UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Blaydes Prelims Undercard Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC returns to its APEX Facility for another weekend of total nonstop action. For this weekend, the UFC’s June 20, 2020, Fight Night event will be headlined by heavyweight contenders Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes. But before the main card, the UFC has put together a very interesting preliminary undercard.

Let’s take a look at the fights that take place before the UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Blaydes main card starts:

Clay Guida vs Bobby Green

Clay Guida is a veteran who has fought for promotions like Strikeforce, WEC, King of the Cage, and Shotoo. The 38-year old was the inaugural Strikeforce Lightweight champion who has been with the UFC since UFC 64 in 2006. The Carpenter stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 70 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 35-19 with seven knockouts and 13 wins via submission. Guida has lost two out of his last three bouts and is just 3-4 in his last seven bouts.

Bobby Green is also a veteran who has fought at Tachi Palace Fights, Strikeforce, and Affliction. Green is also a former King of the Cage lightweight champion who joined the UFC in 2013. He won his first four UFC bouts but only has one win in his last seven Octagon appearances. Green has a record of 25-10 with 8 knockouts and 9 wins via submission. He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 71 inches.

Green is the much bigger fighter here and his skillset is more balanced than Guida’s. On the mat, his standout wrestling background is going to beat Guida anytime. However, I think he’s too expensive in this bout given that he has just one win in his last seven bouts. Guida is a reckless brawler who can take a lot of punishment but he can be easily stopped or submitted if he gets too careless. However, the Carpenter is a warrior and he is going to give anyone a good fight. With Green unable to produce results, I won’t blame you if you take your chances with Guida. However, I’ll play safe here and go with the physically dominant fighter.

Prediction: Bobby Green (-250)

Tecia Torres vs Brianna Van Buren

Tecia Torres is the 12th ranked strawweight in the UFC. The 30-year old is a former amateur champion of MMA Solutions and the USFFC. She fought for Invicta FC before heading to the UFC in 2015. She won six of her first seven bouts but heads to this bout with four straight losses to her name. She had a record of 10-5 with one win via submission. She stands 5-1 tall with a reach of 60 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Brianna Van Bruen is a former Invicta FC strawweight champion who vacated her title to join the UFC last year. The 26-year old is also a former Rogue Fights strawweight champion who defeated Livia Renato Souza in her octagon debut in July 2019. She stands 5-0 tall with a reach of 62 inches while fighting out of the southpaw stance. Van Bruen has a record of 7-2 with two knockouts and two wins via submission.

When you look at these fighters’ current form, there is no way you want to bet on Torres who has lost four straight bouts. On the other hand, Van Buren is coming off a great debut and has won four bouts in a row. However, Torres’ losses have been to quality opposition and she took all fights to the final bell and held her own before losing on points. If steel sharpens steel, Torres is a better fighter now than before. You can’t just look past Torres’ losses but if there’s anything she gained from them, it’s that she’s become a better fighter. I like the plus money here against a fighter who is unproven in the UFC.

Prediction: Tecia Torres (+182)

Marc-Andre Barriault vs Oskar Piechota

Marc-Andre Barriault is a former TKO middleweight and light heavyweight champion who also won the Vacant Hybrid Combat Middleweight champion. The 30-year old Canadian was invited to fight in the UFC in 2019 and has fought for the promotion thrice last year. Unfortunately, he is 0-3 inside the Octagon and is coming off a decision loss to Jun Yong Park last December. Barriault is 11-4 with 8 knockouts while standing 6-1 tall with a reach of 74 inches and fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Oscar Piechota fought for Spartan Fight before winning the vacant Cage Warriors middleweight belt. He vacated the title to join the UFC in 2017 and won his first two assignments. However, he has lost three fights in a row, all by stoppage. His record is 11-3 with five knockouts and five submissions. Piechota stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 76 inches and is a southpaw.

Despite two submission losses in his last three bouts, Piechota has the BJJ skills to win this bout if it goes to the mat. That could be the key here as Barriault has been taken down a total of 8 times in his last three bouts, including 5 times against Junyong Park who was labeled as a boxer. If Powerbar can’t stay on his feet here, it’s going to be a comfortable win for Piechota. But even if the fight is in the stand-up, Piechota has the chops to hold his own against Barriault. Those said I think Barriault tries to lure Piechota to a striking battle. Piechota will hold his own and then take this fight to the mat where he will dominate.

Prediction: Oscar Piechota (-111)

Cortney Casey vs Gillian Robertson

Cortney Casey is the 15th ranked strawweight in the UFC. The 33-year-old from Arizona is a former PXC women’s flyweight title challenger. Since joining the UFC, she’s amassed a record of 5-6 inside the octagon. Casey stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 67 inches and is an orthodox fighter. She has a record of 9-7 with three knockouts and four submission victories.

Gillian Robertson was a competitor at The Ultimate Fighter 26 who was signed by the UFC after the tournament. She holds the UFC strawweight record for most wins and knockouts. She stands 5-5 tall with a reach of 63 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Anderson has a record of 7-4 with one knockout and five submission wins. She is coming off a knockout loss to Maycee Barber.

Casey is the more balanced fighter in this matchup and you can argue that she has the better striking game. She’s also a durable fighter who has shown she can go the distance in close fights. However, she doesn’t have a good takedown defense and is facing an opponent who is a takedown machine. Robertson likes to control fights on the ground and that is what she will do here. If Casey can stuff the takedowns, she has a shot here. Otherwise, it’s gonna be a grinding win for Robertson.

Prediction: Gillian Robertson (-118)

Roxanne Modafferi vs Lauren Murphy

Roxanne Modafferi is the #5 strawweight contender in the UFC. The 37-year old has fought in multiple weight divisions and is a former karate champion. The former FFL flyweight champion fought and lost to Nicco Montano in the inaugural UFC strawweight title bout. She has a record of 24-16 with four knockouts and five wins via submission. Modafferi stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 69 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Lauren Murphy is a former Invicta FC strawweight champion and the current #6 ranked strawweight in the UFC. The 36-year-old from Alaska lost four of her first six UFC bouts but enters this match with back to back wins. Murphy has a record of 12-4 with 8 knockouts. She stands 5-5 tall with a reach of 67 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Modafferi has an unpolished striking game but she has a very good top game that can outwrestle most of the fighters at 125 pounds. However, I’m not quite sure if Murphy is one of those. Not only does she look physically stronger than Modafferi but she has a ground game that can match her opponent. I think that this bout will go the full 15 minutes with both fighters trying to beat the other to the better position. With their grappling games canceling each other out, Murphy’s power and striking will be the difference in this close bout.

Prediction: Lauren Murphy (-101)

Austin Hubbard vs Max Rohskopf

Austin Hubbard is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance lightweight champion who joined the UFC in 2019. The 28-year old has a record of 11-4 with four knockouts and two wins via submission. Hubbard is 5-10 tall with a reach of 71 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He is 1-2 inside the octagon and is coming off a loss to Mark Madsen at UFC 248.

Max Rohskopf fought for WFF, FFC, and Titan FC. The 25-year old from Ohio has a record of 5-0 with all of his wins coming by submission, all of them via choke. This former North Carolina State collegiate wrestler is 6-1 tall with an undisclosed reach. He replaces Joe Solecki who pulled out from the bout.

Rohskopf’s fights have ended so quickly that we haven’t seen the full arsenal if there’s any. However, there is a lot to like about him. He has vicious punching power, a nasty front choke attack, and he’s very comfortable taking the back from odds positions. His grappling abilities make him a problem for Hubbard who has struggled against grapplers. Hubbard has the edge in experience and he has proved that he can go five rounds so If Rohskopf can’t finish him early, the latter is in for a tough night. Rohskopf has the edge in size here and he will win this fight with effective top control.

Prediction: Max Rohskopf (-185)

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