The State Farm Arena in Atlanta will be rocking this coming Saturday, as the UFC brings its acts there, headlined by a highly anticipated rematch between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. It’s been a while since they last met each other in an MMA match, and fans of the sport surely couldn’t wait to see how the improvements of the two fighters over the past several years will affect their upcoming showdown. The undercard is also filled with intriguing matchups that feature a combination of up-and-comers and proven veterans inside the Octagon, including the pair of Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya. Read on for deeper look at each of the fights in the main card.
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Betting Preview for UFC 236 featuring Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 2 and Kelvin Gastelum vs Israel Adesanya and Other Main Cards
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
When: Saturday, April 13, 2019
TV Broadcast: Pay-Per-View (PPV)
Max Holloway (+155) vs Dustin Poirier (-190)
Lightweight
This isn’t the first meeting between these two fighters, but it was seven years ago when Holloway and Poirier got entangled inside the Octagon, with the latter coming away with a submission victory in the first round. Both fighters have changed a lot since, though. The Hawaiian (Holloway) has dominated the featherweight division, winning 13-straight bouts. In his last fight, he knocked out Brian Ortega at UFC 231 last December. Poirier, meanwhile, hasn’t lost since 2016. In his last fight, he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in the second round in July of last year. Both Holloway and Poirier are heavy-handed hitters with a combined total of 23 knockout wins. Poirier has six wins by submissions, but Holloway has an excellent takedown defense (83 percent success rate in avoiding opponents’ takedown attempts).
Writer’s prediction:
Holloway wins via split decision.
Kelvin Gastelum (+130) vs Israel Adesanya (-160)
Middleweight
Gastelum has earned the right to fight for a title after back-to-back wins over Jacare Souza via decision and against Michael Bisping, who was sent to dreamland by San Jose, California native. Gastelum may have to force the fight to the ground, as Adesanya is an incredibly athletic and skilled stand-up fighter with glaring reach advantages. Adesanya has close to a full nine-inch reach advantage and a five-inch difference in leg reach towards his favor. Of Adesanya’s 16 wins, 13 are via knockouts and three by decisions. Gastelum, however, has some power, too, as evidenced by his six knockout victories. He also four wins by way of submissions.
Writer’s prediction:
Adesanya with a knockout win in the second round.
Eryk Anders (-170) vs Khalil Rountree Jr. (+140)
Light Heavyweight
Anders needs more solid performances before he can be taken as a serious title contender n the division. He has dropped three of his last four fights, but at least his lone win in that stretch was also his last fight, outpointing Elias Theodorou at UFC 231 last December. Rountree, on the other hand, is aching for a bounce-back win after getting knocked out by Johnny Walker last November. Prior to that, Rountree scored a huge first-round victory over Gokhan Saki in July of 2018. Anders and Rountree seem to have zero plans of taking this fight to the ground, and if it’s going to be a striking battle, then this bout is a knockout finish waiting to happen, with both fighters having 12 KO wins between themselves. Anders, however, is the better grappler, so expect him to take advantage to take down Rountree when opportunities present themselves.
Writer’s prediction:
Anders wins via unanimous decision.
Alan Jouban (-130) vs Dwight Grant (EVEN)
Welterweight
Jouban returns to the blood sport after a year of hibernation due to a neck injury. The last time he was in the Octagon, he scored a knockout win over veteran Ben Saunders. Jouban is an explosive striker with 10 knockout wins out of 16 victories. He is an aggressive stand-up fighter with a 5.5 strikes landed per minute, and he’s pretty accurate, too. He lands 53.0 percent of his strikes. Grant, meanwhile, is less efficient with this strikes with just a 32.0 percent accuracy, but Jouban can’t be too confident, as Grant has seven knockout wins in 11 fights. Also, Grant has a five-inch reach advantage, which should slow down Jouban’s attacks.
Writer’s prediction:
Grant via knockout.
Ovince Saint Preux (EVEN) vs Nikita Krylov (-130)
Light Heavyweight
Saint Preux and Krylov are very familiar with each other After all, they’ve met in 2014 in a match that ended with Saint Preux submitting Krylov in the first round in UFC 171 way back in 2014. Krylov should be smart enough to be prepared for Saint Preux’s ground tricks, but he also has to be wary of OSP’s power. Saint Preux has 11 wins by knockouts, but he’s really more effective when he tries to go for his opponents’ limbs. He has seven submission wins to go with five victories decided by the judges. Krylov positions as the more dangerous striker, as he leads Saint Preux in strikes landed per minute and accuracy. Both Saint Preux and Krylov are coming off losses.
Writer’s prediction:
Krylov wins via knockout.
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