After pulling off three events in a week, the UFC took a week off but is set to stage another event on May 30 at its UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. A potential No. 1 contender match in the welterweight division headlines UFC on ESPN 9 with Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley taking on Gilbert “Durinho” Burns.
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Online sportsbook [Sportsbook not available for your region] has released odds for the main event and has listed the former champion, Woodley, as a -185 favorite with Burns coming back at +150.
Woodley vs Burns | Ivanov vs Sakai | Quarantillo vs Carlyle | Roberts vs Weaver | Dern vs Cifers
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Tyron Woodley vs Gilbert Burns
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Tyron Woodley | -185 |
Gilbert Burns | +150 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
This is the first walk to the Octagon for Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (-185) since he lost his welterweight belt to Kamaru Usman last March. Looking to hand Woodley his first-ever losing slide is Gilbert “Durinho” Burns (+150), who enters this bout riding a five-fight winning streak, most recently scoring a first-round knockout win over Demian Maia in March.
The former champ typically fights off his back foot, letting his opponents close the distance before he explodes forward with his powerful right hand. If it lands, it typically leaves his opponents in a bad way, with seven of his 19 pro wins coming by knockout. If it misses, he usually continues forward searching for a takedown.
Burns has spent most of his UFC career in the lightweight division where he sported a 7-3 record, but he was big for the division and has decided to cut less weight and compete at welterweight. Durinho has great submission skills, though his striking has been on display recently with three of his last seven wins the result of a knockout. Burns likes to use his kicks to set up his hands, but when throwing kicks often times he drops his hands, which leaves him vulnerable to a counter.
Prediction: Tyron Woodley (-185) via knockout
Blagoy Ivanov vs Augusto Sakai
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Blagoy Ivanov | -115 |
Augusto Sakai | -115 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
After earning a UFC contract in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Brazil, Augusto Sakai (-115) is a perfect 3-0 in the Octagon and is coming off a first-round, first-minute knockout of Marcin Tybura last September. Looking to halt that winning streak is Blagoy “Baga” Ivanov (-115), who is 2-2 in his UFC career. All of those fights have gone to the judges’ scorecards and his most recent bout was a narrow split-decision loss to Derrick Lewis in November.
The Brazil native, Sakai, moves around the Octagon fairly well for a big heavyweight, always stalking forward and consistently sidestepping to his right to open a spot to fire his powerful left. He does a great job throwing long straight punches that help him maintain distance and do damage, with 11 of his 14 wins ending in knockout.
Meanwhile, the Bulgaria native, Ivanov, is not an easy one to put away. He has never been knocked out in his 21-fight pro career and he’s so tough that he was stabbed in the heart in a bar and survived! Baga is more patient than Sakai, letting his counterparts come to him before he bites down on his mouthpiece and looks to land his heavy hands.
Prediction: Augusto Sakai (-115) via decision
Billy Quarantillo vs Spike Carlyle
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Spike Carlyle | +105 |
Billy Quarantillo | -135 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
A winning streak will come to a close when Billy Quarantillo (-135) and Spike “Alpha Ginger” Carlyle (+105) meet. Quarantillo earned a UFC contract with a third-round knockout win in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series last July and won his Octagon debut via second-round submission in December for his sixth straight win. Carlyle has won five in a row and made his UFC debut in February, scoring a first-round knockout over Aalon Cruz.
Alpha Ginger has a very calm and composed look in a fight, keeping his hands low as he allows his opponent to be the aggressor while he reads their movements. He bounces up and down and feints frequently before letting a quick strike go which can catch his foes off guard with their accuracy and power. Of his nine pro wins, five have been by knockout, though his wrestling shouldn’t be overlooked.
Quarantillo has really good kicks and high-level submission skills. When he drags a fight to the floor, he has a seemingly endless gas tank, always battering his foes with ground and pound hoping a submission will arise. On the feet, he tends to load up on bigger shots one strike at a time, but they are accurate. Defensively, he can be a little slow to react.
Prediction: Spike Carlyle (+105) via decision
Roosevelt Roberts vs Brok Weaver
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Roosevelt Roberts | -360 |
Brok Weaver | +270 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Looking to move to 2-0 in the UFC and win a ninth straight fight overall, Brok “Chata Tuska” Weaver (-360) returns after winning his Octagon debut via disqualification in February. Aiming to get on a winning streak of his own is Roosevelt “The Predator” Roberts (+270), who suffered his first pro loss last June but rebounded with a triumph in November.
Weaver is a brawler with a big heart, always pushing the action looking to put on a show for the fans. Despite his striking-first approach to fights, Chata Tuska lacks true knockout power, scoring just two victories in that manner through his 19-fight pro career. At times, he waits on his opponents far too long and doesn’t strike back in exchanges, which leads to him just getting picked part. But he is hard to put away, with just one knockout loss on his record.
Roberts is a patient fighter, rarely overextending himself to rush for a finish but rather letting it come to him. The Predator throws long straight punches that are quite accurate and leave his opponents wary to engage forward, while also setting up his more creative attacks. His best work, though, is against the cage and in grappling exchanges. He’s aggressive in searching for submissions and he averages 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Prediction: Roosevelt Roberts (-360) via decision
Mackenzie Dern vs Hannah Cifers
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Mackenzie Dern | -450 |
Hannah Cifers | +325 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
A pair of fighters coming off defeats will kick off our main card. Mackenzie Dern (-450) suffered her first professional loss in her last appearance, falling via unanimous decision to Amanda Ribas last October. Meanwhile, Hannah “Shockwave” Cifers (+325) had her two-fight winning streak ended when she fell to Angela Hill via knockout in January.
Dern is a high-level grappler with great submission skills that have resulted in four of her seven pro wins ending via submission. She is quite big and strong for the strawweight division, which, in addition to her jiu-jitsu skills, gives her a massive advantage on the floor. However, on the feet, it’s a different story as Dern has little to no head movement and her striking is very basic, with long one-twos hoping to clip her opponent or close distance to get into a grappling exchange.
Cifers will be much smaller than Dern but don’t let that fool you – Shockwave is a game opponent for everyone. Of her 10 pro wins, half have been by knockout while the other half were decisions, so don’t expect her to be searching for submissions, especially in this bout. Cifers can be a bit of a slow starter as she makes her reads and gets a feel for her foe’s power, but when she goes on the attack, she is very fast and accurate and always throws combinations.
Prediction: Hannah Cifers (+325) via decision
Here’s a look at the rest of the odds for UFC on ESPN 9: Woodley vs Burns:
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Katlyn Chookagian | +110 |
Antonina Shevchenko | -140 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Klidson Abreu | EVEN |
Jamahal Hill | -130 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Tim Elliott | -170 |
Brandon Royval | +140 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Casey Kenney | -275 |
Louis Smolka | +215 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Fighter | Odds |
---|---|
Chris Gutierrez | -110 |
Vince Morales | -120 |
Odds as of May 29 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]