Heavyweight Ben “The Combat Wombat” Sosoli (7-2, 6 KOs) will meet fellow slugger Marcos Rogerio de Lima (16-6, 11 KOs, 3 SUBs) at UFC on ESPN+ 26 on Saturday, February 22 at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The card streams live starting 7pm ET.
Australia’s Ben Sosoli might be coming off a loss in his UFC debut, but he acquitted himself nicely in a matchup where he was supposed to be a stepping stone. Thrust into the UFC to make Greg Hardy, “The Combat Wombat” instead got a prolonged trench battle against a much larger, more athletic man. That the massive Hardy didn’t even attempt to truck him over says a lot about the Wombat’s thumping abilities.
Of course, Sosoli needs to start putting together wins to be more than just a fat guy with a mullet and awesome nickname. There will always be a place for those guys at heavyweight, but even “Big Country” Roy Nelson was given the pink slip after being blown out by younger big men. Let’s hope he sticks around for a bit, just because it’s so fun to say Combat Wombat aloud.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima will travel into hostile territory in hopes of spoiling the party. The Brazilian has alternated wins and losses for his past seven fights, most recently tapping out against Stefan Struve in February 2019. The former light heavyweight is now 1-1 as a heavyweight and looks destined to be the type of stepping stone fighter the UFC calls on for a prelim slugfest.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your best online betting options. Live UFC betting at the online sportsbook features real-time line updates - make sure you’re logged into your account during the card.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ben Sosoli +118
Marcos Rogerio de Lima -150
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +155 / -195
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Sosoli 2.22 / De Lima 3.37
Striking accuracy: Sosoli 31% / De Lima 57%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Sosoli 3.56 / De Lima 3.53
Striking defense: Sosoli 48% / De Lima 54%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Sosoli 0 / De Lima 1.06
Takedown accuracy: Sosoli N/A / De Lima 60%
Takedown defense: Sosoli N/a / De Lima 36%
Submission average: Sosoli 0 / De Lima 1.06
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Sosoli is exactly who we thought he is: a burly, compact fighter that takes hits and throws bombs in return. We learned in the Greg Hardy fight that he has absolutely no fear, as he stood his ground and at times backed up a bigger fighter. All but one of his seven career wins have come by way of knockout - it’s obvious that he knows how to throw his weight into his punches.
It’s easy to make two fat guy comparisons here: Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson. Sosoli shares a few common traits with them - he likes to stalk his opponents and look for the killshot. But Nelson is a legitimately dangerous submission artist, which lets him press forward without fear of getting taken down. Hunt is more than just a knockout artist - he’s a former K1 Kickboxing champion. Sosoli is fluid on his feet, but isn’t on the same level.
Rogerio de Lima was a predictable brawler at light heavyweight - his only strategy seemed to be bombing away for the first two minutes in hopes for a finish. Sometimes it worked, but other times he completely gassed out and was finished. At heavyweight, he seems to have flipped to a more conservative grinder, perhaps in the name of self preservation.
UFC Odds pick: Sosoli to win at +118
Sosoli will have to be careful not to get sucked to the ground, but if he keeps the fight standing he will likely win this matchup. De Lima can crack, but if Sosoli can back up Hardy he’ll be fine taking it to the Brazilian. Of course, I’d keep a close eye at the live UFC betting options - if anyone starts to lose their gas tank we’d bet heavily against them.
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