The headliner for UFC on ESPN 3 will be a man’s fight between two bad boys with scary knockout powers. Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos are expected to involve in an all-out barroom brawl. That fight will be supported by a number of intriguing matchups featuring a nice mixture of youngsters and veterans in the game. Read on for a preview of UFC on ESPN 3 main card fights below.
Betting Preview for UFC on ESPN 3 Featuring Francis Ngannou vs Junior dos Santos and the Other Big Cards on June 29 2019
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis
When: Saturday, June 29, 2019
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Francis Ngannou (-280) vs Junior dos Santos (+210)
Heavyweight
Ngannou (13-3-0) doesn’t mess around much when he’s inside the Octagon. He enters the cage looking to bang, just like in most of his past fights. In fact, his last two bouts ended in knockout victories. He knocked out former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the first round of their meeting last February. That was preceded by another first-round KO win against Curtis Blaydes in November of last year. Ngannou has won nine fights by way of knockouts and has never been knocked out. He’s also a dangerous takedown artist with four submission wins. Like Ngannou, dos Santos (21-5-0) likes to deal damage with his hands. The former heavyweight champion is arguably the best boxer in the division, and he’s coming off a second-round TKO win over Derrick Lewis last March. Cigano has 15 KO wins in his career.
Formiga is on a roll, and he’s definitely feeling it right now. The Brazilian has won all of his past four fights, the last one in a match against Deiveson Figueiredo back in March. Formiga isn’t about hitting his opponents in the face. His modus operandi usually involves him bringing his opponents down and forcing them into submission. In fact, Formiga, who is 23-5-0, has 10 submission wins, while also showing tremendous defensive skills on the mat, as he’s yet to be submitted in his career. Benavidez, on the other hand, seems like a more well-rounded fighter. Owner of a 27-5-0 record, Benavidez has seven wins by means of knockout and a 9-0 submission slate. Formiga has zero knockouts and has been put to sleep twice before, so look for Benavidez to test Formiga’s seemingly brittle jaw in this fight.
Maia finally ended a three-fight losing streak last February, when he put Lyman Good on a rear-naked choke in the first round. With that win, Maia ties Kenny Florian’s UFC record for the most wins via that technique. Now, the 41-year-old Maia will look to build some momentum as he mounts probably one last run at a title shot. Maia (26-9-0) is the more experienced fighter between him and Martin, who’s also a threat on the mat, as he has a 9-2 submission record. He put Jake Matthews on an anaconda choke in a win last December, which Martin followed up with a unanimous decision victory over Sergio Moraes last March.
Roberts is starting to turn heads in the world of MMA. Nicknamed The Predator, Roberts wants to make an example out of the older Pichel. The 25-year-old Roberts is 8-0-0. Three of his wins were via knockouts and four were by way of submissions. Pichel is 36, but he’s the more experienced fighter. He can use Roberts’ eagerness to his advantage, as he can look for his chance to counter with a strike. Pichel (11-2-0) is still a dangerous stand-up fighter with eight knockout wins in his career.
Both Dober and Reyes are coming off losses, so expect two aggressive fighters to lock horns in this bout. Dober got submitted via armbar by Beneil Dariush last March, while Reyes saw stars on a knockout defeat at the hands of Damir Hadzovic back in February. Dober has four knockout wins to go with nine submission victories. He can finish his business standing up or on the ground, and will likely use his grappling skills to his advantage against Reyes, who’s been submitted twice before. Reyes has six knockout wins, though, so Dober will have to be careful when pressing the attack against El Toro.
