UFC Fight Night London: Till vs Masvidal Odds, Preview and Prediction for 3/16/19

Darren Till looks to get back on track as he takes on Jorge Masvidal at the main event of UFC Fight Night 147 on March 16, 2019 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Darren Till vs Jorge Masvidal

Darren Till suffered his first career defeat at the hands of Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 via 2nd round submission. This will be the second time that Till is headlining a UFC event in England. Last year, Till defeated Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 130 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

The Gorilla has an outstanding record of 17-1-1 with 10 knockouts. Till stands 6-0 and has a reach of 74 inches while fighting as a southpaw. Despite his loss to Woodley, Till is the #3 ranked welterweight in the UFC. This fight will be his first step towards redemption after a disappointing performance against Woodley.

Darren Till vs Jorge Masvidal Odds

Masvidal is 32-13 with 13 knockouts and 2 wins via submission.Gamebred is 5-11 and has a reach of 74 inches. He is currently the 11th ranked welterweight in the UFC but is one of the more dangerous veterans in the promotion. Although he’s lost two fights in a  row and four out of his last seven overall, Masvidal could be a trap for the Englishman.

Gamebred is 4-4 since moving back to welterweight. He has not fought since losing back to back fights to Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson in 2017. Masvidal has been inside the octagon with the likes of Donald Cerrone, Jake Ellenberger, Benson Henderson ,Gilbert Melendez, Joe Lauzon, Al Iaquinta and Ross Pearson.

Who Wins?

Till is primarily a striker who relies on his Muay Thai skills and has explosive power in both hands. His best punch is most probably his uppercut but he can put any welterweight to sleep with any punch that connects clean. The Gorilla averages less than one takedown per 15 minutes and his ground game isn’t as sound as his striking. However, when he gets on top position on the mat, Till has a vicious ground and pound that’s almost a sure finish.

Masvidal is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC as he grew up fighting in the streets of Miami. That said, he’s a brawler but a durable one as he’s been knocked out only once despite having a total of 13 losses. Masvidal has powerful, accurate strikes and while he prefers to fight in the stand up, he is averaging 1.73 takedowns per 15 minutes and has decent wrestling. Gamebred is the kind of fighter who will just lay it all on the line and let the chips fall where they may. That’s what makes him a dangerous opponent for Darren Till.

If I were Masvidal, I’d take my chance on testing Darren Till’s ground work but knowing Gamebred, he’s going to try and knock out Till on the feet. Masvidal doesn’t back down from any challenge, win or lose. As for Till, he only knows one way to fight and that is to strike and land his big bombs on his opponent.  I think this fight will be fought mostly on their feet with Masvidal landing his own shots as well. In the end, Darren Till isn’t just the more powerful puncher, he is also the bigger fighter here-the Gorilla. Till is going to win this fight with his power and physicality. Prediction: Darren Till by knockout.

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Gunnar Nelson vs Leon Edwards

Nelson is coming off a win over Charles Oliveira and has won three out of his last four bouts. Injuries have slowed down “Gunni” and he’s fought just a total of four bouts since the start of 2016. Nelson has a record of 17-3-1 with 3 knockouts and 13 submissions. The SBG Ireland product stands Gunni is 5-11 with a reach of 72 inches.

Gunnar Nelson vs Leon Edwards Odds

A native of Jamaica, Edwards grew up in Birmingham, England and he will be looking for his 7th straight victory. Edwards is 8-2 in the UFC and he is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone last June 2018. Edwards stands at 6-0 and has a reach of 74 inches.

Who Wins?

Nelson is a successful takedown artist who will have the edge here is the fight goes to the ground. He’s recorded 10 takedowns in just nine UFC bouts. On his feet though, it’s another story as Nelson isn’t really a threat in the stand-up although he has some decent combinations.

Edwards entered the UFC with a reputation as a powerful striker but four out of his six UFC wins have come via decision. Make no mistake though, he has the power to end a fight with one strike. On the other hand, Edwards is a durable dude who’s never been finished in his career.

Nelson relies mainly on grappling and wrestling so it’s no secret where he wants this fight to go. But Gunni needs to be careful too as his opponent has an underrated grappling game. Edwards meanwhile has a 70% takedown defense so he’s going to try to keep this standing up where he has the advantage. The first minutes of this fight will be crucial because if Magny can break Edwards’ takedown defense, it’s going to be a long night for the Englishman. If not, look for Magny to fight in the clinch. But as every round starts on the feet, Edwards will look to swing for the big punch when he hears the bell. I think that the younger and more athletic Edwards avoids getting lured into Nelson’s trap and uses his reach advantage to paw away to victory. Prediction: Leon Edwards by decision and a sweep by the Brits.

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Aside from picking the hometown boys to win their respective fights in the main event and co-main event, we’re giving away our picks for the other important bouts in the event for your betting convenience:

Quick Picks

*odds from bovada as of 3/5/19

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