MMA
UFC Fight Night preview: Blaydes and Daukaus out to shake up heavyweight division
Straight off the back of UFC London and we have another fight night headlined by two heavyweights looking to throw their hat in the ring.
We preview the fight below and look at the latest betting odds.
Curtis Blaydes v Chris Daukaus
Curtis Blaydes takes on Chris Daukaus and both fighters will be searching for a victory to get their heavyweight careers back on-track after both falling off the wagon last year.
Both fighters will look at Tom Aspinall’s rise as inspiration of how quickly things can change at heavyweight. The division is as stacked as it has been in years, but internal politics, matchmaking disputes and the usual super-fight difficulties have left the futures of stars Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, Cyril Gane and even Jon Jones up in the air, creating space for a new generation of fighters to fill the void.
Curtis Blaydes has had a solid career at the UFC (10-3 UFC), and it says a lot that the only losses in his career have come at the hands Derrick Lewis and current heavyweight supremo, Francis Ngannou. Since last facing Ngannou, Blaydes has gone 5-1 – with that deflating 1 being a devastating KO loss to Lewis.
An important win against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in September has got Blaydes back to winning ways and another victory over a respectable name like Daukaus (4-1 UFC) will keep him waiting in the wings, while the major players in line for a title shot get caught up in match-making red tape.
This position is why a fight against Curtis Blaydes is exactly the tonic Chris Daukaus needs. Starting his UFC career with an impressive 4-fight winning streak, Daukaus was also undone by a signature Derrick Lewis KO™. It can be said the Daukaus is still finding his feet in the UFC, so a win against a seasoned pro like Blaydes certainly gets his name back in the mix.
What we can say is, this doesn’t look to be a fight for ground-game purists. Despite an impressive background in collegiate wrestling, 15 wins for Blaydes have come in the form of KO, while 5 were decision. Daukaus has a similar aversion to submissions, earning 11 Kos in his 12 wins.
Daukus is 4/1 to continue his streak and earn another KO victory, while Blaydes is 10/11 to add another KO to his CV.
Alexa Grasso v Joanne Wood
Further down the card, Scottish Muay Thai specialist Joanne Wood takes on #9 flyweight Alexa Grasso. This fight looms large over Wood’s UFC career as it could be said she is in desperate need of a win, losing 3 of her last 4.
With a penchant for striking, Woods best bet could be to keep things away from judges. She’s currently 9/1 to finish the fight by KO/TKO/DQ.
Alexa Grasso’s UFC career has looked a bit rosier recently. Wins over Maycee Barber and Karolina Kowalkiewicz kept her stock high, amidst losses to familiar names Tatiana Suarez & Carla Esparza, the #2 ranked flyweight.
She’s now 10 years into her professional fighting career and has her eyes set on a title shot. A win here certainly puts her in line.
11 of her 16 fights have gone the distance, which makes her quite familiar with what it takes to get a decision from the judges. The Mexican is 8/11 to get the nod on points yet again.
