Luke Jumeau will try and overcome the home crowd advantage, as he takes on Shinsho Anzai at UFC Fight Night 117 in Saitama, Japan that can be seen on Friday night on FXX. Jumeau is 12-3 in his career, including 1-0 in the UFC, while Anzai is 9-2 overall, including 1-1 in the UFC. Anzai will have the big edge in crowd support but he is listed as about a 2-1 underdog in this fight. Let’s look at the bout and UFC picks.
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Shinsho Anzai (9-2, 1-1 UFC)
Anzai had a lot of success in Pancrase before making his UFC debut in August of 2014. Anzai lost that debut, as he was knocked out by Alberto Mina in the first round. Anzai bounced back in 2015, as he defeated Roger Zapata by third round TKO.
Anzai has been a pro since 2009 with most of his success coming in Pancrase where he won the middleweight title. Anzai has not fought in two years because of a back injury. The big question for this fight against Jumeau is what type of shape Anzai is in having not fought competitively in two years.
Luke Jumeau (12-3, 1-0 UFC)
Jumeau has a similar resume to Anzai, as most of the success for Jumeau has come against lower level competition. Jumeau did win his UFC debut, as he defeated Dominique Steele at UFC Fight Night 110 in Auckland, New Zealand. Surprisingly, Jumeau has always wanted to fight in Japan at the Saitama Super Arena which was once home to Pride.
Jumeau believes that he has the talent to compete with the best fighters in the lightweight division. "I just want to let everyone know that I'm out there to make a statement," Jumeau told Stuff in New Zealand. "I'm not just there to have a few fights, win or lose a couple. The journey to get here is tough and I want to make the most of it. Getting to the UFC is like winning the lottery but it's only the beginning."
Jumeau benefited in his UFC debut with the fight on his home turf in New Zealand but that won’t be the case this time around, with this fight in Japan, where most of the 22,500 fans will be cheering for Anzai. Jumeau said that he has seen a couple of Anzai’s fights and is not concerned. "I've seen two of his fights but that's all I need," Jumeau said. "I prefer to react in real time to my opponents rather than trying to implement game plans. Sometimes it can throw things out when you focus on a game plan and when you're actually in front of that person they're different."
UFC Picks
I was hoping the odds on this fight would be closer to a pick but oddsmakers made Jumeau more than a 2-1 favorite. I think Jumeau should be favored, but I am not at all thrilled about laying this price. It is always concerning laying big money on someone fighting in a hostile environment because if the fight goes to a decision the crowd could be a factor. I lean toward Jumeau in this bout but I will avoid a side and just take the rounds to go under, as only one of the last six Jumeau fights has gone to a decision, and the last four Anzai fights have ended in knockout.
UFC Fight Night 117 takes place on Saturday, September 23 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and will air live on FXX on Friday, September 22 in the United States. There are six fights on the main card on FXX, featuring Ovince Saint Preux vs. Yushin Okami and five preliminary bouts, with four on FXX and one on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (FXX)
Ovince Saint Preux -475 vs. Yushin Okami
Claudia Gadelha -250 vs. Jessica Andrade
Dong Hyun Kim -290 vs. Takanori Gomi
Gokhan Saki -160 vs. Henrique da Silva
Teruto Ishihara -145 vs. Rolando Dy
Charles Rosa -185 vs. Mizuto Hirota
Preliminary Card (FXX)
Alex Morono -140 vs. Keita Nakamura
Jussier Formiga -375 vs. Ulka Sasaki
Chan-Mi Jeon -130 vs. Syuri Kondo
Luke Jumeau -230 vs. Shinsho Anzai
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Hyun Gyu Lim -130 vs. Daichi Abe
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