holland for taking this fight on such short notice. Not a lot of guys can do what he is doing at this level and he should be commended for that. Speaking in fight terms, my big question for him is how much can one fighter improve their wrestling/grappling skills in a short amount of time? I would say not much. Vettori is very well rounded and will be comfortable wherever the fight goes. He seems very hungry to get that rematch with the champ Adesanya and don’t think he will get bumped off that path this weekend. Vettori by 3rd round submission.

Prediction: Marvin Vettori

Alex Lough: How much has Holland’s takedown defense and offense off his back improved in the past 21 days? I’m guessing not enough. Vettori may not be the wrestler that Brunson is, but he has a better overall striking game despite lacking that one-punch power. He also still has very good grappling ability and brings constant forward pressure. His ability to survive on the feet and mix in his ground game makes him the perfect foil for Holland, who, on top of struggling to do anything when he was on the ground in his last fight, also showed some sloppy footwork that led to him basically falling into the clinch. While Vettori will probably be more active than Brunson was, look for this fight to play out very similarly to Holland’s last. Vettori by UD

Prediction: Marvin Vettori

Frank Bonada: Holland’s performances in 2020 made me a huge fan of his. The ‘Trailblazer’ tore through any and all opposition put in front of him, culminating with the brutal KO over Jacare. These wins have firmly entrenched him into the top 15 of the UFC’s middleweight division. And now he is being matched up against a whole other breed fighter. Brunson proved that, smothering Holland over 5 rounds. Vettori is debatably an even tougher test for Holland. ‘The Italian Dream’ is a very adept wrestler in his own right and has a number of submission victories on his record. He also has one of the best chins in 185lb division. Solid boxing fundamentals are also a staple of Vettori’s game. I would honestly love to pick Holland, but I think Vettori’s durability and well-roundedness will be too much. Vettori to win via decision.

Prediction: Marvin Vettori

UFC on ABC 2: Till vs. Vettori Betting Preview

Darren TillAfter a brief break, top-level MMA returns to our screen on April 10 when Darren Till takes on fellow middleweight contender Marvin Vettori in the UFC on ABC 2 main event. Join us as we break down the best fights on this card and hopefully help you make some money with https://22bet.co.ke/mobile/. Darren Till vs. […]

Darren Till

After a brief break, top-level MMA returns to our screen on April 10 when Darren Till takes on fellow middleweight contender Marvin Vettori in the UFC on ABC 2 main event. Join us as we break down the best fights on this card and hopefully help you make some money with https://22bet.co.ke/mobile/.

Darren Till vs. Marvin Vettori

In the main event, we have what is in my opinion a 50-50 fight. Darren Till has failed to impress as of late but should be given the opportunity to next weekend. The 27-year-old scouser will not have to go looking for his Italian opponent. Marvin Vettori is all about pressure. The only direction this guy knows is forward. It’s served him well in previous fights but could be his undoing against a slick, powerful puncher like Till. So, for that reason, we’ll be adding Till to our bet this weekend as a +140 underdog. If you fancy Vettori in the UFC on ABC 2 main event you’ll find him at odds of -170.

Arnold Allen vs. Sodiq Yussuf

In the UFC on ABC 2 co-main event, we have a great match-up between of two of the most promising featherweight prospects in MMA. After more than a year out, Arnold Allen will return to one of the biggest fights of his life. The Englishman has won seven straight fights to establish himself in the 145lbs rankings. Sodiq Yussuf has won five straight since joining the UFC in 2018. Another close fight and another fight we will be backing the English underdog. Allen has show a great chin throughout his career. We think ‘Almighty’ will be able to survive the early storm before putting out Yussuf. We’ll be betting on him to win this fight at odds of +110.  

Nina Ansaroff vs. Mackenzie Dern

On the UFC on ABC 2 main card, we have a great fight between two of the most popular women in MMA. Nina Ansaroff will return to the Octagon for the first time since giving birth last year. The wife of dual-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes had looked good before he extended break but did fall short in her last fight which came against top strawweight prospect Tatiana Suarez. Unfortunately for Ansaroff she’s coming up another really talented fighter in Mackenzie Dern on April 10. The BJJ wizard picked up three impressive wins in 2020 and now seems set for a 115lb title charge in 2021. We’ll be backing her to continue her hot streak at odds of -110.

Mike Perry vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Opening up the main card we have what promises to be a fun fight between Mike Perry and Daniel Rodriguez. Both men are known for standing and banging. If you could bet of who will get Fight of the Night, this would be our pick. ‘Platinum’ is the underdog in this fight for a reason. It’s sad to say but at 29-year-old he already appears to be past his best. The once ferocious puncher hasn’t scored a knockout win since 2017. Perry six of the nine fights he’s had since then. For this reason, we simply have to back Rodriguez at odds of -175.

Who will you be betting on at UFC on ABC 2?