UFC Vegas 17 Main Card Betting Preview

The UFC’s final event of the year will take place this coming weekend at its APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 17 was supposed to be headlined by the heavily anticipated showdown between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards but after both fighters tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, that bout has been moved too early 2021.

Taking its place as the headliner is an interesting matchup between former title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and the rising Geoff Neal. In the co-main event, former UFC featherweight king Jose Aldo returns to action against the 15th ranked bantamweight Marlon Vera. Also fighting separate opponents in the main card are Marlon Moraes, Marcin Tybura, Michel Pereira, and former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

Let’s take a look at the fights and make our predictions for the event.

Stephen Thompson vs Geoff Neal

Stephen Thompson is the no. 5 ranked welterweight in the promotion today. Wonderboy is a former full contact kickboxer who has challenged for the UFC welterweight title two times. The 37-year old only has two wins in his last six bouts and is coming off a win over Vincent Luque. Wonderboy is 6-0 tall with a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 15-4 with seven knockouts and one win via submission.

Geoff Neal is the 11th ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 30-year old from Austin, Texas fought for LFA and XKO before appearing in the Contender Series in 2017. Neal is 5-0 with four stoppages inside the Octagon and is coming off a TKO win over Mike Perry at UFC 245. Neal is a southpaw who stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 75 inches. He owns a record of 13-2 with 8 knockouts and 2 wins via submission.

Thompson has outclassed some of the best strikers in the game. But he’s now 37 and it’s been one year since his last fight. He looked great in that fight but then again, that was one year ago. Neal has yet to show a weakness that Thompson can exploit. That could work either way but given his explosive kickboxing, he has the ability to finish this fight with one strike. Wonderboy’s reflexes are not the same as a couple of years ago. I think Neal catches him clean and puts him to sleep. The smaller cage makes it easier to do that.

Prediction: Geoff Neal

Jose Aldo vs Marlon Vera

Jose Aldo is considered the greatest featherweight ever. He was the last WEC featherweight champion and the inaugural UFC featherweight titleholder. The 34-year old Brazilian won 18 consecutive fights before he was knocked out by Conor McGregor at UFC 194. Junior is 5-7 tall with a reach of 70 inches and is an orthodox fighter. His record stands at 28-7 with 17 knockouts and one win via submission.

Marlon Vera is the 15th ranked bantamweight in the UFC. This 28-year old from Ecuador appeared in The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America where he was forced out of the semifinals with an injury. Vera has won six out of his last seven UFC bouts and is coming off a win over Sean O’Malley. He is a switch hitter who is 5-8 tall and has a reach of 70 inches. Vera’s record is 16-6 with six knockouts and eight wins via submission.

You can’t count out Aldo because while he’s been on this losing streak, he’s had his moments in those losses, and had he had more in the gas tank, he could’ve beaten Petr Yan. However, the red hot Vera comes at plus money and that can’t be ignored. Vera is a powerful striker who can switch stances. He’s never been finished in his career and he’s a tough fighter who often gets the job done.

Prediction: Marlon Vera

Khaos Williams vs Michel Pereira

Khaos Williams fought for KOTC and TWC before joining the UFC. The 26-year old from Lansing, Michigan is a perfect 2-0 in the UFC with two spectacular KO wins in a total fight time of 57 seconds. Williams stands six feet tall with a reach of 77 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 11-1 with six knockouts and one win via submission.

Michel Pereira is a former Serbian Battle Championship welterweight champion. This 27-year old Brazilian also fought for Jungle Fight, Xtreme Fight Championship, and Road Fighting Championship. He joined the UFC last year and after winning his debut, he lost back to back fights. Pereira bounced back with a win over Zelim Imadaev last September. He is 6-1 tall with a reach of 73 inches and is an orthodox fighter. His record is 24-11 with 10 knockouts and six wins via submission.

Pereira is acrobatic, flashy, and very explosive. The big welterweight has also solved his conditioning issues and now he can go all out for three rounds. There’s not much we know about Williams because he’s wasted no time in disposing of his opponents with huge power punches. With him, weaknesses are waiting to be revealed which could be costly. Between these two, I’ll pick the more proven fighter. He’s been stopped by strikes only once. Pereira should be too rangy and difficult to hit here.

Prediction: Michel Pereira

Marlon Moraes vs Rob Font

Marlon Moraes is the no. 3 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. This 32-year old from Brazil is a former WSOF bantamweight champion who also fought for XFC. Moraes joined the UFC in 2017 and after losing his Octagon debut, he’s won five of seven bouts. Moraes’ two losses during that period were against Henry Cejudo in a title shot and Cory Sandhagen in his last bout. Magic is 5-6 tall with a reach of 67 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 23-7 with 10 knockouts and six wins via submission.

Rob Font is the 11th ranked bantamweight in the UFC. Font is a former CES MMA featherweight champion. The 33-year old from Massachusetts joined the UFC in 2014 and is 7-3 inside the Octagon. Font is coming off two consecutive wins over Sergio Pettis and Ricky Simon and has a record of 7-4 with seven knockouts and four wins via submission. He is an orthodox fighter with a reach of 71 inches while standing 5-8 tall.

Font’s rugged kickboxing has developed over the years. He is now more effective, can hold his own in firefights, and has a much better jab. But although Sandhagen picked him apart, it’s hard not to trust Moraes’ striking. Font is a skilled and powerful striker but Moraes is well-equipped to handle his style. Moraes should find openings for his counter punches and his kicks could end this fight easily.

Prediction: Marlon Moraes

Marcin Tybura vs Greg Hardy

Marcin Tybura is a former M-1 Global heavyweight champion and the winner of M-1 Global’s 2013 Heavyweight Grand Prix. Tybur is 25-years old and he hails from Poland. After a 4-4 UFC start, he has won three consecutive bouts and has an overall record of 20-6 with seven knockouts and six wins via submission. Tybura is 6-3 tall with a reach of 78 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Greg Hardy is the former NFL Pro Bowler who turned to MMA after his NFL suspension. The 32-year old from Tennessee fought for the Contender Series and earned his UFC ticket. Hardy is 4-2 with one no-contest inside the Octagon and he has won back to back fights against Yordan de Castro and Maurice Greene. Hardy is 6-5 tall with a reach of 80 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. He is 7-2 with six knockouts.

Hardy continues to figure himself out as a fighter. At first, he was an aggressive slugger who was always going for the KO. Now he’s a kickboxer who fights at range and wins on points. Tybura though is a different challenge from his recent opponents. Tybur is crafty enough as a striker to avoid the big punches of his foe. His striking includes counter and kicks and if Hardy gets wild, Tybura will put him down on the mat. Given Hardy’s inexperience, I’ll have to trust the crafty Tybura.

Prediction: Marcin Tybura

Anthony Pettis vs Alex Morono

Anthony Pettis is the former UFC lightweight champion. Showtime is currently the 12th ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 33-year old is a former WEC welterweight champion who was also challenged for the interim UFC featherweight title. Pettis is just 2-3 in his last five bouts but is coming off a win over Cowboy Cerrone last May. Showtime is 23-10 with 12 knockouts and six wins via submission. Pettis is 5-10 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Alex Morono is a former Legacy FC welterweight champion. This 30-year old from Houston, Texas has been with the UFC since 2016. He is on a roll right now with just one loss in his last five Octagon appearances. Morono is 18-6 with five knockouts and six wins via submission. He stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is also an orthodox fighter.

Even at this stage of Showtime’s career, Morono cannot match his athleticism. Morono has always been the scrapper who likes to push the pace and grinds opponents down using force. He is also the bigger man here and probably has a better gas tank. But Morono likes to dance to his opponent’s tune and it’s always a tough act to go kickboxing with Showtime. Pettis has the tools to outclass Morono wherever this fight goes.

Prediction: Anthony Pettis

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