Joseph Benavidez is favored against Dustin Ortiz at UFC Fight Night 143 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday night. This event is one of six fights on the main card on ESPN+. Benavidez is 26-5 in his career, while Ortiz is 19-7 in his career. There are a total of six fights on the main card on ESPN+, with the headliner a bout between Henry Cejudo and T.J. Dillashaw. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card with four on ESPN and three on ESPN+. Let’s look at the bout between Benavidez and Ortiz and UFC predictions.
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Joseph Benavidez (26-5, 13-3 UFC)
Benavidez came into the UFC with a record of 13-2 and he has 13 wins and three losses in the UFC. In his last five fights, he has four wins and one loss. He defeated Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision, Zach Makovsky by unanimous decision, Henry Cejudo by split decision, and Alex Perez by TKO; while losing to Sergio Pettis by split decision. Benavidez has been a pro since 2006 and has six wins by TKO/KO and nine by submission. He has seven first round finishes.
Dustin Ortiz (19-7, 8-5 UFC)
Ortiz came into the UFC with a record of 11-2 and he has eight wins and five losses in the UFC. In his last five fights, he has four wins and one loss. He defeated Zach Makovsky by split decision, Hector Sandoval by KO, Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision, and Matheus Nicolau by KO; while losing to Brandon Moreno by technical submission. Ortiz has been a pro since 2010 and has eight wins by TKO/KO and four by submission. He has six first round finishes.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Benavidez 3.52/ Ortiz 2.91
Accuracy: Benavidez 33% / Ortiz 43%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Benavidez 2.52/ Ortiz 2.24
Defense: Benavidez 64% / Ortiz 56%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Benavidez 1.29/ Ortiz 3.01
Accuracy: Benavidez 27% / Ortiz 35%
Takedowns defended: Benavidez 65% / Ortiz 54%
Submission average: Benavidez 0.7 / Ortiz 0.1
UFC Predictions
Benavidez has been one of the top flyweights in the world, but he just can’t take over the top spot because Demetrious Johnson is in the division. Benavidez has beaten plenty of fringe contenders including current champ Henry Cejudo. Benavidez missed all of 2017 due to injury and came back last year but lost to Sergio Pettis. Benavidez did rebound with a win over Alex Perez. Ortiz will be looking for revenge in this matchup as he lost to Benavidez in November of 2014. Ortiz seems to have regained some power of late with wins against Hector Sandoval and Matheus Nicolau Pereira.
Benavidez is the quicker and more talented fighter, but Ortiz has shown lately he is no easy mark. If this fight goes to the ground the advantage will be with Benavidez and that is where he should dominate. I will take Benavidez to get the win in this fight.
UFC Fight Night 143 takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday night. There are six fights on the main card on ESPN+, headlined by Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillashaw and seven preliminary bouts with four on ESPN and three on ESPN+.
Main Card ESPN+
Flyweight - T.J. Dillashaw -211 vs. Henry Cejudo
Heavyweight - Greg Hardy -527 vs. Allen Crowder
Lightweight - Gregor Gillespie -505 vs. Yancy Medeiros
Flyweight - Joseph Benavidez -235 vs. Dustin Ortiz
Women's Flyweight - Paige VanZant -170 vs. Rachael Ostovich
Light Heavyweight - Glover Teixeira -125 vs. Karl Roberson
Preliminary Card ESPN
Lightweight - Alexander Hernandez -204 vs. Donald Cerrone
Women's Flyweight - Ariane Lipski -225 vs. Joanne Calderwood
Light Heavyweight - Alonzo Menifield -279 vs. Vinicius Moreira
Bantamweight - Cory Sandhagen -500 vs. Mario Bautista
Early Preliminary Card ESPN+
Lightweight -Te Edwards -130 vs. Dennis Bermudez
Welterweight - Geoff Neal -185 vs. Belal Muhammad
Welterweight - Kyle Stewart -165 vs. Chance Rencountre
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