UFC 253 on Saturday at UFC Fight Island showcases two excellent fights in the main event and co-main event. Both fights will have a handful of betting opportunities, along with top-notch quality fights.
This event is one that was originally slated for September 19th in Las Vegas. Of course with the recent COVID-19 strike, it was moved back a week. These fights will take place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. All the fights will be slated for times that correspond with fans from the United States, in prime Eastern Time zone.
One of the big fights that was originally planned, but has been taken off the table since then was a heavyweight battle between Cirly Gane and Shamil Abdurakhimov.
They were scheduled to fight at UFC 249, and then at UFC 251. Unfortunately, we still will not see that fantastic battle. But, there is still an excellent card for UFC 253:
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SLM Entertainment
Main Event Breakdown
* Odds have been provided by BetOnline and are accurate of 21 September 2020
In this main event showdown, Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa are both undefeated and looking to hand each other their first loss. With that being said, each fighter also wants to stay atop the rankings.
Israel Adesanya (19-0-0)
Odds to win: -172
Israel Adesanya is sitting on top as the undefeated middleweight champion. Looking into his fighting resume, it shows him having 14 wins by knockout and five by decision, His last fight was at UFC 248 against Yoel Romero.
“The Last Stylebender” strikes with accuracy at 48 percent but has nothing to show for grappling accuracy. He delivers 3.96 significant strikes a minute while taking on 2.40. This ratio is very solid in the volume of strikes delivered.
Adesanya defends against takedowns at 86 percent and defends against significant strikes at 65 percent. He also has been able to average 0.30 submissions per 15 minutes of fight time.
Paulo Costa (13-0-0)
Odds to win: +147
Paulo Costa is right behind Adesanya as the second-best fighter in the middleweight division. Taking a look at his fighting resume shows that he has 11 wins by knockout, one by submission, and one by decision.
“The Eraser” strikes with accuracy at 57 percent and has nothing to show for grappling accuracy. He delivers 8.43 significant strikes a minute and takes on 6.84. This ratio is not bad either, but he does this at a much higher volume.
Costa defends against takedowns at 80 percent and defends against significant strikes at 53 percent. Per 15 minutes of fight time, he has not had much of any averages for takedowns or submissions.
Official Pick
Adesanya appears to be the solid choice here. He has a knack for defending himself well and being able to close out fights.
Preview Of Other Main Event
Both fighters in the co-main event, Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz, almost make up the top three in the division. They both will be looking to advance in their careers.
Dominick Reyes: -265
Jan Blachowicz: +225
Dominick Reyes (12-1-0) is happily ranked as the best fighter in the light heavyweight division. Taking a look at his fighting resume, it shows seven wins by knockout, two by submission, and three by decision.
“The Devastator” strikes with accuracy at 49 percent and has a grappling accuracy at 16 percent. He delivers 4.88 significant strikes a minute while taking on 3.00. This ratio looks great, with some higher volume strikes being delivered.
Reyes defends against takedowns at 82 percent and defends against significant strikes at 48 percent. He also has been able to average 0.24 takedowns and 0.20 submissions every 15 minutes.
Jan Blachowicz (26-8-0) is rounding out the top three, as he is ranked the third-best fighter in the light heavyweight division. His resume shows seven wins by knockout, nine by submission, and 10 by decision.
He strikes with accuracy at 48 percent and has a grappling accuracy at 52 percent. He delivers 3.45 significant strikes a minute and takes on 2.77. A solid ratio with room to grow on both sides.
Blachowicz defends against takedowns at 65 percent and defends against significant strikes at 54 percent. He also has averages of 1.16 takedowns and 0.30 submissions every 15 minutes.
Official Pick
Reyes will have his hands full. However, he should be able to hold his own and come away with still being on top of the division.