Seattle, WA. Hosts this week’s UFC Fight Night an event scheduled for thirteen bouts to be held in the thirty-foot octagon and in front of a wailing Washington crowd.
There are twelve US athletes on the card five of whom are from the immediate Seattle area as well there are two Canadian athletes competing.
The remaining athletes ship in from around the globe. That stated, there is but one fight where an athlete from out of the country must travel into the states to take on a domestic fighter. That’s fight is the Fortune vs. Tybura fight with Tybura shipping in from Poland.
Last week favorites realized a 9-3 result. To date in the UFC favorites stand 76-23 or 76.7%.
Last week this column made three releases that were all favorite positions realizing a net +3.0u.
Let’s keep the momentum going!
Israel Adesanya -140 vs. Joe Pyfer +120 Middleweight (185lbs.) main event
Fourteenth ranked Pyfer is a twenty-nine-year-old heavy-handed power striking knockout artist who is 15-3 professionally and 6-1 in UFC competition. Pyfer’s finished eleven of fifteen athletes he’s competed against.
He enters this foundational fight off a finish and now takes on a man in Adesanya who has been finished in three of his last four losses over five bouts.
For Pyfer, who sports a modest +.42 significant strike differential, pace will be important in this fight as he must find a way to corner/confront his highly athletic, fluid moving opponent.
Pyfer relies on his strength, power and might in fight. He is seven years the younger fighter which heaps advantage his way however he’ll need to be able to maneuver, cut the cage, and effectively corner his evasive opponent or he will be swinging at air for twenty-five minutes.
Former champion Israel Adesanya believes his championship days are not behind him despite the fact that he’s lost four of his last five bouts albeit to world class mixed martial artists, all who are currently ranked higher than Pyfer is currently.
Adesanya has the class, athleticism, and experience to be able to paint Pyfer’s fence throughout this fight. To do that he must remain fleet footed and direct his offense on Pyfer from distance using diverse angles to launch his strikes/kicks coupled with evasive movement to maintain the appropriate distance he will need to keep the more plodding Pyfer on the outside of the pocket.
While Pyfer does have limited wrestling/BJJ background, he may not choose to use if for it’s expected that this fight will be waged on the feet as well Adesanya sports a sturdy 76% take down defense.
In a stand-up war Adesanya holds advantage provided he is able to utilize fluidity of movement, his ability to evade strikes and raly on his deep championship experience in UFC battles.
For Pyfer his task is much simpler yet maybe more difficult to undertake.
Pyfer must immediately walk Adesanya down, most especially he needs to back him up and force him to expend his most precious commodity, his cardio. In previous fights we have seen Adesanya, now thirty-six show the propensity to tire.
For Pyfer, he must find a way through diligent, forceful, forward pressure to corner the more athletic former champion and immediately begin to reign damaging body shots, leg kicks and power striking onto his which will have the result of muting his athleticism.
Somehow Pyfer, though pressure and/or power punching must sap Adesanya of his will/cardio which will in essence allow these two to fight on par. Should Pyfer be able to eventually drain Issy of his agility then the potential for success later is great for Pyfer’s entering his prime fighting years while Adesanya’s on the outer limit of his.
Taxing Adesanya mentally and physically is the most important aspect of this fight for Pyfer for should he be able to sap just a little of the quickness and fluidity of movement from the old champion then catching up to Adesanya and being able to bludgeon him with those thudding leg kicks and power shots may definitely pay off.
This should be an epic clash of styles as Adesanya’s mobility and volume strike attack will thrive should Pyfer be overly aggressive, plodding and/or deliberate. Should Issy be able to work in space utilizing his dexterity of striking he could dominate this bout.
Total in this fight: 3.5Rds Over -125
Mansur Abdul-Malik -125 vs. Yousri Belgaroui +105 Middleweight
Prepare yourselves for a real treat of a striking clash in this battle.
In one corner is Abdul-Malik a talented power striking fighter who has realized a 3-0-1 tally in the UFC albeit against very nominally talented opposition. Abdul-Malik finished three of his UFC opponents and arrives to this standoff with undefeated momentum and the anticipation of what another impressive win will mean for his trajectory inside the division and the organization.
In the opposing corner we have a fighter who trains with Alex Perreira and Glover Teixeira in Connecticut. This fighter is a world class kickboxer who has been developing his mixed martial arts weaponry as he is currently a more singularly dimensioned fighter.
Belgaroui is 8-3 professionally and 1-0 in UFC competition against a formidable foe. His tremendous height (6’5”) allows him to tower over most competition and his arm/leg reach present him substantial advantage in stand-up fights.
Belgaroui who is highly athletic and quick intertwines his length with deft footwork, nimble strike evasion, and straight-out precision punching power to create advantage for him in fights.
We’ve seen little of each of these men other than standing and throwing so that’s exactly the kind of fight I judge will occur. Abdul-Malik will forge forward and try to set up in the pocket to throw power and Belgaroui will attempt to maintain his striking distance in order to batter Abdul-Malik on his way inside to engage.
This fight sets up to be an epic striking war but one where I must favor
Belgaroui +105
Total in this fight: 1.5 Over -175
Friday the ‘Bout Business Podcast drops across all podcast platforms or access it at GambLou.com.
Thank You for reading and enjoy the fights!