UFC 327 has arrived, and it’s a chance for another Kiwi to be crowned champion with Carlos Ulberg taking on Jiri Procházka for the light heavyweight title.
Here are my best for Sunday’s card 💥
Suarez is coming off a decision win over Amanda Lemos after her tough loss to Weili Zhang. Since returning, Suarez doesn’t look as determined to get a finish and is happy to coast along, doing enough to earn a victory by decision.
Lupita Godinez is durable and has taken L’s by decision in her last two fights against good grapplers, too.
Suarez should be able to control this one and grind out a win.
We’re backing another strong wrestler here to win by decision.
Gamrot is a wrestle-first fighter and wastes no time getting his opponent to the mat.
If he doesn’t get the takedown on his first attempt, he’ll keep going until he can take it to the ground and control each round from there.
Ribovics prefers to stay on his feet and land some quick strikes. You can’t keep throwing punches without opening yourself up to a takedown, so this bodes well for Gamrot.
I’d expect Gamrot to take out the win here and suspect it’ll take all three rounds to get it.
There’s nothing like sweating a Round 1 KO on a Sunday.
This one comes in the Light Heavyweight division and the KO could come from either fighter but I am going to pick a side.
Reyes and Walker both have the knockout power but also have the durability to be knocked out by a jab. For this reason, I think whoever lands the first big blow wins this one.
And Reyes, in my eyes, has a better chance to land that important first significant strike. He averages 5.39 significant strikes per minute and a 54% accuracy.
Now it’s time for the main event.
If the phrase “entertainment value” were a person, it would be Jiří Procházka.
He is crazy and can out-crazy anyone who steps in the octagon with him. He creates and thrives in chaos, which makes him unpredictable and hard to plan for.
With his kryptonite, Alex Pereira gone, he now gets his best chance at reclaiming his spot as champion.
However, New Zealand’s own Carlos Ulberg stands in his way with a nine-fight winning streak. The City Kickboxing product is a sniper out there. Cool, calm and collected and will likely bide his time waiting for Jiří to open himself up.
That chance will come, and Ulberg fits a similar mould to Pereira. A quality kickboxer with elite defence. We haven’t seen the same kind of power yet from Ulberg, but it’s definitely there waiting to be unleashed.
He’s technical, been patient and hungry, which all make for a dangerous man.
Every second this fight goes on, Jiří is in it thanks to his brutal speed and power, but I think it’s that recklessness that will end in an Ulberg win via KO/TKO.
Value: Carlos Ulberg to Win by KO/TKO in Round 1 (Betcha Boost) @ $7.00
Super Boost: Carlos Ulberg to Win by KO/TKO or Points @ $2.75 (was $2.02)
