SMUGGLING DUDS UFC 270 GAMBLING GUIDE

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first gambling guide of 2022. We hope you’ve missed reading them as much as we have writing them! Let’s dive straight into and determine whether any belts will be changing hands in California this Saturday night.

Main Card (BT Sport)
Francis Ngannou (c) Vs Ciryl Gane (ic) (Heavyweight)
Let us make one thing clear – Ngannou can win this by knockout and you all know why. We thought about making that our official pick, but the reality is this one goes the distance and involves Gane showcasing his incredible footwork and distance creating ability. The Frenchman’s style might even be too overwhelming for the current champ, and a late stoppage is not a bad shout. If you’ve followed both fighters’ careers you will know they once shared the same coach, trained at the same gym and like many UFC athletes, have sparred previously. Whilst Gane isn’t one for trash talk, Ngannou certainly seems to hold some animosity towards him and his team. Let the games begin.
WINNER: Gane
METHOD: Decision

Brandon Moreno (c) Vs Deiveson Figueirdo (Flyweight)
At 34 years of age and having a number of wars under his belt, you have to ask how much has former champ Figueirdo got left? He proclaims to ‘hate’ his opponent and I guess we’ll see if training with Henry Cejudo has changed his strategy. Moreno deserves all the respect in the world. After being cut from the UFC he returned in style and crept into title contention. A real juicy trilogy will unfold and we can’t wait to see if Moreno can hold on to the belt. We picked against him last time, we chose not to this time.
WINNER: Moreno
METHOD: KO/TKO

Michel Pereira Vs André Fialho Welterweight
Regular UFC fans will surely know how this one plays out. It involves Pereira doing back flips, cartwheels and whatever else he feels like in the first round. If the fight goes past the first he will begin to gas which is when hard hitting Fialho must pounce. We aren’t sure this one gets passed the first. Expect fireworks…and back flips.
WINNER: Pereira
METHOD: KO/TKO

Cody Stamann Vs Said Nurmagomedov (Bantamweight)
Another loss could see the end of the line for Cody Stamann in the UFC and to be honest, it’s a given he’ll be at the back end of another decision loss against Nurmagomedov. Plus it is hard to pick against a fighter with that surname!
WINNER: Nurmagomedov
METHOD: Decision

Preliminary Card (BT Sport)
Raoni Barcelos Vs Victor Henry (Bantamweight)
A very evenly matched bout which we expect should spend its majority on the floor. Expect the Brazilian to grind out a decision win.
WINNER: Barcelos
METHOD: Decision

Illia Topuria Vs Charles Jourdain (Featherweight)
It is probably more likely that this one will go the distance but based on Topuria’s aggression, and the fact Jourdain – although super talented, still hasn’t quite found his rhythm in the UFC, we’ve gone with the Spaniard to get the finish.
WINNER: Topuria
METHOD: KO/TKO

Jack Della Maddalena Vs Pete Rodriguez (Welterweight)
So here we have two more young athletes making their UFC debuts. Maddalena is a product of DWCS, and brings with him an impressive 10-2-0 record, against Rodriguez, who to be honest hasn’t had many fights at all – but has walked through all of his opponents. A serious potential FOTN contender with the winner possibly walking away with $50k. Whilst Rodriguez is worth a bet we’ll go with Maddalena to get the stoppage in the second round.
WINNER: Maddelena
METHOD: KO/TKO

Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Tony Gravley Vs Saimon Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Unless he gets caught with an early submission, Gravely should bounce back in style from his previous outing.
WINNER: Gravely
METHOD: KO/TKO

Trevin Giles Vs Michael Morales (Welterweight)
With a record of 12-0 and a plethora of highlight reel KO’s, it is difficult to pick anything other than a Morales stoppage. We’ve decided however, to go with the underdog here and take Giles to utilise his wrestling, and spoil the Contender Series stars UFC debut.
WINNER: Giles
METHOD: Decision

Silvana Gomez Juarez Vs Vanessa Demopoulos (Women’s Strawweight)
Whilst it could be argued Juarez is the more experienced, her record proves that there is no reason why Demopoulos can’t win this. A draw is also worth a bet for sure!
WINNER: Demopoulos
METHOD: Decision

Matt Frevola Vs Genaro Valdez (Lightweight)
Genero Valdez makes his UFC debut after a very impressive display on DWCS. Unlike many, the Mexican should have enough to put away fellow brawler ‘Steamrolla’ Frevola.
WINNER: Genaro
METHOD: KO/TKO

Kay Hansen Vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (Women’s Flyweight)
Canadian Jasudavicius enters the UFC on the back of a relatively successful run on DWCS. At 32 years of age this may be too little too late, especially against a season vet, and the much younger Hansen. A sure bet to go the distance.
WINNER: Hansen
METHOD: Decision

UFC 270 WILD CARD BET: Francis Ngannou to defeat Ciryl Gane via 1st Round KO