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Curtis Blaydes and Junior Dos Santos will square off on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 24 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Saturday evening. To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.
Blaydes (12-2-0) heads into this one on a two-bout win streak, rebounding nicely after his victory Francis Ngannou at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 24, 2018. He rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Justin Willis, and a second-round TKO of Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 242.
He’ll be working to get JDS on the ground, as he owns a 7.05 takedown average and a 60.0 percent takedown accuracy mark. However, if this fight is more upright, he has the ability to go toe-to-toe and hold his own. He has a strong 51.68 significant strike accuracy percentage, while racking up 3.69 significant strikes per minute.
Dos Santos (21-6-0), like Blaydes, has a recent loss in Ngannou. In fact, JDS lost to Ngannou last time out, June 29 at UFC Fight Night, getting knocked out in Round 1 in just 71 seconds. Even though he is 6-5 across his past 11 bouts, he has losses to Ngannou, Stipe Miocic in a title bout, Cain Velasquez in a pair of title bouts and a knockout at the hands of Alistair Overeem. That’s nothing to be ashamed about, as that’s a who’s who of the weight class, and he did briefly hold the title when he beat Velasquez in the first of their trilogy back on Nov. 12, 2011.
Want some action on Blaydes vs. Dos Santos or other MMA fights this weekend? Place your legal sports bets at BetMGM now!
Per BetMGM, Blaydes (-250) is a rather heavy favorite over the aging Dos Santos (+180) on the 2-way line. Blaydes, 28, is on an upward trajectory, but Dos Santos has never lost back-to-back bouts in his professional career. The Brazilian veteran is a great value at this price level.
Are you new to sports betting? A $10 wager on Dos Santos, the underdog, to win returns $18 in profit. A $10 bet on Blaydes returns a profit of $4 with a victory.
If you want some action on this mixed martial arts bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Also see:
- Watch the full card by signing up for ESPN+ now
- How will Dos Santos handle Blaydes’ wrestling attack? (MMA Junkie)
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
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