The UFC Apex Centre, in Las Vegas, Nevada hosts this week’s UFC Fight Night which was set to be headlined by Curtis ‘Razor’ Blaydes and fan favourite Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis. However Blaydes has tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the fight which means the main event is now postponed. Instead, the main event will now see former title contender Anthony Smith who looks to bounce back from his back-to-back losses in 2020 against Devin Clark who is a contrastingly perfect 2-0 in 2020.
Also on the card are power punchers Miguel Baeza taking on Takashi Sato and the ever exciting Spike Carlyle. We take a look at some of the better match ups for UFC FIght Night below.
UFC Fight Night Betting Tips
Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith vs. Devin Clark
We have a new main event for this fight card with Anthony Smith and Devin Clark stepping up to the headline spot. The real question of this fight revolves around the former title challenger Anthony Smith. He is 0/2 in 2020 and was dominantly defeated in both. This is Smith’s first major step down in competition for a while and if he is still anything like he was two years ago he will be winning by stoppage. Smith is a Muay Thai fighter with some slick submission skills to match and has a fantastic finishing rate with 31 of his 33 professional wins being stoppage wins.
Devin Clark is really here because of his physical god given gifts and while he has a knack for managing to steal rounds on the scorecards, the fact this is now a 5-round fight only hurts him more. Clark will find himself in some sticky positions in this fight and I don’t believe he has the skills to survive them. Clark is 6-4 in the UFC and in all four of his losses he was finished. Clark is also a natural Middleweight that doesn’t want to cut weight which clearly shows as he has failed to score a finish in his 10 UFC fights to date.
I expect Smith to get a finish and start his climb back up the rankings. If he fails to win against a very average Clark I really don’t know where he goes from there in his UFC career. I also am shocked the odds are quite close and that entices me even more to get on Lionheart.
Smith to win by KO or Submission
$2.10
Spike Carlyle vs Bill Algeo
I believed Spike Carlyle would beat Billy Quarantillo and while it wasn’t to be it was enough to suggest he still beats Algeo. Carlyle comes out to finish the fight as quick as possible every fight and I have to suggest he can get a KO finish early here. In his UFC debut against Aalon Cruz he came out and charged at Cruz and put him away in under 90 seconds. Algeo lost his UFC debut to Ricardo Lamas in what was a fantastic fight. However, considering Algeo was taken down five times by Lamas and another three in his Contender Series loss to Loughnane it is hard to see how he doesn’t find himself on the mat in the first round. Carlyle will be on Algeo from the opening bell and it is safe to assume he gets on top and mauls Algeo. The question is can Algeo survive long enough for Carlyle to gas? My answer is no and therefore I am backing Carlyle to get the round 1 stoppage.
Luke Sanders vs Nathan Maness
Luke Sanders burst into the UFC, submitting Maximo Blanco in his UFC debut before going 2-3 in his five since. The latest fight was against Renan Barao where he won by Round 2 KO. In that fight he showcased the stopping power he has always possessed. He is known for a brain snap or two which cost him dearly in his two stoppage losses in 2017 but I don’t see Maness having the skills to make him pay even if his brain switches off during the fight. Nathan Maness won his UFC debut earlier this year, but I am not overly impressed by him despite being 12-1 in his professional MMA career. He is decent everywhere but doesn’t possess the power or technique that Sanders does. I can only see it being a landslide on the feet for Sanders and I don’t see Maness finishing him on the mat. At almost coin flip odds Sanders is a great play.
