UFC Fight Night 205: Blaydes vs. Daukaus Best Bets (Archive)
Returning back to the octagon this weekend, but in Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena), the UFC is back for Fight Night 205: Blaydes vs. Daukaus. Not only is this card headlined with two top-ranked heavyweight contenders, but there are numerous UFC veterans throughout this card including Aleksei Oleinik.
However, there are two bouts on this Saturday evening’s fight card that really stand out to me the most because I expect them to be full-on brawls. Read below for my UFC best bets for Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena and Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus.
Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena
UFC Welterweight Main Card Bout
Saturday, March 26, 2022 – 10:00 PM EDT at Nationwide Arena
Bryan Barberena
Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena is an American mixed martial artist with a professional record of 16 wins (10 T/KO, 2 submissions, 4 decisions) and 8 losses (2 T/KO, 1 submission, 5 decisions).
Bam Bam is primarily a striker that is not afraid to stand and exchange in a brawl; as you can tell from his finishes, he is lethal on the feet. However, you will rarely see Barberena aim to switch levels. Throughout his UFC career, he has only landed two takedowns.
Matt Brown
Matt “The Immortal” Brown is an American mixed martial artist with a professional record of 23 wins (15 T/KO, 6 submissions, 2 decisions) and 18 losses (3 T/KO, 10 submissions, 5 decisions).
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Matt Brown is a well-known UFC veteran that will be stepping into the octagon Saturday night at 41 years old. Brown has always been an aggressive fighter with a wicked pace. But nowadays, Brown utilizes his muay thai skills to focus more on his forward pressure and also has been implementing a lot more leg kicks.
Even on the ground, Brown will pose a threat with his elbows/ground-and-pound, but don’t look for him to aim for a submission.
Fight Prediction
The UFC odds for this matchup are Bryan Barberena -110 and Matt Brown -110 at your top-rated sportsbooks from Bookmakers Review.
This should be a nasty fight, and the odds speak for themselves since both fighters sit evenly at -110 currently. Both of these fighters hold a solid imprint in the UFC world, however, when it comes down to technique I believe Matt Brown has the upper hand.
I envision Barberena coming in hot with the pressure, pushing Brown to exchange in a brawl, and hunting for the finish. However, I think Brown has the fight IQ and experience to put himself in a better position, meaning he should utilize his kicks to help with distance and also implement those leg kicks that he has been using.
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If he wears down on that front leg of Barberena, it should help him set back with his pressure. In doing so, this also gives Brown the opportunity to work in the clinch with his nasty elbows.
Matt Brown still needs to be aware of the power Barberena has. This will be a true test of both opponents' chins. So again, at the end of it, I think Matt Brown holds the edge for me. Fully expect a great fight between these two legendary welterweights.
UFC Pick: Matt Brown ML (-110) at BetOnline (Visit our BetOnline Review)
Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus
UFC Heavyweight Main Event Bout
Saturday, March 26, 2022 - 10:00 PM EDT at Nationwide Arena
Curtis Blaydes
Curtis “Razor” Blaydes is an American mixed martial artist with a professional record of 15 wins (10 T/KO, 5 decisions) and 3 losses (3 T/KO).
More Picks: UFC Fight Night 205: Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus Lock on the Card
Curtis Blaydes is known for his ridiculous knockout power. He has a very tough chin, despite his losses against two of the baddest in the UFC division (Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou). Blaydes also has outstanding wrestling skills - and this is a scary trait in a heavyweight, in my opinion.
Chris Daukaus
Chris Daukaus is an American mixed martial artist with a professional record of 12 wins (11 T/KO, 1 decision) and 4 losses (3 T/KO, 1 submission).
Chris Daukaus is a high-output striker, having outstruck four of his five UFC opponents. Impressively, four out of his five UFC fights have also been finished inside the first round. Daukaus also has stuffed all takedowns against him inside the UFC.
Fight Prediction
The UFC odds for this matchup are Curtis Blaydes -410 and Christ Daukaus +310 at your top-rated sportsbooks from Bookmakers Review.
This is another banger on the card because you have two finishers going head-to-head. Now, Daukaus has a lot of pressure on him because he is going against a durable knockout artist.
Yes, again, Blaydes has been knocked out twice, but those were against some of the toughest in the UFC heavyweight division, Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou.
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With that pressure, I envision Daukaus wanting to finish this fight as early as possible. The deeper into the fight this goes, the more likely Blaydes will be able to bring this fight to the ground and will wear down on Daukaus, if not submit him or Blaydes finishes Daukaus with a T/KO.
Since both of these guys are finishers, I do not see this making it to the scorecards. I will gladly back Curtis Blaydes to win inside the distance in this one.
UFC Pick: Curtis Blaydes to Win Inside the Distance (-135) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.