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Dan Ige and Edson Barboza get together in a featherweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN 8 – also known as ESPN Fight Night 172 – at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Ige (13-2) might not win you many Scrabble games, well, if you were allowed to even use proper names. He is a little ball of power wrapped in a 5-foot-7, 145-pound frame, who can win you a lot of wagers. He is coming off a split-decision win over Mirsad Bektic at UFC 247, and is 5-0 across his past five bouts. Ige has a strong ground game, too, and has never been submitted in 15 professional fights. While he has a four-inch disadvantage in the reach department, that won’t be a problem on the ground. That’s where Ige likes to do most of his work. He holds a 2.38 to 0.49 advantage in takedown average, and 0.79 to 0.06 submission average.
The lanky Barboza (20-8) not only has a four-inch reach advantage, but a four-inch advantage in height, too. He can hold his own in significant strikes against Ige, but will need to work on his takedown defense if he wants to survive and advance. Barboza is coming off a split-decision loss against Paul Felder at UFC 242, is 0-2 in the past two and 1-4 across his past five outings. Barboza has never won by submission in 22 career UFC fights, while losing twice by that fashion. Ige easily has the tools to add to that mark.
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Dan Ige vs. Edson Barboza betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, May 14 at 5:50 a.m. ET.
IGE (+115) is a great value as a short dog against Barboza (-139), who has been struggling lately. While the 34-year-old Barboza has more experience at the UFC level, he is six years older and in the twilight of his career. Ige is an up-and-comer with serious ground game. Ige will continue his ascension, while Barboza is just hanging on at this point. Youth will be served. BET IGE (+115).
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Ige (+115) to win returns a $11.50 profit. A $10 bet on Barboza (-139) to win pays a $7.19 profit.
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