Saturday, November 21st, 2020 - live from the UFC Apex Centre in Las Vegas
The current UFC Flyweight Champion in Valentina Shevchenko will be looking to defend her title this weekend successfully. 'The Bullet' has conquered the division where she sits on the throne as the UFC scraps around for viable challengers.
A Master of Sports in five different martial art disciplines, Shevchenko has all areas covered. Multiple striking offences from Boxing, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai to a plethora of grappling techniques such as Judo, Taekwondo & Jiu-Jitsu.
The title challenger in Jennifer Maia was an unexpected one as she stole the opportunity from underneath the feet of Joanne Calderwood. Calderwood was next in line for a title opportunity until she decided to take a fight with Jennifer Maia, losing the fight cost her and now the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in Maia will compete for the gold.
The owner of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Maia has a potent grappling-based offence which could cause some problems for the champ.
It is hard to discredit the 2nd greatest female pound for pound fighter in the world, the only matchups available for Shevchenko that are competitive lay in different weight classes.
The available odds are juiced into the 1000's for a good reason, Shevchenko falls into the elite category while the top ten in her division aren't even close.
Free Betting Pick: Shevchenko to win inside the distance at 1.57 [-175] with Bet365 (visit our Bet365 Review)
Saturday, November the 21st, 2020 - live from the UFC Apex Centre in Las Vegas
One of the most exciting aspects about following the UFC is the youth of today, and Brandon Moreno is a prime example of how entertaining the up and coming athletes can be.
Aged twenty-six with a UFC record of 5-2, Moreno has the world at his feet, and his diverse skill set landed him the LFA championship in 2019, the same year his opponent this weekend held the same title. Their paths will finally cross under the UFC banner and a 'fight of the night' matchup is expected.
Brandon Royval is another highly touted prospect who's recently burst onto the UFC fight scene. A dangerous ground game and a high amount of submission finishes is no fluke. The BJJ black belt has finished all four of his UFC fights inside the first ten minutes.
I anticipate the offensive striking to favour the younger yet more experienced fighter in Brandon Moreno. Having fought for the company since 2016, Moreno has been around the block. He's fought and defeated, some of the top fighters in the division and should be well prepared for the fresh face in Royval.
I predict an evenly matched first five minutes, and the durability of both men should take this fight into the fifth and final round. Moreno will eventually be defending the grappling attempts from Royval, and I believe he will succeed, outstrike, and have his hand raised by the referee.
Free Betting Pick: Brandon Moreno to win at 1.58 [-172] with Unibet (visit our Bookmakers Rating Guide)