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Lando Vannata and Bobby Green will get together in a lightweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 31 Saturday at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 9 p.m. ET.
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Vannata (11-4-2) actually has a losing record since being promoted to the UFC, going 3-4-2. He’s coming off a unanimous decision victory against Yancy Medeiros last time out on Feb. 15, 2020 in Rio Rancho, N.M. That’s important to note, mainly because Vannata hasn’t won consecutive fights at the UFC level. The last time he strung together consecutive wins was when he kicked off his pro career by going 8-0 from May 2012 to April 2016. In addition, six of his previous seven outings have ended up going the distance, too.
Like Vannata, Green (25-10-1) is a fighter who likes to land thunderous blows upon the head of his opponent, either with fists or elbows. He has 5.01 significant strikes landed per minute, posting a solid 49.97 significant strike-accuracy percentage. He will go to the mat if he has to, but it seems like the preference of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist is to keep it upright. Also like Vannata, wins have been few and far between lately. Green picked up a win over Clay Guida by unanimous decision on June 20 in his latest appearance, a much-needed victory considering he entered the octagon that night with a 1-5-1 run in his previous seven. Each of Green’s past six have gone the distance, too.
Also see:
- Green surprised Vannata agreed to rematch (MMA Junkie)
- 40 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 31 (MMA Junkie)
Lando Vannata vs. Bobby Green betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:40 p.m. ET.
GREEN (+125) is a better bet here in a fight between two guys desperately in need of a solid win to change the trajectory of their careers. Both have arrows pointing down at the moment. Green and Vannata (-150) fought to a controversial split-decision draw in their first meeting Oct. 7, 2017, so that makes this an even more intriguing matchup. Vannata was penalized one point for an illegal knee, which many feel did not even connect with Green. Vannata is a sink or swim fighter, looking to catch his opponents off guard with crazy and surprising moves. He’ll use a lot of spinning kicks, something Green will have to be on the lookout for.
Both of these fighters have gone the distance frequently, including their first battle in the fall of 2017. The books expect this bout to be decided by the judges again here, as “Yes (-250): Will the fight go the distance?” is a rather steep price to pay. If you can combine that with two or three other options for a nice parlay, it might help to minimize that juice. If you choose to bet it alone, it’s a high-risk, low-reward wager that I, personally, am not a fan of.
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