Tag Archives: UFC on Fox 28

UFC on Fox 28: Ovince St. Preux vs. Ilir Latifi Odds and Prediction

Sports News & Picks, , , , ,

Ovince St. Preux and Ilir Latifi finally collide at UFC on Fox 28 on February 24th, 2018 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

These two light heavyweight contenders were supposed to fight each other at UFC on Fox 27 but Latifi pulled out of that bout with an undisclosed injury. But after Yoel Romero vs. David Branch was pulled out from the Orlando event, the St. Preux vs. Latifi showdown was reset.

Getting What He Asked For

St. Preux is on a three-fight winning streak, earning post fight bonuses in each of his last two wins. In his most recent bout, OSP knocked out Corey Anderson via head kick at UFC 217. Prior to that, St. Preux won back to back fights by Von Flue choke. OSP had three straight losses before this current streak.

Latifi is 4-1 in his last five bouts. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Tyson Pedro at UFC 215. Prior to that victory, Latifi lost via knockout to Ryan Bader. The 34-year old Swedish fighter hoped to keep keep his fight with St. Preux despite the injury. He’s getting what he asked for.

A Powerful Striker

St. Preux is the slight underdog here (-125 at Realbet.eu), while Latifi opens as a mild favorite at -105. OSP is a big strong athlete who has recorded finishes in eight of his last nine wins. He is a powerful striker with an 80 inch reach advantage. St. Preux is looking to win four fights in a row since 2013 and is coming off back to back performance of the night honors.

Likewise, Latifi is a powerful striker who has recorded knockouts due to punches in three of his last five victories. He is also comfortable on the ground with four submission wins and four takedowns landed in his last fight. But against an aggressive striker like OSP, his chin may not hold.

Has Momentum Going

Latifi fought just once last year and is giving up seven inches in reach to St. Preux. If those advantages aren’t enough, OSP finished 2017 strong and has momentum going his way. St. Preux has the advantage on his feet as he is going to test not just Latifi’s defense butt his chin as well.

If Latifi decides to take this fight to the ground, OSP also has a good ground game. St. Preux has recorded six career wins by submission so Latifi can’t take him lightly on the canvass. Having said that, Ovince St. Preux has the advantage here, either way. He’s going to continue to climb the standings and pick up another win here. We’re picking Ovince St. Preux to pick up his fourth straight win.

UFC on Fox 28: Jeremy Stephens vs. Josh Emmett Odds and Prediction

Sports News & Picks, , , ,

Jeremy Stephens faces Josh Emmett in the main event of UFC on Fox 28 on February 24th, 2018 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

The event was supposed to be headlined by Yoel Romero and David Branch but the former was promoted to the UFC 221 main event after the injury to UFC middleweight champion Robert Whitaker.

When this fight was booked, Stephens was just days removed from a second round knockout of Doo Ho Choi at UFC St. Louis. He took the fight, not just to stay busy but keep himself alive in the title hunt. Emmett is coming off the biggest win of his career, a first round knockout win over Ricardo Lamas at UFC on Fox 26.

Stephens is 26-14 overall and has won just half of his last ten fights. On the other hand, Josh Emmett is 13-1 and owns five victories in his last six bouts. His only loss has been a close split decision loss to Desmond Green at UFC 210.

The Odds

Stephens is the slight -160 favorite at Bovada, while Emmett is listed as the mild underdog at +130.

This one could go either way really. Stephens is the slightly bigger fighter here so the size advantage is with him. Li’l Heathen also possesses more punching power, as he can end things with just one punch and in one blink of an eye.

But Josh Emmett is the better all around fighter here. He can a deep wrestling background, is an excellent grappler and can defend intelligently on his feet. He is fundamentally sound and has the better fight IQ than Stephens. Whatever his opponent brings to the fight, he can make adjustments and win.

Good Defensive Instincts

Stephens main problem here is that his opponent has good defensive instincts which enables him to avoid any serious trouble on his feet. Emmett is going to wrestle, grapple and wear down Stephens, take away his ability to finish the fight and force him to win another way.

Josh Emmett is going to limit Jeremy Stephens’ punching power and is going to take this fight to the ground where Li’l Heathen is not comfortable. If he fights smart, he’s not going to get hit with the big bombs and he’s going to pull off the upset. We’re picking Josh Emmett to win this fight by unanimous decision.