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The UFC heads to Florida for UFC Fight Night 161 or UFC on ESPN+ 19. Also known as UFC Fight Night: Joana vs Waterson, the event will take place on October 12, 2019, at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The main event of UFC Fight Night 161 is a women’s strawweight battle royale between former champion Joana Jedrzekczyk and former Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle “Karate Hottie” Waterson with the winner inching closer to getting a shot at the title now held by undefeated Chinese sensation Weili Zhang.
This looks to be a terrific main event with Jedrzejczyk trying to get her belt back and Waterson eyeing her first UFC title shot. However, I think that Jedrzejczyk has too many weapons for Waterson to deal with. I don’t think it will be an easy fight and I believe it will be an exciting striking battle. We have already made our prediction for the main event and we are sticking by our pick that the better and more experienced fighter wins the fight.
For this article, I will be giving my value picks for the undercard bouts. Check them out:
James Vick vs Niko Price
James Vick’s TUF 15 run ended in the semifinals but the Texecutioner earned his place in the UFC rankings by winning nine out of his first 10 UFC bouts. But after getting knocked out in 87 seconds by Justin Gaethje in his first-ever headliner, Vick has lost back to back fights to Paul Felder and the rising Dan Hooker.
Niko Price started his UFC career with four wins against just one loss and one no-contest. earning two Performance of the Night bonuses during that stretch. The Hybrid got knocked out by Abdul Razzak Alhassan in just 43 seconds at UFC 228 but he bounced back last March to stop Tim Means in just one round. However, Price got knocked out by Geoff Neal at UFC 240 last July and he’s just 3-3 since starting his MMA career 10-0 with one no-contest.
Vick is moving up in weight to face Price here but despite that, the Texecutioner still has a three-inch advantage in height. No question here that James Vick is the better striker between the two and he easily outstrikes Niko Price any given day. But we know how fragile Vick’s chin is. Three of his four losses have been by knockout and against an opponent who has nine KOs and 3 submissions in 13 wins, I think that will be a problem. Prediction: Niko Price -140
Ryan Spann vs Devin Clark
Ryan Spann didn’t get discouraged after his first stint at the “Contender” series ended at the elbows of Karl Roberson. Spann went to LFA and picked up three victories and then he returned to the “Contender” series to score a 26-second knockout win in his first fight back. That string of wins earned him a UFC contract and Spann defeated Luis Henrique in his debut. In his second bout, he scored a win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in Brazil, knocking out Little Nog in the process.
Devin Clark was the second fighter to emerge from Dana White’s “Looking for a Fight” series. The Brown Bear began his UFC career with a stoppage loss to Alex Nicholson and then he won four out of his next six fights. In his last bout, Clark outworked Darko Stocic in Sweden to win their fight by unanimous decision.
Spann
-150
Clark
+130
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 10/09/19
This is a light-heavyweight bout and Ryan Spann is five inches taller and four inches longer. That gives Superman the physical edge over Devin Clark. Spann is also faster than Clark so that’s already a fair amount of advantages in his favor. While he is the UFC betting underdog here, Clark can match up in striking and he can win this fight if he takes this fight down and wrestles with Spann whose cardio is suspect. However, Spann has 10 submissions in 16 wins so he is no fluke on the ground. Also, Clark has a glass jaw that Spann could take advantage of. Either way, I think Spann wins by stoppage in Round One. Prediction: Ryan Spann -150
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Tim Elliott
Deiveson Figueiredo is known as the “god of war” and with a record of 16-1 with 8 knockouts and 5 submissions wins, there’s no question he deserves that monicker. He started his UFC career with three knockouts in his first four Octagon wins. The Brazilian was at the losing end against countryman Jussier Formiga last March but he’s bounced back with a Fight of the Night winner against Alex Pantoja.
After his first tour of duty with the UFC ended in his release, Tim Elliott captured the inaugural Titan FC flyweight title and defended it successfully three times. He then competed and won the TUF 24 tournament to earn a title shot against Mighty Mouse Johnson. DJ beat Elliott and the latter rebounded with a Fight of the Night winner against Louis Smolka. In his next fight, he was submitted by Ben Nguyen but once again he resurfaced with a Performance of the Night effort against Mark de la Rosa at UFC 219 in his bantamweight debut.
Figueiredo
-185
Elliott
+185
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 10/09/19
Elliott is a veteran fighter who has plenty of mileage on the odometer. He has above average skillset but I don’t think that he can last long against the biggest punchers of the bantamweight division. Elliott is two inches taller but since Figueiredo has the two-inch reach advantage, I think that his height will make him an easier target. Elliott also tends to lean with his head and sometimes, he just relies solely on his pace and durability to win fights. That won’t work against a scary puncher like Figueiredo who knows how to finish fights when he finds your chin. I don’t expect this fight to go the distance. Deiveson Figueiredo -185
