A week after seeing Stipe Miocic lose his title belt to Daniel Cormier, another pair of heavyweights will headline a UFC event, this time in Idaho, as former champion Junior dos Santos will take on UFC newcomer Blagoy Ivanov in an intriguing bout supported by other great match-ups as well.
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Betting Preview for UFC Fight Night 133 – Featuring the Junior dos Santos vs. Blagoy Ivanov Welterweight Bout on July 14, 2018
Where: CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho
When: Saturday, July 14, 2018
TV Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass
Junior dos Santos (-180) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (+150)
Heavyweight
It’s the big boys who comprise the main billing of Saturday night’s MMA extravaganza in Boise. Junior dos Santos will look to recover from a first-round loss in a title fight against the recently dethroned heavyweight champ, Stipe Miocic. Dos Santos, who is 18-5-0, remains a powerful striker and a constant threat to send his opponents to dreamland. He has won 13 fights via knockouts and owns a 4.89 strikes per minute average with a 49.1 accuracy. Iyanov, on the other hand, has a 16-1-1 MMA record. He is on a five-fight win streak, a stretch that includes a unanimous decision win over Caio Alencar in the Professional Fighters League. He has six knockout wins and six submission victories.
WRITER’S PREDICTION:
Ivanov shocks dos Santos with a decision victory.
Dennis Bermudez (odds) vs. Rick Glenn (odds)
Featherweight
Bermudez (17-8-0) must be a very frustrated fighter right now, as he has lost all of his last three outings, perhaps none more disappointing than the split decision loss he absorbed in his most recent fight – against Andre Fili in January. Bermudez landed 43 more strikes than Fili, but the judges obviously liked more that the latter had a 4-1 advantage in takedowns. Bermudez will have to be more careful attacking Glenn, who has a four-inch advantage over “The Menace.” Glenn (20-5-1) is coming off a loss as well, taking a unanimous defeat at the hands of Myles Jury last December. He has 12 victories by knockouts.
Writer’s prediction:
Glenn submits Bermudez.
Sage Northcutt (-150) vs. Zak Ottow (+120)
Welterweight
Northcutt (10-2-0) will try again at the welterweight division. While he’s unblemished in the lightweight ranks, he’s 0-2 in welterweight tilts. In any case, he’s riding the momentum of back-to-back wins against Thibault Gouti (unanimous decision) in February and against Michael Quinones (unanimous decision) in November of last year. In both fights, Northcutt landed a flurry of blows to his opponents, which is something you’d expect from a fighter with a 3.66 strikes per minute average and a 51.37 percent striking accuracy. Northcutt will be up against Ottow, who people call “The Barbarian.” Ottow is 16-5-0 and has a ton of experience fighting at the welterweight ranks, so he’ll come in to this fight confident he can take care of business. Ottow defeated Mike Pyle last March via knockout in the first round. He has four wins by way of knockouts and nine through submissions.
Writer’s prediction:
Ottow knocks out Northcutt in the third round.
Myles Jury (odds) vs. Chad Mendes (odds)
Featherweight
Jury is out this coming Saturday, as he looks to climb at least a notch in the featherweight rankings, where is currently positioned at the No. 12 spot. Jury has yet to fight this year. He was last seen inside the octagon pummeling Rick Glenn on his way to a three-round unanimous decision. Against Glenn, Jury landed 41 strikes compared to just 14 by his opponent. He also took Glenn down twice. Jury (17-2-0) has a seven-inch reach advantage and five-inch leg reach advantage over Mendes, so expect “Fury” to capitalize on these edges. Mendes, however, is the more experienced fighter in this matchup. He is 17-4-0 and has been engaged in three title fights, though he lost then all. It’s also been a while since he last saw action. His last fight resulted in a knockout loss to former champion Frankie Edgar.
Writer’s prediction:
Jury wins via decision.
Cat Zingano (odds) vs. Marion Reneau (odds)
Women’s Bantamweight
Zingano has lost her last three fights, two via decisions and another through a submission setback at the hands of then champion Ronda Rousey in 2015. Her last time inside the octagon ended in a split decision loss to Ketlen Vieira just last March. Zingano will enter this match against Reneau determined to breathe life into her career. Zingano is a relentless fighter with a 9-3-0 record. She has five wins via knockout and a 62.5 percent accuracy on her strikes. As for Reneau (9-3-1), the Belizean Bruiser is 41, meaning she’s older than Zingano by five years. However, she’s on an unbeaten four-fight streak, having not lost since 2016. She’s dangerous on the ground, as he has three wins by submissions and has also finished four matches before the end of the first round.
Writer’s prediction:
Reneau wins via submission.
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