Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes (10-1, 8 KOs) will rematch Francis Ngannou (11-3, 7 KOs, 4 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night 141 on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. The card airs live on UFC Fight Pass.
Curtis Blaydes could avenge his only career loss and earn a title eliminator this Saturday in Beijing. The surging heavyweight meets Francis Ngannou in the main event of a Fight Pass card in China, and it’s a matchup that could easily be the co-main of a pay-per-view.
The two first met in 2016 as top-shelf prospects, with Ngannou earning a win via doctor stoppage. In that fight, “The Predator” shut down the American’s wrestling and completely shut his eye with powerful punches. Since then, the two have taken wildly different paths.
Ngannou won four straight fights by knockout, earning a title shot against Stipe Miocic. It was way too much, too soon for the knockout artist, whose lack of wrestling was exposed as he was dominated for 25 minutes. It seemed he developed a case of the yips, as the ferocious puncher was gunshy in his followup against Derrick Lewis, setting the UFC record for least amount of strikes thrown in a heavyweight fight.
Blaydes hasn’t lost in six fights since the stoppage loss, most recently earning impressive wins against Alexey Oleynik, Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem. Just as importantly, his confidence is growing, as “Razor” is talking himself up as a true title contender.
Let’s check in with the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu for the best betting values. Remember, live UFC betting is also available if you want to hedge any of your bets.
UFC Fight Night 141 Betting at BookMaker.eu
Curtis Blaydes -235
Francis Ngannou +190
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +245 / -335
Striking Stats
Significant strikes landed per minute: Blaydes 4.2 / Ngannou 1.79
Accuracy: Blaydes 50.92% / Ngannou 34.52%
Significant strikes absorbed per minute: Blaydes 2.26 / Ngannou 1.95
Defense: Blaydes 56.38% / Ngannou 27.28%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Blaydes 6.82 / Ngannou 0
Takedown accuracy: Blaydes 57.89% / Ngannou 0%
Takedowns defended: Blaydes 25% / Ngannou 68.75%
Submission average: Blaydes 0 / Ngannou 0.46
Bet on Blaydes vs. Ngannou at BookMaker.eu
It’s been a rough year for Ngannou, who was taken publicly to task by Dana White for buying into his own hype - never mind that a lot of that hype came from White himself. After his stinker against Lewis, Ngannou admitted that he was in his own head and promised to come back better.
This sets up a fascinating mental storyline for the Frenchman. He’s still one of the most physically talented physical prospects we’ve ever seen at heavyweight. One simply does not lose their crazy knockout power and athleticism at 32. He smoothly shut Blaydes down and pieced him up with bombs the first time they met. Though Blaydes is a different fighter now, Ngannou still possesses the tools to beat him.
Perhaps Ngannou’s mindset won’t even matter, though. Blaydes has quickly evolved and is still just 27 years old. A boxer-wrestler whose dramatically improved his striking, “Razor” is quickly putting together a fully-rounded MMA game that lets him attack where his opponents are weakest. We saw him takedown strikers in Overeem and Hunt, while battering a grappler in Alexey Oleynik.
UFC Odds Pick: Blaydes to win at -235
It’s gonna take bigger underdog odds for us to take Ngannou - if he hits +200 we’ll reconsider. A wrestler like Blaydes is not a confidence-builder fight, which is exactly what Ngannou needs. Though Ngannou is a live dog, we have to fade him given his poor recent performances.
Bet Online: Fight doesn’t go to decision -335
Both guys are just too dangerous to not expect a finish in 25 minutes. If Blaydes gets this to the ground, his GNP and Ngannou’s questionable cardio sets up a stoppage. And we all know that Ngannou hits with the power of a Ford Escort.
UFC Fight Night 141 Odds
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today. UFC Fight Night 141 takes place on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. The card airs live on UFC Fight Pass.
