Tag Archives: UFC Fight Night 124

UFC Fight Night 124: Kamaru Usman vs. Emil Meek Odds and Prediction

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Meek has issues with his visa, prompting the UFC to postpone this bout which was originally scheduled for UFC 219 on December 30th, 2017. Initially, it was believed that this welterweight contest was headed to Boston’s UFC 220 on January 20th, 2018 but the UFC finally decided to add it to the Missouri event headlined by Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi.

Up and Comers Locking Horns

Usman is a perfect 6-0 in UFC competition. He is currently tied with Santiago Ponzinibbio for the longest winning streak in the welterweight division at six. Usman is coming off a first round knockout victory over Sergio Moraes where he called out (but in vain) Rafael Dos Anjos after the fight. Instead of RDA, Usman gets to lock his horns against a fellow up and comer.

Meek defeated Jordan Mein in his UFC debut via unanimous decision at UFC 206. Valhalla has not competed since then. The charismatic Norwegian was booked to fight Nordine Taleb last May but withdrew from the bout because of an injury. Meek has won four fights in a row and is best known for his TKO victory over Rousimar Palhares at Venator FC.

Size Could Be A Factor

Usman is the heavy favorite here at -550 while Meek the underdog at +425. While both are relative newcomers, Usman has already logged in six fights and has won all impressively. Although Usman is known for his striking accuracy and power, he also has a very decent ground game. In fact, he’s already produced 20 takedowns in six UFC bout.

Meek looked sharp against Mein in his UFC debut, landing 96 strikes and surviving three takedown attempts. He probably has more punching power than Usman but the latter has the advantage in size. Usman is a couple of inches taller and two inches longer than Meek so that could play a factor in this bout. In a fight that is expected to be a striking war, size advantage could be a factor.

Another drawback for Meek is that he hasn’t fought opponents in Usman’s level and the fact that he hasn’t fought in a year. Ring rust may become a factor here as the fight goes longer. Regardless of the outcome of this fight, we’re going to learn a lot about what Meek is all about. If we were to pick a winner though,  we’re going with more experienced guy here and that’s Usman. We’re picking Usman to win a close decision.

UFC Fight Night 124: Jeremy Stephens vs. Doo Ho Choi Odds and Prediction

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A barn burner of a fight is expected when resident featherweight contenders Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi square off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 124 on January 14th, 2018 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Hit or Miss

Stephens has been hit or miss lately, winning six of eleven bouts since moving down from lightweight to featherweight in 2013. Currently ranked 8th in the UFC’s 145 pound division, Stephens owns notable wins over former UFC bantamweight Renan Barao, Dennis Bermudez and Darren Elkins. Li’l Heathen is coming off an impressive Fight of the Night performance over Gilbert Melendez at UFC 215.

Choi has not fought since his Fight of the Year worthy slugfest with Cub Swanson at UFC 205 last December. During that fight, Swanson handed Choi his first ever MMA loss and stopped a string of KO wins by the Korean SuperBoy. Choi was scheduled to face Andrei Fili at UFC 214 but was forced to pull out of that contest because of an injury. He is currently the 12th ranked featherweight in the UFC despite his inactivity.

Stephens’ Inconsistency

The Korean Superboy is the slight favorite in this bout at -185 while Li’l Heathen came back as the underdog at +160. Stephens has not recorded back to back wins since since 2014 and his inconsistency is perhaps the reason why he is the underdog in this fight.

When he is in good form, Stephens is an aggressive striker who can take a beating and yet pull off a victory. He’ll his hands full against an equally dynamic striker who most probably has more punching power than him. Choi is both a violent and accurate striker. Despite being one of the young fighters in the division, he can hold his own against veteran opponents.

Avoiding The Canvass

No question Jeremy Stephens cam match Choi in a striking battle. Not only does he have the striking arsenal to match the Korean Superboy, he is also the more well rounded fighter here. Stephens may opt to take this fight to the ground, where he has recorded a total of 27 takedowns in his UFC career.

The Korean isn’t as good on the ground as his opponent. If Choi avoids getting taken down, he’s got a good shot at an upset here. If not, it may be tough to beat a savvy veteran like Stephens. Stephens is well aware of Choi’s limitations on the ground. He’ll drag Choi to the floor early and wear him down before taking it to the Korean late in the fight. We’re picking Jeremy Stephens to win via unanimous decision.