Finally, Max Holloway’s fight with Brian Ortega will arrive this weekend after a prolonged wait. The two were supposed to meet last July, but a concussion injury pushed the fight to a later date. Holloway is set to defend his title against a dangerous and sleek operator in Ortega. But before that, UFC has prepared an exciting slate of supporting bouts, which we have previewed below.
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Betting Preview for UFC 231 – Featuring the Brian Ortega vs Max Holloway Lightweight Bout on December 8 2018
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
When: Saturday, December 8 2018
TV Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass
Max Holloway (-130) vs. Brian Ortega (EVEN)
Featherweight Title Bout
Records to Date: Holloway (19-3) / Ortega (14-0)
Holloway, who is ranked No. 5 as a pound-for-pound fighter by the UFC, is about to make the third defense of his featherweight title. He’s done nothing but knock people out of late. His latest victim was Jose Aldo, whom Blessed knocked out in December of last year. Prior to that, he also KO’s Aldo in June of 2017. Holloway is on a 12-fight winning streak. Striking is definitely going to be Holloway’s advantage in this fight. He has nine knockouts and an impressive average of 6.22 strikes per minute on 44.0 percent accuracy. All those numbers we just mentioned are a lot better than Ortega’s in those areas.
Ortega, however, can never be counted out as a contender because of his grappling ability. He has a total of seven submissions compared to just two by Holloway and will be looking to take this one to the mat if he expects to come out on top. That being said, in his last fight Ortega flashed some serious power when he knocked out Frankie Edgar in March.
Writer’s Prediction: They go the distance and Max Holloway wins via decision.
Valentina Shevchenko (-320) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (+240)
Women’s Flyweight
Records to Date: Shevchenko (15-3) / Jedrzejczyk (15-2)
Shevchenko is the No. 1 contender in the women’s flyweight division. And so is Jedrzejczyk. Two No. 1 fighting in a non-title fight should give the bout the feel of a title fight, right? This matchup is also some sort of a catch-weight bout, as Jedrzejczyk is moving up from the 115-pound division for this fight, while Shevchenko is moving from from the 135-pound limit. Shevchenko has won two of her last three fights, including last February’s victory via submission over Priscila Cachoeira in a tilt that last just two rounds. Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, has won two of her last two fights. She defeated Tecia Torres after back-to-back losses to Rose Namajunas. Look for Shevchenko to take the fight to the ground, as she has seven wins by way of submissions, though, she can also finish the business by striking, which is Jedrzejczyk’s forte.
Prediction: Shevchenko by unanimous decision.
Alex Oliveira (+125) vs. Gunnar Nelson (-155)
Welterweight
Oliveira and Nelson are two middle-tier welterweight looking for more respect in the division, as they lock horns north of the border this weekend. The Brazilian Oliveira is on a two-fight win streak. He defeated Carlo Pedersoli Jr. via a vicious first-round knockout. Oliveira has a 3.01 landed strikes per minute average and has a 3.45 takedown average per 15 minutes – both higher than Nelson’s averages of 2.01 and 1.64, respectively. Nelson saw his two-fight win streak end last July, when he fell prey to Santiago Ponzinibbio in a first-round knockout loss. Although Oliveira has the advantage in the striking department and reach, Nelson can negate those with his seemingly better ground game than his opponent. Nelson has 12 wins via submissions and has a high 62.5 percent takedown accuracy compared to just 38.8 by Oliveira.
Prediction: Nelson via submission.
Hakeem Dawodu (-190) vs. Kyle Bochniak (+155)
Featherweight
Dawodu is looking to gain more momentum following a nice unanimous decision win over Austin Arnett last July. Dawodu is an ultra-aggressive fighter who likes nothing more than throwing strikes inside the octagon. He lands lands 5.0 strikes per minute with an accuracy of 45.1 percent on his strikes. He has six knockout wins and zero by way of submissions. Meanwhile, Bochniak is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov back in April. Bochniak has better grappling skills than Dawodu, but he also has the ability to hurt his opponents with his striking power, as evidenced by his two knockout wins to go with his pair of submission victories.
Prediction: Bochniak via submission.
Jimi Manuwa (+160) vs. Thiago Santos (-200)
Light Heavyweight
Expect fireworks in this fight that has an immense potential to be a barn burner. Manuwa and Santos have a combined total of 28 knockouts. Manuwa has 15, while Santos isn’t too shabby with 13. Manuwa lands 3.3 strikes per minute, while Santos averages 4.9 per 60 seconds. Both also has a striking accuracy better than 50. percent, so this may come down to who will have catch the other first in the face. Santos, however, has the better stand-up defense with a 62.3 percent striking defense compared to just 49.7 percent by Manuwa.
Prediction: Santos wins via knockout.
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