Merab Dvalishvili and Ray Borg hook up in a bantamweight fight on the main card at UFC Fight Night 172 Saturday at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the main card set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Dvalishvili (10-4) heads into this one with a two-inch height advantage and a five-inch reach advantage, while dominating in terms of significant strikes landed per minute (3.84 to 1.52) and takedown average (7.80 to 3.89). That explains why the Georgia native (think Tbilisi, not Atlanta) is the heavy favorite. The striker has won three straight, winning each by unanimous decision, after losing his first two at the UFC level. Borg will easily be the toughest fighter Dvalishvili has faced to date, however.
Borg (13-5) will have big measurable disadvantages, particularly the reach, but he is a big-time grappler who will be trying to get Dvalishvili to the canvas early and often. Borg, nicknamed “The Tazmexican Devil,” suffered a disappointing split-decision loss to Ricky Simon May 13, 2020 on the Smith-Teixeira card, and apparently can’t wait to try to redeem himself. Borg is 2-3 across his past five bouts, with four straight going the distance. With the exception for the Demetrious Johnson title bout Oct. 7, 2017 at UFC 216 when Borg was clearly overmatched, his other two losses during the five-fight span could have easily gone the other way.
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Merab Dvalishvili vs. Ray Borg betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, June 11 at 4:40 a.m. ET.
The veteran BORG (+310) is worth a roll of the dice on a small-unit play, just don’t get carried away. Borg is just the better value play. He could easily be on a three-bout win streak if not for the split-decision loss last time out, and perhaps that would’ve changed the perception of him coming into this one. Dvalishvili (-400) has a better body of work lately, but who has he really fought? Borg is the most experienced UFC fighter Dvalishvili will have faced in his entire career, and laying four times your potential return is just not good betting.
It’s a little expensive, but taking YES (-250): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is the way to go. Neither of these fighters have been getting quick finishes lately, with only one of Dvalishvili’s past five finishing inside the distance. He has also never been submitted in his pro career, something Borg would like to change. However, the Georgian should keep him at a distance and try to wow the judges with his technical ability.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Dvalishvili (-400) to win pays a profit of just $2.50, while a winning $10 bet on Borg (+310) fetches a profit of $31. A $10 wager of YES (-250) for the fight to go the distance returns $4.
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