UFC 252 Prelims Undercard Betting Odds and Predictions

UFC 252 this coming Saturday night at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las, Vegas will host the heavyweight title championship match between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier The bout will be the third and final installment of their trilogy. Cormier won their first encounter while Miocic returned the favor in the rematch,

Before the main cad though, the UFC has set up and exciting set of prelims bouts. The prelims cast includes reliable veterans, up and coming stars, and newcomers. Let’s take a look at the UFC 252 prelims undercards and make our picks for each fight:

Jim Miller vs Vinc Pichel

Jim Miller is the younger brother of UFC fighter Dan Miller. The 36-year old is a former Cage Fury Fighting Championships lightweight title and a USKBA welterweight champion. Miller is a veteran who has been with the UFC since 2008 and he is 4-6 in his last 10 bouts. Overall, his record stands at 32-14 with 4 knockouts and 18 wins via submission. Miller stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 71 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Vinc Pichel was a contestant at The Ultimate Fighter: Live. He fought for regionals promotions like Hitman Fighting Productions, Respect the Cage, and Fight Club OC before joining the UFC in 2012. Pichel an orthodox fighter who stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 72 inches. He has a record of 12-2 with 8 knockouts. Pichel has won five out of his last six Octagon appearances.

Other than the main event, this is the closest fight on the card. Both men have a clear path to victory here. Miller is the better striker and the more dangerous submission, artist. Pichel is the younger man who has a notable size advantage. I think Miller will have a hard time putting Pichel on his back while Pichel can take Miller down whenever he wants to. Miller should start strong but he will fade against a much physical opponent. I’ll take the younger fighter in this matchup.

Prediction: Vinc Pichel (-129)

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Ashley Yoder vs Livia Renata Souza

Ashley Yoder appeared in The Ultimate Fighter 23 and that’s where he gained access to the UFC. The 32-year old known as Spider Monkey fought for BAMMA and InvictaFC before arriving in the UFC. She is just 2-4 inside the octagon and has an overall record of 7-5 with four wins via submission. Yoder heads to this bout coming off a split decision loss to Randa Markos last September.

Livia Renata Souza is the former Invicta FC strawweight champion. The 29-year old from Sao Paulo joined the UFC in 2018 and won her first two bouts. She has a record of 13-2 with two knockouts and 8 wins via submission. Souza is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Brianna Van Buren last July. Souza is 5-3 tall with a reach of 63 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Souza has powerful strikes, top-notch judo, and a very good submission game. If she has all three going, she’s hard to beat. But as we saw against Van Bruen, she can be passive and inactive. Yoder is two inches taller but she doesn’t have the physicality to take Souza off here game. Souza is the much better grappler here and is also the better striker. I think this fight will be a striking contest and Souza should win on points.

Prediction: Livia Renata Souza (-161)

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Chris Daukaus vs Parker Porter

Chris Daukaus is a six-time veteran of the CFFC and he also fought for promotions like XFE, ROC, and King of the Cage. The 30-year old from Philadelphia is 6-3 tall with a reach of 78 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Daukaus has a record of 8-3 with seven knockouts. He has won six out of his last seven bouts and picked up a first-round finish of Danny Holmes at CFFC 77.

Parker Porter returned to MMA competition after a three-year absence in 2018. Since then he’s picked up a record of 3-1 in the regional scene. He fought twice last year and picked up two stoppage wins under the CES MMA promotion. The 35year old is six feet tall with a reach of 76 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 9-5 with four knockouts and four wins via submission.

Porter has great counters and good movement but his main weapon is his clinch work. However, Daukaus has great knee work that might negate Porter’s best asset and so this bout could be fought at a distance. I think that Daukaus has crisper strikes and his advantage should help him avoid Porter’s counters. I like Daukaus to catch Porter with something big in the middle of the fight. Give me Daukaus here.

Prediction: Chris Daukaus (-106)

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Felice Herrig vs Virna Jandiroba

Felice Herrig is the 15th ranked female strawweight in the UFC. The 35-year old from Buffalo Grove in Illinois competed at the World Combat League and also fought for XFO, XFC, Invicta FC, and Bellator Herrig stands 5-4 tall with a reach of 65 inches and is an orthodox fighter. She has a record of 14-8 with one knockout and four wins via submission. She is coming off back to back losses to Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Michelle Waterson.

Virna Jandiroba is the former Invicta FC strawweight champion. The 32-year-old from Serrinha in Brazil fought in Brazil until 2017 when she joined Invicta. After one successful title defense, she joined the UFC and is 15-1 with 12 submission victories. She stands 5-3 tall with a reach of 64 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Much of Herrig’s success can be attributed to her wrestling. But she doesn’t have the game to outclass Jandiroga. Jandiroba is coming off a long layoff but even then, I think she had the advantage here. Jandiroba is more one-dimensional but she’s so good in that dimension that Herrig won’t be able to beat her. Herrig will struggle against Jandiroba’s ground game. She overpowers Herrig here and takes a decision on the mat or scores a late submission.

Prediction: Virna Jandiroba (-325)

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Herbert Burns vs Daniel Pineda

Herbert Burns fought for ONE Championships and Titan FC before he appeared in Dana White’ Contender Series and submitted Darrick Minner. He is 2-0 inside the octagon with a knockout of Nate Landwehr and a submission of Evan Dunham. Burns is 11-2 with one knockout and eight submission wins. He stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 73 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Daniel Pineda is a veteran of Bellator and Elite XC. This 35-year old from Dallas, Texas is a former Fury FC lightweight champion and Legacy FC Featherweight champion. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 70 inches. Pineda has a record of 26-13 with 8 knockouts and 18 wins via submission. Pineda is coming off a pair of no-contests at the PFL 8 where he tested positive for a banned substance.

Burns owns a two-inch height and four-inch reach advantage over Pineda. He’s coming off back to back finishes including a submission of Evan Dunham in his last bout. Pineda doesn’t have the striking to offset his mediocre wrestling. I think his best chances here are catching Burns with a big punch or hurting him in transition as the Brazilian goes for the takedown. But neither is likely against a very good BJJ guy like Burns. I like Burns to get on Pineda’s back and beat him via submission.

Prediction: Herbert Burns (-270)

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T.J. Brown vs Daniel Chavez

T.J. Brown fought for OTCMMA, RMMA, RFA, and LFA before joining the Contender Series where he picked up a submission win over Dylan Lockard. He won his first UFC bout by defeating Jordan Griffin via Guillotine choke. Brown is 14-7 with four knockouts and nine wins via submission. He stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is a switch hitter.

Daniel Chavez is from Miami, Florida and he fought for CFA and Fight Time Promotions. The 33-year old has won his last three bouts, all by knockout. Chavez is 5-8 tall and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 10-3 with three knockouts. In his last bout, Chavez Dylan Cala inside the first round at GLFC 14.

Downtown Brown has the more versatile game to hold his own whether this fight goes to the ground or stays standing up. He also has the experience and is the more proven fighter. Chavez has recorded three straight knockout wins but he’s not seen the quality of opposition that Brown has faced. I like Brown to take this fight to the ground and put Chavez away on the mat.

Prediction: T.J. Brown (-150)

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