Heavyweight prospect Greg Hardy (5-1, 5 KOs) will meet UFC newcomer Ben Sosoli (7-2, 6 KOs) at UFC on ESPN 6 on Saturday, October 18, 2019 at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. The main card airs live on ESPN starting 9pm ET.
Slowly but violently, Greg Hardy is climbing his way up the heavyweight ladder. The former NFL All-Pro has rebounded from a disastrous UFC debut to Allen Crowder to record back-to-back knockouts of Dmitry Smoliakov and Juan Adams - both coming early in the first round. The 31-year old has also tuned out the controversy surrounding him, as most of his opponents don’t hesitate to bring up his previous domestic violence charages.
This Saturday, Hardy will continue his UFC journey when he meets Ben Sosoli at UFC on ESPN 6 in Boston. The fight marks Sosoli’s UFC debut, though his last contest in DWCS ended in a no contest after a bad eye poke. He also made an appearance on The Ultimate Fighter 28, but lost to the show’s eventual winner in the first round of fights. Prior to the NC, the 29-year old reeled off four straight knockout victories in regional competition.
The contest shows that the UFC is content to keep bringing Hardy along slowly - the former NFL All-Pro might be a lightning rod for controversy, but he is absolutely somebody that draws casual interest. It’s impossible not to be curious about a man who destroyed 300-pound offensive lineman fighting inside a cage. After Crowder showed that Hardy still has a long way to go before becoming a legit contender, Dana White has made sure that he gains experience against fringe fighters like Sosoli.
As expected, the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu opened with Hardy as a sizeable favorite. Let’s look into the FightMetric stats and break down your best betting options. Live UFC betting is always available, so you can make wagers during the fight with real-time line updates.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Greg Hardy -285
Ben Sosoli +218
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +325 / -475
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Hardy 3.88 / Sosoli -
Striking accuracy: Hardy 45% / Sosoli -
Strikes absorbed per minute: Hardy 2.41 / Sosoli -
Striking defense: Hardy 64% / Sosoli -
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Hardy 0 / Sosoli -
Takedown accuracy: Hardy - / Sosoli -
Takedown defense: Hardy 66% / Sosoli -
Submissions per 15 minutes: Hardy 0 / Sosoli -
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Sosoli is rugged former rugby player, so he knows a litle something about transitioning from another tough-guy sport into MMA. Like Hardy, he only got into the sport a few years ago, but he quickly made the move to Melbourne to train alongside UFC vets Dan Kelly and Jimmy Crute. To be frank, he fights similar to many of the fringe heavyweights that the UFC signs: he’s big, swings hard and gets knockouts. Footage of past fights shows a burly dude who can take damage and return it in kind. Other than that, it’s tough to really analyze his other skills, as he hasn’t really done much besides bang.
Though Hardy’s won two out of his three UFC fights, we still don’t have much to go on either. He’s obviously a tremendous athlete with knockout power, but it’s not clear whether he can fight past the first round. Luckily for him, overwhelming killshot ability and athleticism alone can get you past most of the lower tier fighters - even in the UFC. We can’t overlook the fact that he trains at American Top Team, and as he enters his fourth octagon appearance we have to assume that his experience will take him from just a swarmer into a legit fighter.
UFC Odds Pick: Hardy to win by TKO/KO
Heavyweight is the most unpredictable division to bet on, and things get even murkier when you’re dealing with raw knockout artists like Hardy and Sosoli. Normally, we recommend betting against Hardy since he’s still so unproven and his opponents are always huge underdogs. But fighters like Sosoli - lumbering bangers - are exactly the type of fighters that freak athletes like Hardy excels against. Because Hardy’s straight up price is so expensive, we recommend the TKO victory prop. It might also make sense to hedge your bet here by taking Sosoli inside the distance.
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