Heavyweight contenders Francis “The Predator” Ngannou (13-3, 9 KOs, 4 SUBs) and Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos (21-5, 15 KOs, 1 SUB) will meet at UFC on ESPN 3 on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Get ready for some heavy leather. This Saturday, the heavyweight division’s most explosive knockout puncher, Francis Ngannou, squares off with Junior Dos Santos - it’s best best boxer. It’s a matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3-ranked fighters in the division, and with No. 1 contender Stipe Miocic scheduled to rematch champ Daniel Cormier in the fall, the winner here is likely to get the next title shot.
Ngannou has seemingly bounced back from confidence crushing losses to Miocic and Derrick Lewis. His current two-fight win streak has been a return to form, with first-round knockouts over Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez in less than a minute combined. By all appearances, The Predator is back to hitting with the power of a Ford Focus and rendering dudes unconscious with savage ferocity.
Junior Dos Santos has taken the long route back to a title shot. The Brazilian bounced back from a 3-3 run with a three-fight winning streak that’s added Blagoy Ivanov, Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis to his resume - the latter two coming by way of TKO. At 35, JDS is not only a savvy vet, but a championship contender once again. That’s something that seemed like a longshot after he was destroyed twice by Cain Velasquez in attempts to win the belt he once held.
The UFC odds at the online sportsbook opened with Ngannou as a heavy favorite, but let’s break down the matchup and go over your best betting options. If you’re not liking how your bet looks, live UFC betting is available at BookMaker.eu between rounds.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Francis Ngannou -280
Junior Dos Santos +214
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +330 / -490
Significant Striking Stats
Landed per minute: Ngannou 2.05 / Dos Santos 4.76
Accuracy: Ngannou 37% / Dos Santos 48%
Absorbed per minute: Ngannou 1.94 / Dos Santos 3.07
Defense: Ngannou 48% / Dos Santos 58%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Ngannou 0 / Dos Santos 0.34
Takedown accuracy: Ngannou N/A / Dos Santos 55%
Takedown defense: Ngannou 71% / Dos Santos 80%
Submission average: Ngannou 0.46 / Dos Santos 0.07
Bet Ngannou vs. Dos Santos at the online sportsbook
Ngannou’s fights are easy to break down: if he connects, it’s over. With all due respect to some of the big knockout punchers we’ve seen at heavyweight over the years, there is nobody that hits with the kind of force that The Predator does. Need a reminder? Just google the gif of Ngannou nearly launching the 260-pound Overeem into the air with The Uppercut from Hell.
If he’s standing, Ngannou is a threat to end the fight. But as Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis proved, the longer the fight goes the less likely that outcome plays out. Even today, we still haven’t seen the 32-year old in a real dogfight - he either notches a quick win, gets dominated or in one weird case doesn’t pull the trigger. We’re not sure if that ever changes, simply because of how he scraps.
Dos Santos gets knockouts, though he tends to earn them through accumulation rather than one massive hit. He’s a textbook boxer, setting up his combinations with a crisp jab, and cutting angles with good footwork. Though the losses to Cain Velasquez has weakened his chin to the point where he’s susceptible to big punches, JDS remains one of the toughest outs in the division.
UFC Odds Pick: Dos Santos to win at +214
This is a very risky pick, as Ngannou can end the fight at any time. But Dos Santos has more than enough skill to play a defensive game and pick apart the less refined Ngannou. The hedge play here is obviously Ngannou by knockout, as it represents the only way that Francis wins this fight.
Bet UFC odds at the online sportsbook now!
