All posts by Chris Blain

UFC 223 Odds and Prediction: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas

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UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will defend her belt against the woman she won it from.

In a rematch of their UFC 217 bout from last November, Thug Rose is set to fight Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event of UFC 223 on April 7th, 2018 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The Rematch

Namajunas upset Jedrzejczyk in their first encounter, knocking out the erstwhile unbeaten Polish champion in the very first round.

Altogether, the 25-year old Namajunas has won five of her last six fights on her way to becoming world champion. Thug Rose owns wins over Tecia Torres, Michelle Waterson, Angela Hilla and Paige Van Zant.

Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, suffered her first loss at the hands of Namajunas.

The 30-year old former kickboxing champion was one win away from tying Ronda Rousey’s record for most successful title defenses when she ran into Thug Rose. J

oana won the belt with a vicious stoppage of Carla Esparza before dominantly defending it against the likes of Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau, Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jessica Andrade. She hopes to bring back the belt to Poland where she says it truly belongs.

Champion Kickboxer

The former champion Jedrzejczyk is the slight favorite here (-140 at Bovada), while the new champion Namajunas is the underdog at +110.

The lines are close but it’s still surprising that Namajunas isn’t the favorite here considering how one sided their first fight was. Some people say that Rose caught Joanna on a bad night at UFC 217 but the way Namajunas dominated Jedrzejczyk for three full minutes was more than just pure luck.

Jedrzejczyk is a former world champion kickboxer and that’s why she uses her kicks and knees more than anybody in the business. On her feet she is a great striker, with good technique, high efficiency and superb accuracy. In all her fights, she’s always had the advantage in the stand-up.

No Answers

However, when she faced Namajunas, it seemed like she didn’t have any answers for Namajunas attack. Thug Rose isn’t known to be a knockout puncher and her only knockout victory was her win over Jedrzejczyk.

That leaves us with an intriguing question of what happened at UFC 217? Did Joanna simply have a bad night? Or is Rose her kryptonite?

On the ground, Namajunas is a scary foe. She has five submission wins under her belt and she is deadly if she can gain position on the canvass.

Namajunas loves to go for the rear naked choke, her signature move. But while she may not be as skilled on her feet as Jedrzejczyk is, she can hold her own and land some meaningful punches. That’s the story of UFC 217.

Same Results

Jedrzejczyk is the better striker here by a mile. But given how tough and gritty Namajunas is, she isn’t just going to stop her on her tracks.

The big question here is if Joana can take Rose’s punches. She has been able to take the punches of all her previous opponents but maybe not Rose’s.

Joana can’t take this fight to the ground or she’ll end up getting submitted. On her feet she will thrive but Namajunas didn’t seem to be worried about Joanna’s power which she probably could take anyway. The same can’t be said otherwise as Namajunas may be the harder puncher than Jedrzejczyk. If Joanna can’t eat her punches, the results won’t be any different.

We’re picking Rose Namajunas to win the bout and defend her belt.

UFC 223 Odds and Prediction: Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

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They say the third time is the charm but in this case, it’s the fourth.

Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov have been booked thrice in the past to fight each other but each time they were slated to fight, something happened in between that caused the fight to be cancelled. With barely two weeks to go before UFC 223, it appears that the fight everybody has been waiting for will finally happen.

Ferguson and Nurmagomedov are set to fight for the UFC Lightweight title at the main event of UFC 223 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Ferguson is the current interim title holder and has won a lightweight division record of 10 fights in a row.

In his last bout, Ferguson choked out Kevin Lee to become interim lightweight champion.  El Cucuy has not lost since 2012 and appears to be only getting better.

Balanced Fighters

Nurmagomedov is unbeaten in 25 fights and has 19 knockouts. In his most recent triumph, Khabib dominated Edson Barboza at UFC 219. The former combat sambo champion and judo black belt is one of the most dangerous fighters in the planet. He has beaten every man put in front of him and has won everything in the game except the belt.

Nurmagomedov is favored here at -275 at Bovada, while Ferguson came back at +215.

We know how dynamic of a striker Tony Ferguson is and we know how equally good he is with his submission game. El Cucuy has knockout power in both hands and he likes to put on the pressure and employ volume striking.

But Nurmagomedov is just as balanced as Ferguson is as a fighter. He is relentless in going for takedowns and once he secures them, it seems like his opponents never find a way to get out of them. But Khabib isn’t just a grappler, he also possesses a wide array of strikes and can finish his opponent with either hand.

The Best Lightweights

This is going to be one hell of a fight between the two best lightweights in the planet, Conor McGregor notwithstanding.

Sure, Khabib has looked invincible up to this point and no opponent has been able to really wrestle with him. But not only is Ferguson physically bigger, he is equally adept on the ground. In fact, El Cucuy may have more finishing moves than the Dagestani. On the feet, it’s almost even but it’s Ferguson who has the ability to end the fight with one punch.

Common sense tells us to bet on Nurmagomedov who hasn’t shown us anything to bet against him. But Ferguson is a different beast and he too has shown little reason to doubt him.

Another factor here could be Khabib’s inactivity. He’s fought just once in the past year and while it didn’t look obvious against Barboza, it could show against a more dynamic foe like Ferguson.

We’re getting almost twice the money with Ferguson and in a close fight like this, you’d like to go with that kind of line. We’re picking Tony Ferguson to win this fight and become the undisputed lightweight champion of the world.

UFC 223 Odds and Prediction: Al Iaquinta vs. Paul Felder

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Lightweight Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder square off in the UFC’s return to Brooklyn at UFC 223 on April 7th, 2018 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Close As It Gets

Long Island’s Al Iaquinta successfully came back from a two year hiatus with a brutal knockout of the original Ultimate Fighter Diego Sanchez at last April’s UFC Nashville event. Iaquinta is riding high on a five fight winning streak and was booked to fight Felder at UFC 218 but pulled out due to an injury.

Felder remained at the UFC 218 event and ended up with an emphatic 2nd round TKO win over Charles Oliveira. The ‘Irish Dragon’ has won his last three fights, all by stoppage and all with brutal elbows involved in the finish. With Felder out of the lightweight division;s Top 15, a victory over the 11th ranked Iaquinta should put him back in the UFC map again.

This one is as close as it gets. Iaquinta is the slight favorite at -120 while Felder is at even money +100. Iaquinta has produced four knockouts in his last five bouts and in his most recent bout against Diego Sanchez, he needed only 12 strikes to finish the fight. Raging Al is known as a striker but he has a good grappler and can grind it out to victory.

But while he can grapple with the best, his ground game is suspect because all three of his career defeats have come via decision. Iaquinta though hasn’t lost since 2014 and he will be fighting for the first time in front of his hometown fans. That should be a big advantage for him in this fight.

Questions on Iaquinta

Felder is a pressure fighter who likes to make his opponent uncomfortable inside the octagon. Where it’s striking on his feet or executing his ground and pound game on the mat, he is a creative fighter. Felder can change things up quickly in the middle of the fight and his ability to adapt makes him a dangerous foe for Iaquinta.

Iaquinta has the better resume and has more experience but the concern about him is his overall form. He’s fought once in the last two years and he didn’t even have to do much to win that fight. Felder meanwhile has been busy in the last few years and has picked up solid wins with his consistent performances.

Between watching Felder fight more consistently and Iaquinta’s unknowns coming of a long layoff, it’s better to bet on what we know. We know Felder has been active and he has been good.

With even money on him, Felder is the pick in this fight. There’s just too many questions regarding Al Iaquinta’s true form. We’re picking Felder to win a grinder of a bout.

Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker Odds and Prediction

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The first step to unifying boxing’s heavyweight titles takes place on March 31st, 2018 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Unified IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua faces WBO title holder Joseph Parker in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.

Heavyweight Title Unification

Joshua is the universally recognized heavyweight champion of the world after beating the legendary Wladimir Klitschko in an epic war last year.

Since winning the IBF heavyweight belt against American Charles Martin in 2016, Joshua has fought four times. Two of those were IBF title defenses against Dominic Breazeale and Carlos Molina. The third one was his unification bout with Klitschko where he annexed the WBA and IBO belts.

Most recently, Joshua knocked out a stubborn Carlos Takam in in 10 rounds last October to keep his belts and his perfect record of  20-0 with 20 knockouts.

At about the same time Joshua won the IBF belt, Joseph Parker captured the WBO heavyweight title with a majority decision win over American Andy Ruiz.

Since then, Parker has made two successful defenses of his belt. Parker beat Razvan Cojanu in an unimpressive unanimous decision victory in May 2017. The Kiwi then beat Hughie Fury via majority decision last September to set-up a date with Joshua.

More than the belts, a rich unification bout with WBC champion Deontay Wilder awaits the winner of this bout. Wilder is coming off a sensational knockout win over Cuban slugger Luis Ortiz last month. The Bronze Bomber is expected to fly to Wales not just to witness this contest but to challenge the winner after the bout.

Best Heavyweight In The Planet

Joshua is the heavy favorite here (-900 at Sportsbetting.ag), while Parker came back as the underdog at +600.

The British is massive at 6-6 with a reach of 82 inches. He is considered as the best heavyweight in the planet today. Joshua isn’t just a powerful puncher, he is also a complete fighter. AJ has the speed, quickness, footwork, hand speed and IQ that not every heavyweight possesses.

Other than the knockdown he suffered against Klitschko, Joshua has shown very little weaknesses so far. Parker meanwhile is a solid boxer himself. He has scored a knockout in 9 of his last 13 fights so there isn’t any question about his punching power. But Parker isn’t too hard to counter and that is considered as his main weakness. Given AJ’s skills, it may not be hard to find the target against Joseph Parker.

But while he’s easier to hit, Parker has proven that he has a granite chin. He’s been  into brawls with Andy Ruiz and Carlos Takam and in both instances, his chin held up. There is a difference though in both skill and power between Anthony Joshua and those two fighters so it will be interesting to see how good Parker really is.

Because he hasn’t faced well known opponents, it’s hard to gauge how good or not Joseph Parker really is. But even if we consider all things equal, Parker still gives up a lot to Joshua in terms of size. Being bigger than his foes has always been Joshua’s main edge over his opponents. This one should be no different.

Joshua is going to break Parker down and wear him out in the middle rounds. Even if Parker’s chin holds, it’s going to be an easy night for AJ. But chances are, Joshua is going to keep his perfect record.

Book another knockout win for Anthony Joshua. We’re picking Joshua to win by knockout. Bring in Deontay Wilder next.

Dillian Whyte vs. Lucas Browne Odds and Prediction

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Dillian Whyte and Lucas Browne settle their beef as the two heavyweights collide on March 24th, 2018 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Whyte is the WBC’s #1 contender and he is within striking range of WBC champion Deontay Wilder, but he is risking that lofty ranking in order to settle his grudge with Lucas Browne.

Whyte is coming off an unimpressive unanimous decision win over Robert Helenius in the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam last October.

Since suffering his only professional loss to Anthony Joshua in 2015, Whyte has won six straight fights, half of them by stoppage. The 29-year old Whyte may be one win away from facing Wilder and he is eager to get that ‘w’ against his much older opponent.

Last Chance

Browne, meanwhile, is coming off a 2nd round knockout win over Matthew Greener in Australia. That has been Browne’s only fight since he was stripped of the heavyweight title he won from Ruslan Chagaev.

At 38, this may be Big Daddy’s last chance to win another world title. This is also the opportunity for him to erase all doubts after he was stripped of the WBA (regular) heavyweight championship after failing a drug test. A big win over a solid contender like Whyte should do that.

Much Younger

Dillian Whyte is favored in this bout at – 360 at Bovada, while Lucas Browne came back at +270.

Age is going to be a big factor in this fight as Whyte is nearly a decade younger than Browne. If Browne doesn’t get an early stoppage, he’s going to be in a lot of trouble.

22 of Browne’s 25 bouts have ended in a knockout so he’s a guy who doesn’t like to go the distance, especially at his advanced age. But knocking out Dillian Whyte isn’t an easy out for anybody.

In fact, only unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been able to beat him in the pros. For sure, Browne is no Joshua – not in age, not in skills and not in punching power.

Going The Distance

Make not mistake, this is going to be an intense and physical bout. But Dillian Whyte has the ability to take this fight to the full route.

Taking Browne to the distance should be a better game plan than choosing to stand and trade with the hard-hitting Australian. The longer this fight goes, the better it will be for Dillian Whyte as he is going to tire the much older Lucas Browne.

White has a lot of things going for him here: he’s fighting at home, he’s the champion,  he’s the younger guy and he has better hands. Having said that, Dillian Whyte is going to win this bout. It should go the distance but it should also be a clear cut win for him

UFC Fight Night 127 Odds and Prediction: Jimi Manuwa vs. Jan Blachowicz

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Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz run back their 2015 bout at UFC Fight Night 127 on March 17th, 2018 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Manuwa beat Blachowicz via unanimous decision when they first met at UFC Fight Night 64 in Blachowicz’s home country of Poland. This time around, the pair will square off one more time and it will be Jimi Manuwa’s turn to host Blachowicz in his native United Kingdom.

Manuwa is 17-3 but has split his last six bouts. He is coming off of a July defeat to Volkan Oezdemir and he is hoping to avoid back to back losses for the first time in his MMA career.

Likewise, Blachowicz has won just half of his last eight bouts. Unlike Manuwa, though, he is coming off a December victory over Jared Cannonier.

A Stand Up Battle

Manuwa is the favorite here at -200 while Blachowicz came back as a solid +160 underdog at Bovada. Poster Boy is fighting at home and when he does, his record is an almost perfect 16-1. His only loss in England came against Alexander Gustafsson and that was way back in 2014. But it’s not only because of home court advantage that Manuwa is favored in this bout.

In their first bout, Manuwa won the fight by outlanding Blachowicz 81-58 in total strikes landed. There were no takedowns during that fight and in a stand up battle, Manuwa vs Blachowicz is a no-contest in favor of Jimi Manuwa.

15 of Manuwa’s 20 fights have ended in a knockout so his fighting style is no secret.  Manuwa is a striker who has one punch knockout power. As to his ground game, well he only has three takedowns in his UFC career. So for as long as he can keep this fight on his feet, beating Jan Blachowicz again is no problem.

Same Fight, Same Result

Blachowicz is the more balanced fighter between the two but he can’t keep up with Manuwa in the striking game. Manuwa simply has much powerful hands. For Blachowicz to win this fight, he must take Manuwa to the mat and wear him down. If he is able to do that, things can get very interesting.

But since their 2015 bout, nothing much has changed. So if Manuwa was able to avoid getting taken down three years ago, he can do so again in this rematch. And if the fight is relegated to a striking battle, it’s Manuwa who’s going to stand out.

This will be the same fight as before and the result is going to the same too. We’re picking Jimi Manuwa to win this bout by stoppage.

UFC Fight Night 127: Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Volkov Odds and Prediction

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Fabricio Werdum and Alexander Volkov square off in a battle of former champions from rival promotions.

Former Champions

The former UFC Heavyweight champion Werdum and the former Bellator Heavyweight champion Volkov will headline UFC Fight Night 127 (also known as UFC London) on March 17th, 2018 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Currently ranked #3 in the UFC’s heavyweight division, Werdum will be looking for his third straight win. He is 3-1 since losing the UFC heavyweight title to Stipe Miocic in 2016, with his unanimous decision loss to Alistair Overeem in July 2017 the only blot in his resume in his last four bouts. Werdum has a professional MMA record of 23-7-1.

Tough To Pick

Volkov, meanwhile, is looking to stay unbeaten since moving over to the UFC in 2016. The 29-year old has beaten Timothy Johnson, Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve in his first three bouts with the UFC. Volkov is currently ranked #7 in the standings and is 29-6 in his MMA career. A  victory over Werdum should put Volkov in the Top 5 and include him in title conversations.

This one’s going to be tough to pick. Werdum is the favorite here at -205 at Bovada, while Volkov is the underdog at +165.

Despite being almost 41-years old, Werdum remains one of the best in the business. As he’s gotten older, Werdum’s striking has improved and he’s shown the ability to finish fights on his feet. However, it’s his grappling and ground game that make him unique in his weight class.

Best Submission Artist

Werdum is a top tier Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert. He’s won wrestling medals,  BJJ championships and has 11 MMA wins by submission. Werdum is considered as the best submission artist in the history of the heavyweight  division and will have a huge advantage if this fight goes down to the canvass.

Volkov is comfortable on the ground but he is a striker at heart. 19 of his victories have been by knockout and he has been accurate with his strikes in his first three UFC bouts. He’s a very active fighter who has a top notch ground and pound game if he gets to top position the mat.

Not An Easy Fight

It’s not going to be an easy fight for Werdum. Volkov has the advantage in striking and given his edge in reach and size, he has the ability to strike from the outside and avoid getting taken down by Werdum. If Werdum can’t take him down, Volkov would be content with fighting him at a distance and walking away with a decision.

But if Werdum gets him to the ground, it’s going to be another story. The Brazilian is going to wear down Volkov and take him to deep waters. Volkov has gotten the better of strikers in his young UFC career. But we’re not sure whether he has what it takes to prevent the best submission artist in the weight class from taking him down.

We’re picking Fabricio Werdum to pick up the victory here.

Oscar Valdez vs. Scott Quigg Odds and Prediction

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WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez defends his belt against Scott Quigg on March 10th, 2018 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Potentially Explosive Match-Up

This is another potentially explosive match-up for the two-time Mexican Olympian whose last fight against Filipino challenger Genesis Servania was one of the best in 2017.

In that bout, both Valdez and Servania suffered knockdowns. But in the end, it was Valdez who came up with a hard fought victory to retain his title via unanimous decision.

Valdez is expecting another tough fight as he faces Quigg, a former junior featherweight world champion, who is currently trained by famed tactician Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

Quigg has won three fights in a row since losing to Carl Frampton in the only loss of his professional career. Quigg moved up to featherweight after the defeat and has been impressive in his new weight class.

Has The Tools To be Great

The fight will be Valdez’s fourth defense of the title he won against Matias Rueda in July 2016. The 27-year old Valdez is undefeated in 23 fights and has 19 wins by way of knockout.

Quigg will be making his U.S. debut. The 29-year old Bury, Manchester, England native is 34-1-2 with 25 knockouts. Quigg won the WBA Super Bantamweight title in June 2012 and made six successful title defenses before relinquishing the belt to Frampton in February of 2016.

The champion Valdez is the huge favorite in this fight (-450 at Bovada), while the challenger Quigg came back at +325. Valdez has the tools to become one of the best pound for pound fighters in the planet. He throws great combinations, has good movement, applies enough pressure and has tremendous punching power.

Both Power Punchers

Although his last two fights have ended in decision, Valdez has one punch knockout power which is uncommon in these lower weight classes.

Valdez has knocked out eight of his last 11 opponents and the only knack on Valdez really is the lack of big names in his resume. That’s not his fault though as not many souls are brave enough to challenge a power punching ‘small guy’ like him. Quigg though is an exception.

The Englishman is tough as they come. He likes to fight on the inside and has great body work which slows down his opponents.

Like Valdez, he also has one punch KO power. And despite moving up in weight recently, he has the power to drop anyone in this new weight class. The problem with Quigg is that he can be wild with his offense and leave himself open for counters. That was his problem against Frampton. It will be the same with Valdez.

Prediction

Valdez has the advantages in quickness, hand speed, movement and power here. If he boxes to the best of his abilities, there is no doubt that he is going to win this fight. Valdez is the better overall boxer and may be just beginning to tap into his potentials. It’s hard to bet against someone who is just making his ascent in the sport.

But if Valdez fights like he did in his last two bouts and gets enticed to a brawl, he could be in real danger against Scott Quigg. Quigg is bigger and has more experience. His pressure style can also cause problems for the young champion. If this becomes a slugfest, Quigg’s chances of winning are much higher.

However, Valdez is too smart of a fighter to be lured into that. He knows who he’s up against and he has what it takes to beat Scott Quigg. We’re picking Oscar Valdez to win this fight and remain unbeaten.

Can Sergey Rabchenko Stage a Massive Upset Over Kell Brook?

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Former welterweight champion Kell Brook hopes to end a two fight losing skid as he faces Sergey Rabchenko in his hometown of Sheffield, England.

Brook will be coming to the fight after back to back losses to Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence.  In both bouts, Brook fractured his orbital bone and in both times, he needed surgery to repair the damage. Brook is 36-2 with 25 stoppages. Majority of his fights have been in England and this is yet another one of them.

Looking For A Big Win

Brook isn’t really a knockout artist but he does have plenty of pop in his punches. Nine of Brook’s last 12 wins have come by stoppage. He is looking to get a big win by scoring another a big knockout to get back in the winning column and remain relevant. But it may not be a walk in the park against a tough customer like Rabchenko

Since getting knocked out by Tony Harrison in an IBF title eliminator in 2016, Rabchenko has won back to back fights but against lesser known opponents. The former EBU light middleweight champion has a record of 29-2 with 22 knockouts. Although he will be fighting on hostile ground, this is Rabchenko’s seventh bout in England.

Concerns on Brook

Although Brook is a huge -1850 favorite at BetOnline (Rabchenko is the +925 underdog), this is a tricky fight for the Special One. He is coming off back to back losses for the first time in his career and he is trying to get back in the winning column by moving up to light middleweight.

There is also concern about Kell Brook’s right eye socket which was broken against Errol Spence and required surgery. While he has been cleared to fight, who knows how that eye is going to react once it gets hit multiple times again, now by a bigger opponent.

Must Win Situation

To his credit though, Brook’s two losses came against Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence, two of the most avoided fighters in the planet. All things considered normal, Brook is going to be back in his element, fighting with a high IQ and counterpunching very well against a bigger and slower opponent.

Rabchenko though is a tough fighter and is going to try and put the pressure on Kell Brook. He knows that Kell is in a must win situation and is pressured to win, especially in front of his countrymen. If Brook isn’t ready to get into a war, we may see an upset. All things considered though, Brook gets the benefit of the doubt. At 31, there is still something left in that tank and Brook is going to show that against Rabchenko.

Kell Brook wins this fight by decision.

Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz Odds and Prediction

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WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder takes on challenger Luis Ortiz on March 3rd, 2018 at the Barclays Center in New York, USA.

The fight is of great significance as the winner could possible face unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in one of the biggest boxing bouts in years. The two were originally booked to fight in November of 2017 but the bout was postponed after Ortiz failed a drug test.

Wilder is undefeated in 39 bouts with 38 knockouts. He is coming off a November knockout of Bermane Stiverne. At 6-7 and with an 83 inch reach, Wilder is one of the game’s most feared punchers. His opponent is likewise known for his punching power. Ortiz is likewise unbeaten in 28 fights with 24 KOs. Ortiz is a 6-4 southpaw with an 84 inch reach.

Most Dangerous Fight

The lines have become wider since the bout was originally scheduled last November. Back then, the Bronze Bomber was a -185 while the Real King Kong came back at +150  when the betting lines opened. Currently, Wilder is a -350 at Bovada against Ortiz’s +265.

This is without doubt the most dangerous fight that Wilder has ever taken and give him props for taking it. While Ortiz is way up there in terms of age, his ring IQ and reach make him a very tough challenge for the American. That’s not even including his best asset which is his one punch knockout power.

Wilder is going to second guess once he feels the power of Ortiz. We’ve seen Wilder run right through all the opponents he’s faced so far but he’s going to fight one that could easily do the same to him. The main concern with Ortiz though is his cardio. If someone pushes the pace against him, this weakness may be exposed.

Making Ortiz Uncomfortable

The problem for Ortiz is that that someone could be Deontay Wilder. Wilder is young, fast and athletic. He can easily control the pace of the fight and the ring with his athleticism and size. Ortiz has been used to walking down his opponents but against a bigger foe like Wilder, he is going to be uncomfortable.

Wilder is no great tactician but he can take advantage of Ortiz’s cardio .The Bronze Bomber isn’t just going to make this a battle of haymakers. He is going to push the tempo and tire Ortiz. Sure, this fight can end in any round but given the importance of this bout with regards to the Joshua unification, both may play it safe early. Wilder is going to pump those jabs though and find his openings early. Ortiz is going to counterpunch well. But once he gets tired, Wilder is going to take over and win this fight.

We’re picking Deontay Wilder to win by knockout in the middle rounds.