Welterweight contender Demian Maia (25-7, 3 KOs, 12 SUBs) will meet the surging Colby Covington (12-1, 1 KO, 6 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night 119 on Saturday, October 28, 2017 at the Geraldo Jose de Almeida Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The card airs live on FS1 following the FS2 prelims. Bet on the latest UFC odds at BookMaker.eu now.
What happens when the division’s best grappler meets a red-hot wrestling phenom? We’ll find out this Saturday when BJJ legend Demian Maia squares off against Colby Covington this Saturday. For the 29-year old Covington, it’s a chance to leapfrog up the welterweight ladder and announce himself as a legitimate title contender. But whether he can outwrestle Demian Maia is the question that sports bettors want to know.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your betting options.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Demian Maia +105
Colby Covington -135
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -200, under +170
Fight Preview
Maia has outgrappled plenty of good wrestlers - Neil Magny, Jon Fitch and Dong Hyun Kim to name a few. His actual takedowns aren’t very pretty, as he attaches himself to an opponent and drag him to the ground with an assortment of timely trips. If he gets it to the mat, you can pretty much consider the round over - Maia is a master of control, advancing and back takes. Fighters might be able to fight off the submission attempts, but they rarely ever get back to their feet until the end of the round.
Maia has been so good that he rode a seven-fight winning streak - beating great fighters like Carlos Condit, Jorge Masvidal, Gunnar Nelson and Neil Magny - to a title shot at UFC 214. However, Woodley’s athleticism and defense completely shut down the 39-year old’s offense - he failed to score a single takedown on dozens of attempts.
It’s clear that if Maia can’t get a fight to the ground, he’s at a huge disadvantage. He’s not completely lost on the feet, but he definitely can’t win a standup battle against a competent striker. His win against Masvidal was particularly ugly, as the Brazilian got lit up on the feet while struggling to take down “Gamebred.”
Maia finally got through and held Masvidal down, but he actually did far less actual damage and benefitted from a decision that could have gone either way.
Though Covington is not a finished striker, he will still have the advantage on the feet against Maia. There are parts to his standup that are still developing, but he is younger, stronger and faster than his 39-year old opponent. Against Bryan Barberena, Covington showed solid head movement and much smoother combinations - now his coaches at American Top Team has to train him to find a striking groove.
UFC Betting Tips
While Covington is no Tyron Woodley - especially when it comes to knockout power - he is a energetic young wrestler who has a great chance of stopping Maia’s takedown. Lay the price on Covington to take a close victory.
UFC Odds Pick: Covington to win at -135
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UFC Fight Night 119 takes place on Saturday, October 28, 2017 at the Geraldo Jose de Almeida Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The card airs live on FS1 following the FS2 prelims.
