UFC 237 Full Main Card Betting Odds, Preview and Prediction 5/11/19

UFC 237 is set to throw down on May 11, 2019, at the Rio Olympic Arena in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

We already talked about the key fights of this event in a previous article, but with everything ready but the fighting, let us now preview the entire UFC 237 main card. The main event of UFC 237 will be the UFC women’s strawweight title bout between champion Rose Namajunas and challenger Jessica Andrade who will be fighting in front of her countrymen.

Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade

Rose Namajunas won the UFC women’s strawweight championship with a stunning knockout of Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217. After not getting enough credit for her win, Namajunas outstruck Jedrzejczyk for five rounds during their rematch at UFC 223 where she retained the belt. Namajunas hasn’t fought since that second fight and she has a record of 8-3 with 1 knockout and 5 submission victories. Thug Rose stands 5-5 with a reach of 65 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Jessica Andrade has won three bouts in a row since losing a title challenge to then-champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 211. Andrade’s last three wins have come against Claudia Gadelha, Tecia Torres and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Bate Estaca has a record of 19-6 with 6 knockouts and 7 wins by submission. She stands 5-1 with a reach of 62 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Who Wins?

Both fighters are excellent strikers who also have very good ground games. I think that Andrade has the edge in power here and she also has the better output than Namajunas. However, it will be interesting to see how she can land her power shots against a fighter who is both taller and longer than her. And also, it’s not just another fighter she’s facing here. Regardless of what you think of her, Namajunas has elite striking considering she outstruck Joanna twice (Andrade lost to Joanna). The key here for Namajunas is to try to avoid getting lured to a brawl. She is a better counter-puncher and is the smarter fighter between the two. Both fighters can fight well on the ground but I’m guessing they want to stay up for this because both believe they can out-strike the other. This can go either way but I give the slight edge to Namajunas.  She’s been here before and has won in this type of fights before. Considering that she is the underdog and has the plus money on her, I’m putting my bet on the champion.

Prediction: Rose Namajunas

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Jared Cannonier vs Anderson Silva

Jared Cannonier has fought as heavy as heavyweight in the UFC. He made his middleweight debut at UFC 230 where he knocked out former WSOF middleweight and light heavyweight champion David Branch. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for the 35-year old fighter known as the Killa Gorilla. Cannonier has a record of 11-4 with six knockouts and three wins by submission. He stands 6-2 with a reach of 77 inches and fights as a southpaw.

Anderson Silva is a man who needs no introduction. The longtime UFC middleweight champion is already 44 years old and is coming off a loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 just last February 10th. But because he wants to fight in front of his countrymen, Silva is making a quick turnaround. The Spider has a record of 34-9-0-1 with 22 knockouts and 4 wins by way of submission. Silva stands 6-2 and has a reach of 77 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Who Wins?

When it comes to skill and overall ability, this one is a mismatch in favor of Anderson Silva. But when you come to think of it, Silva is fighting merely to prolong his career. Silva has just one win in his last seven fights and that one was a controversial decision win over Derek Brunson. Cannonier isn’t any better with just two wins in his last five bouts. I think Cannonier has the edge in power here because he is the naturally bigger fighter and even if Silva is taller. I think if Cannonier catches Silva, he’s going to knock the old man out but the question is if he can. I think this fight can go either way but when we talk of MMA betting, I will go with Silva because the plus money is on him and this fight is in Brazil. All he needs to do is not get knocked out.

Prediction: Anderson Silva

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Jose Aldo vs Alexander Volkanovski

Former featherweight king Jose Aldo continues to fight in the UFC. Since his back to back losses to Max Holloway, Aldo has won back to back fights over Jeremy Stephen and Renato Moicano. In both fights, Aldo has earned post fight bonuses. Junior stands 5-7 with a reach of 70 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 28-4 with 17 wins by knockout.

Alexander Volkanovski is the 4th ranked featherweight in the UFC but you may have never heard of him before. The 5-6 orthodox fighter has a reach of 71 inches and has a record of 19-1 with 11 knockouts and 3 wins by submission. Alexander the “Great” is 6-0 with 3 knockouts in the UFC and he has not lost a fight in six years. The 30-year old Australian is coming off a knockout win over Chad Mendes.

Who Wins?

When you take a look at the stats, Volkanovski has better striking and takedown numbers that Aldo. But while you have to like his overall game- he has knockout power and has good grappling, he doesn’t have the kind of experience that Jose Aldo. has. Sometimes we think Aldo is already old for fighting so long now, but remember that Junior is only 32 years old. The key for Aldo will be keeping the fight on his feet because he is the better striker here. Volkanovski will have to make Aldo uncomfortable and take him down which is easier said than done because of his 90% takedown defense. I think this will be a good fight but Aldo outstrikes Volkanovski for the win.

Prediction: Jose Aldo

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Thiago Alves vs Laureano Staropoli

Thiago Alves is making a quick turnaround as the Brazilian fan-favorite is coming off a February win over Max Griffin at UFC Fortaleza. He is looking to make it 2-0 in Brazil this year and hoping to win back to back fights for the first time since 2015. Alves is 23-13 with 12 knockouts and 2 wins via submission. He stands 5-9 with a reach of 70 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Laureano Starpoli made a successful UFC debut when he defeated Hector Aldana via decision in his hometown of Buenos Aires. It was the first fight of his career-win or lose, that went the distance. Staropoli has a record of 8-1 with 5 knockouts and 2 submissions. He stands 6-0 with an undisclosed reach while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Who Wins?

Every UFC fan loves to see Thiago Alves fight. He’s an exciting fighter who loves to trade punches. However, the former welterweight title challenger is already 35 and has been in too many wars. Alves has won just twice in his last six fights and no question, he is on the decline. While Starapoli is still very raw and his game still needs a lot of polishing, his aggressive style may be too much for the slowing Alves. I don’t think Staropoli is going to try to take this fight to the ground. He wants to strike with Alves and wants to knock the Brazilian out. I’m not sure he gets the knockout but his pace and volume should overwhelm Alves.

Prediction: Laureano Staropoli

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Francisco Trinaldo vs Carlos Diego Ferreira

Francisco Trinaldo is one of the remaining alumni from the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter competition who are still competing in the octagon. Trinaldo is coming off a September 2018 knockout of Evan Durham. Prior to that, Trinaldo lost via unanimous decision to James Vick at UFC Fight Night 126. Massaranduba is 23-6 with 8 knockouts and 5 wins by submission. He stands 5-9 with a reach of 70 inches while fighting out of the southpaw stance.

Carlos Ferreira is the former Legacy FC lightweight champion who relinquished his belt to sign with the UFC. This rising Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is on a four-fight winning streak and has not lost since he was knocked out by current interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in 2015. In his last bout, Ferreira missed weight but won a unanimous decision over Rustam Khabilov at UFC Fight Night 145 last February. Ferreira is 5-9 with a reach of 74 inches and fights as an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 15-2 with 3 knockouts and 6 submissions.

Who Wins?

The first factor her is age because while Trinaldo has tons of experience, he is already 40 years old and has won just half of his last four bouts. On the other hand, Ferreira is 34 and has won four in a row. Although Trinaldo won his last bout, Ferreira has won four bouts in a row since his last loss. Trinaldo is the better striker here and has more punching power but he’s also a guy who likes to take the fight to the ground. Going down could be a problem against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Ferreira. Remember that three of Trinaldo’s six losses were by submission. Ferreira has better striking stats than Trinaldo but I’m not sure if he wants to strike with a harder hitter. I think he takes this fight to the ground where he has the advantage.

Prediction: Carlos Ferreira

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