Contender Series 2024: Week 5
Date: Tuesday 9/10 at 8PM ET
Broadcast: ESPN+
Venue: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV
Bouts: 5
PREDICTIONS:
Stirling defeats Latu (O1.5)
Super volatile fight. Stirling (City Kickboxing) the more technical while Latu will have the power. Latu will look to close and pressure with kicks and haymakers, while Stirling will have the volume and he’ll be throwing the 3-piece with a soda. Watch for his counters too as long as he doesnt get cracked.
Steele defeats Ottoni (ITD)
Steele is a high level black belt with a ton of wrestling experience. Winner of the EBI Combat Jiu-Jitsu tourney in 2019, he’s been active in MMA since 2022. I expect for him to walk down Ottoni and stick to the grappling. Ottoni is the first person to defeat Poatan in MMA, but like 10 years ago. Additionally, he hasnt fought since 2022, and although he can scrap, he hasn’t shown much wrestling and typically allows very easy takedowns. Seems like a clear path for Steele as long as he doesnt get caught as he comes in for the take down.
Belgaroui defeats Iwasaki (TKO)
Iwasaki has padded his record stopping a bunch of cans on his way to a 9-1 record. On the flip side, Belgaroui is highly motivated with a second crack at a contract, and it doesnt hurt to be one of the main training partners of Poatan. His loss at contender series in his first shot, it ultimately came out that he was ill, so I expect to see a much more solid performance tonight. I expect to see a knockout on the feet as Belgaroui has levels on this guy in the standup and should be able to fend off the clinch takedown attempts.
Tanzilov defeats Musasa (TKO)
Musasa is 7-0 with 7 KOs but mysteries still. All his fights have been in Africa, and he’s been cruising through his opponents. This will be his toughest test and we will see just how real his is. Tanzilov is perfect as well, coming in at 9-0 and has some highlights himself racked up. He’s pretty elusive and counters, while possessing good movement turning exchanges into his favor. If smart, he’d go for some takedowns out the gates against this guy, avoiding the first couple minutes in the standup. One of these two probably gas enough to make a mistake later in the fight, and I’ll side with Tanzilov to come in with the better gameplan.
Laframboise defeats Caliari (SUB)
Alright tricky one here. Laframboise is a solid prospect making her return after pregnancy. She gave birth and got right back to it as she aint getting any younger now at 35. Watch for her to pressure with constant forward movement, looking to land on her way to some takedowns. She’s a submission threat and regardless will look for the finish bell to bell. This will be Caliari’s first US fight since 2019, and only nine fights in 9-10 years of competition. This is a big opportunity for her and I could see her getting off gameplan with agressiveness, putting Laframboise in a position to lock something in.
BET CONSIDERATIONS:
Steele -174 (consider ITD +125)
Belgaroui TKO/KO -175
Tanzilov/Musasa U1.5 -106
Laframboise +124 (Consider SUB +400)