SMUGGLING DUDS UFC 259 GAMBLING GUIDE

Cards such as this make us proud to be an MMA fan. We cannot wait for this one and hope that COVID does not raise its extremely ugly head and affect any of these epic scraps!

So without further ado…Let’s pick some fights!

Main Card (BT Sport)
Jan Blachowicz (c) Vs Israel Adesanya (Light Heavyweight)
New UFC golden boy Israel Adesanya pushes his athleticism to the limit once again in an exciting move to the light heavyweight division. As the current UFC middleweight title holder, in just his first fight, he has the opportunity to add another belt to his collection against current LHW champion Jan Blachowicz. This one is intriguing to say the least and we really hope it does not replicate last weekend’s UFC main event, which involved five rounds of leg kicks and teeps. Adesanya is a box of MMA tricks and has the ability to take dictate a fight – should the opponent choose to follow the dance. It took Blachowicz quite some time to get the respect he deserved but recent knockouts over Corey Anderson and Dominick Reyes have really caught the eye of fans. Will the Polish bruiser be too heavy and just a little too much for Adesanya, or can the super confident City Kickboxing fighter work his magic and send a warning to the rest of the division, and dare we say..Jon Jones? Time will certainly tell but we think ‘The Last Stylebender’ is at a point in his career where he has an answer for everything.
WINNER: Adesanya
METHOD: Decision

Amanda Nunes (c) Vs Megan Anderson (Women’s Featherweight)
It is now almost a year since Amanda Nunes defended her featherweight belt, reasons being that she recently became a mother, but also, there were not many fighters willing to step up and face her. On this epic UFC card, Australian powerhouse Megan Anderson gets her chance to shock the world, as she comes in to this one a serious underdog. This is a bout between two very strong, and very talented women. On paper, Nunes should take this one easy, but there is no denying Anderson looked impressive in her last outing (wiping out Norma Dumont) plus she has never actually been knocked out, but over five rounds Nunes should be able to wear her opponent down. For sure it is worth a punt on Anderson but ‘The Lioness’ will no doubt take a unanimous decision in a rather cautious fight.
WINNER: Nunes
METHOD: Decision

Petr Yan (c) Vs Aljamain Sterling (Bantamweight)
The combined caliber of opponents both of these athletes have faced (and beaten) is nothing short of spectacular. Sterling has had a real chip on his shoulder in regards to not receiving the same spotlight as other fighters and not being spoken of when it came to title challengers. This really is his time to shine and his key to victory surely has to be getting the fight to the ground. Yan is a bantamweight terminator and you really can’t look passed a fighter that is currently riding a ten fight win streak so we are putting our necks on the line with this prediction.
WINNER: Sterling
METHOD: Decision

Islam Makhachev Vs Drew Dober (Lightweight)
Dober has continued to prove doubters wrong in his last last three performances taking out all three of his previous opponents. To his credit, the lightweight has looked impressive and although he is up against a Russian juggernaut, the buck does not necessarily stop here. We will no doubt end up regretting this pick but let us just see how he fairs against one of AKA gym’s rising stars.
WINNER: Dober
METHOD: KO/TKO

Thiago Santos Vs Aleksander Rakic (Light Heavyweight)
After his loss to Jon Jones back in July 2019, The Brazilian seemed to have lost some of his fire and another loss to in his previous outing means ‘Moretta’ is going to have to pull something out the bag against talented kickboxer Rakic. We are not sure if anyone will have the bottle to pull the trigger in this one so you may want to bet on it going the distance, as odds will be decent. Prepare yourself for more calf kicks!
WINNER: Santos
METHOD: Decision

Preliminary Card (BT Sport )
Dominick Cruz Vs Casey Kenney (Bantamweight)
Many feel the former champion should really think about hanging up the gloves and concentrating on his presenting, but not Cruz. At the 35 years old, he is ready to get back in the octagon and prove everybody wrong, and we would like to see him do it – plus Kenney was mean about Megan Anderson and that’s not cool.
WINNER: Cruz
METHOD: Decision

Song Yadong Vs Kyler Philips (Bantamweight)
Philips will no doubt come into this one as the favourite but Yadong has a decent jab on him that might come into effect here. Tough one to call as Philips come in with a decent CV!
WINNER: Yadong
METHOD: Decision

Joseph Benavidez Vs Askarov (Flyweight)
Just like his old foe Dominick Cruz further up the card, it could be argued that the end of the line is fast approaching for Benavidez. You know what though, we love it when the veterans come up trumps and there is no reason why the former title challenger cannot steal a decision victory.
WINNER: Benavidez
METHOD: Decision

Rogerio Bontorin Vs Kai Kara France (Flyweight)
The teammate and friend of Israel Adesanya will be keen to bounce back after and upset loss to Ray Borg in his last fight.
WINNER: France
METHOD: Decision

Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Tim Elliot Vs Jordan Espinosa (Flyweight)
Elliot will no doubt come in as the underdog but he has the ability to wear Espinosa down and bide his time for a submission opportunity.
WINNER: Elliot
METHOD: Submission

Kennedy Nzechukwu Vs Carlos Ulberg
This is a very bold prediction on our part but we are not buying into Dana White Contender Series star Carlos Ulberg just yet. ‘Mr Marvelous’ is in the deep end now against an opponent who knows what the big league is all about. There is some money to be made if Nzechukwu can pull off the upset.
WINNER: Nzechukwu
METHOD: KO/TKO

Sean Brady Vs Jake Matthews (Welterweight)
Matthews is a fighter who feel should be better than he is. There is every chance this one could go either way but we are favouring Brady here.
WINNER: Brady
METHOD: Decision

Livia Renata Souza Vs Amanda Lemos (Women’s Strawweight)
Toss a coin as this one is going the distance. Why not try your chances with a draw!
WINNER: Souza
METHOD: Decision

Uros Medic Vs Aalon Cruz
Two products on Dana White’s Contender Series who both know how to land a bomb or two. Expect fireworks because this one will be a potential fight of the night.
WINNER: Medic
METHOD: KO/TKO

Mario Bautista Vs Trevin Jones (Bantamweight)
Bautista might not land another flying knee like the one he did in his previous outing but we still expect him to be the one getting their hand raised.
WINNER: Bautista
METHOD: Decision

UFC 259 WILD CARD BET: Jan Blachowicz to defeat Israel Adesanya via KO/TKO