UFC Fight Night comes to us Sunday from Las Vegas with a real solid card from top to bottom, headlined by a bantamweight fight between two undefeated fighters in 21-0 Thomas Almeida and 8-0 Cody Garbrandt. Almeida is a -150 favorite with Garbrandt getting +130 as the underdog.
After starting his UFC career with a decision win, Almeida has really caught the eye on MMA fans with three consecutive knockout wins. Almeida would love to keep this fight on the feet and look for another KO but that may be easier said than done against a real tough opponent like Garbrandt.
Garbrandt hails from Team Alpha Male and under the guidance of Urijah Faber, so he will be ready for this important fight. Garbrandt has two KO's in his three UFC wins and can also keep the fight standing. But he can slug it out but might be better served to turn this into a grappling match. It should be a real close contest here between these two 24-year-old fighters with lots of potential, but have to lean towards the underdog Garbrandt here at a fairly good price in such an evenly matched fight.
Pick: Take Cody Garbrandt to stay undefeated and pull a small upset in the main event probably winning a decision in a close battle.
Also on the main card is a featherweight fight between former bantamweight champion Renan Barao and veteran Jeremy Stephens. Barao is a -200 favorite to get back to his winning ways with Stephens getting +160 as the underdog. Barao didn’t lose in 33 fights before being beat in a huge upset, losing his bantamweight title in the process to T. J. Dillashaw in May of 2014. A win over overmatched Mitch Gagnon later that year set up a rematch with Dillashaw, but that fight back in July of 2015 was even more one sided as Dillashaw had his way with Barao from the opening bell finishing him in fourth round.
Jeremy Stephens is a solid veteran of the UFC but is only 29-years-old and very much still in his prime. He would love to pull the upset here against the former champ. Stephens has lost three of his last four but against very tough competition and usually has his moments even in the losses. Barao, who has always had difficulty making weight at 135, should appreciate moving up to 145 pounds, but his power won’t be the same at this weight.
Pick: Lean here is to Jeremy Stephens to maybe KO Renan Barao at a nice price as Barao just isn’t the fighter he was a few years ago. Remember in July of 2015 Stephens finished a real tough fighter in Dennis Bermudez with a flying knee to get the KO finish so a real aggressive strategy would suit him well here as Barao may still be a little off after the beating he took in the 2nd Dillashaw fight.
Take Jeremy Stephens to pull the upset over Renan Barao .