Travis Browne will look to break a three-fight losing streak, as he takes on Oleksiy Oliynyk at UFC 213 on Saturday, July 8 in Las Vegas. Browne is 18-6-1 in his career but he is getting more press now for his engagement to Ronda Rousey than he is for his fighting, as he has lost five of his last seven bouts. Oliynyk is 51-10-1, including 3-1 in the UFC. This fight is one of four on the FS1 portion of the preliminary card, leading up to a five-fight main card, which features Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko. Let’s look at Browne vs. Oliynky and UFC predictions.
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Travis Browne (18-6-1, 9-6-1 UFC)
Browne has not looked good in any of his recent fights, as he was dominated by Cain Velasquez at UFC 2000, routed by Fabricio Werdum at UFC 203 and he was knocked out by Derrick Lewis in February at UFC Halifax. The last win for Browne was against Matt Mitrione in January of 2016 and he benefited from an eye poke in that bout. You really have to go back to 2014 for the last good win for Browne, as he beat Brendan Schaub at UFC 181.
Browne has won most of his fights by knockout and he does have six wins in under a minute or less, but there are serious questions as to whether he still has knockout power, and you have to question his motivation now that he is engaged to Rousey.
Oliynyk (51-10-1, 3-1 UFC)
Oliynyk is 40 years old so there are serious questions as to how much he has left, but he has gone 3-1 in the UFC and it is not like he is fighting a great fighter in Browne. Oliynyk beat Anthony Hamilton and Jared Rosholt in 2014 but he lost a majority decision to Daniel Omielanczuk in 2016. Oliynyk bounced back to beat Viktor Pesta in January, as he got a first round submission.
Oliynyk has won most of his fights by submission (39 in all), so this fight is going to be a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. This will be the first time since 2014 that Oliynyk will be fighting twice in the same year.
UFC Picks
Based on their recent form, this should be a win for Oliynyk but there are a couple of concerns in betting him. First, he has not fought twice in the same year since 2014. To win this fight he may have to do more than he has done in recent fights and at 40 years old he may not have the endurance to last long. Second, Oliynyk will have a major disadvantage in reach and in size against Browne. To win this fight, Oliynyk will have to find a way to get Browne to the mat and that may not be easy.
It is always difficult to back a fighter on a three-fight losing streak but I think Browne has a decent chance to win this fight. This should also be a fight that gets decided quickly with a knockout or a submission, so I will take the rounds to go under the total.
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UFC 213 takes place on Saturday, July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the feature bout a matchup between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. There are five fights on the main card, which is pay-per-view, four prelims that will be shown on FS1 and two on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-per-view)
Valentina Shevchenko -135 vs. Amanda Nunes
Yoel Romero -115 vs. Robert Whittaker
Robbie Lawler -145 vs. Donald Cerrone
Alistair Overeem -130 vs. Fabricio Werdum
Anthony Pettis vs. Jim Miller
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Travis Browne vs. Oleksiy Oliynyk
Chad Laprise vs. Brian Camozzi
Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Curtis Blaydes
Jordan Mein vs. Belal Muhammad
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Rob Font vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
Thiago Santos vs. Gerald Meerschaert
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