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Bantamweights
NR | Sergey Morozov (17-5, 1-1 UFC) vs. NR | Douglas Silva de Andrade (27-4, 5-4 UFC)ODDS: Morozov (-210), Silva de Andrade (+175)
This is an intriguing fight with some action potential. Silva de Andrade has been an interesting fighter since he made his UFC debut in 2014. Already an experienced vet prior to that debut, “D’Silva” has gotten by with an awkward approach held together by his impressive level of athleticism. The Brazilian is not the most technical fighter, but the combination of his power and ability to catch opponents off-guard has often been enough to scare them off, if not outright knock them out. Silva de Andrade is usually persistent in his approach, though the most gifted fighters he has faced have been able to fend him off and break him in the past, most notably in a 2018 showing against Petr Yan. Afterward, Silva de Andrade briefly moved back up to featherweight. Since returning to 135 pounds, “D’Silva” regained some of his momentum with a quick finish of Gaetano Pirrello and looks to keep that going against Morozov. Kazakhstan’s Morozov came to the UFC on the back of a strong decade of work, but despite all his success and status as a seemingly finished product, he is still a bit hard to figure out. Morozov’s performances tend to hinge on how things go early in his fights. If he can find some early momentum, he is capable of putting on a strong showing at all levels, but against any kind of resistance, he can quickly retreat into a cautious and ugly affair. So far, Morozov has shown both sides of the proverbial coin in his two UFC bouts. Umar Nurmagomedov took over early and often against Morozov on route to a second-round finish, but Morozov leaned on his wrestling to rebound with a one-sided win over Khalid Taha. This one really could go either way as a result. Silva de Andrade’s defensive wrestling is porous enough that Morozov could find a path to victory, but the Kazakh may also get scared off quickly if his counterpart can connect with a particularly powerful blow early in the fight. The bet is that Morozov can eventually find an opening with his wrestling. The pick is Morozov via decision.
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