UFC Vegas 20: Rozenstruik vs Gane Main Card Odds and Preview

he UFC returns to its APEX Facility in Las Vegas this Saturday, February 27, 2021, for UFC Vegas 20.

Top 10 heavyweights Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Cyril Gane face-off in the main event with the winner moving one fight closer to the title picture. Both men are coming off wins over Junior Dos Santos but Gane is on a roll right now as he is unbeaten in seven MMA fights.

Meanwhile, ranked light heavyweights Nikita Krylov and Magomed Ankalaev fight in the co-headliner. Krylov has won two of three while Ankalaev has picked up five consecutive wins after losing his UFC debut.

Let’s take a look at the fights in the main card and pick our winners:

Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Cyril Gane

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is the no. 4 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 32-year old Surinamese mixed martial artist won kickboxing’s WLF Super Heavyweight Tournament and has a kickboxing record of 76-8 with 64 knockouts. Bigi Boi won his first four UFC bouts, all via knockout, before suffering his first MMA loss against Francis Ngannou. He got back to the winners’ circle by defeating former champion Junior Dos Santos in August 2020. Rozenstruik has a record of 11-1 with 10 knockouts. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-4 tall with a reach of 78 inches.

Cyril Gane is the 7th ranked heavyweight in the UFC. He won the TKO Heavyweight championship in his first MMA bout and defended the belt twice before joining the UFC. Gane is 4-0 with three stoppages inside the Octagon and he too is coming off a win over Dos Santos. Gane is 6-4 tall with a reach of 81 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 7-0 with three knockouts and three wins via submission.

Both men have the ability to end the fight early but both are also very durable fighters. It appears that Rozenstruik has heavier hands but Gane is younger, quicker, and has a more developed all-around game. Rozenstruik has the edge in experience here but Gane is carrying significant momentum. I’m not sure if Rozenstruik will offer more than his knockout punch. Gane has more ways to win this fight although I think he will be the one to land first.

Prediction: Cyril Gane

Nikita Krylov vs Magomed Ankalaev

Nikita Krylov is the former Fight Nights Global light heavyweight champion and Gladiator FC 2 Tournament winner. The 28-year old from Ukraine joined the UFC in 2018 and is 2-2 inside the octagon. In his last fight, Krylov defeated Johnny Walker via decision. He is 6-3 tall with a reach of 77 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. Krylov has a record of 26-7 with 10 knockouts and 15 wins via submission.

Magomed Ankalaev is the 11th ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 28-year old from Dagestan is a former World Fighting Championship Akhmat heavyweight champion who joined the UFC in 2018. After getting submitted by Paul Craig in his first UFC bout, he has won 5 straight bouts including back-to-back knockout wins over Ion Cutelaba. Ankalaev is 14-1 with 9 knockouts. He stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Krylov has faced better opposition and he looks to have the advantage if this fight goes to the mat. However, Ankalaev isn’t an easy man to put on his back with his 85% takedown defense. So while Krylov would like to fight on the ground, Ankalaev will try to keep it standing. The numbers say that Ankalaev has the tools to make this a striking battle and if he does, he’s going to own Krylov. I’m not discounting a knockout.

Prediction: Magomed Ankalaev

Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva

Montana De La Rosa is a former XFL flyweight champion and a high school All-American wrestler. The 26-year old from Montana joined the UFC in 2017 and is 4-2 inside the UFC Octagon. She has a record of 11-6 with 8 submissions but has dropped two out of her last three bouts. De La Rosa is 5-7 tall with a reach of 68 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance.

Mayra Bueno Silva is a former BMMA bantamweight champion. The 29-year old Brazilian appeared in the Contender Series in 2018 and earned a UFC contract after beating Mayana Souza. Silva is 2-1 inside the UFC Octagon with two submission wins. She is 5-6 tall with a reach of 66 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Silva is 7-1 with one knockout and five wins via submission.

De La Rosa is an inch taller and has a two-inch reach advantage if this fight stays on the feet. However, Silva has more output in the standup. But knowing these two, this fight will likely be fought on the mat for the most part. De La Rosa likes to force takedowns and Silva is also an aggressive submission artist. I expect a lot of grappling on the ground here. I expect a close fight but I think De La Rosa is the better wrestler. In a 50-50 fight, I like to take my chance on the underdog, and the plus money.

Prediction: Montana De La Rosa

Pedro Munhoz vs Jimmie Rivera

Pedro Munhoz is a former Resurrection Fighting Alliance bantamweight champion and the 8th ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The 34-year old from Sao Paulo, Brazil is 3-3 in his last six bouts and is coming off back-to-back losses to Aljamain Sterling and Frankie Edgar. Munhoz is 18-5 with five knockouts and eight victories via submission. He stands 5-6 tall with a reach of 65 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Jimmie Rivera is the former King of Cage bantamweight champion who also fought for Bellator, WSOF, and CFFC. The 31-year old from Ramsey, New Jersey is the no. 9 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. Rivera is 2-3 in his last five bouts but is coming off a win over Cody Stamann. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-4 tall with a reach of 68 inches. Rivera has a record of 23-4 with four knockouts and two wins via submission.

The first bout was competitive but in the end, Rivera’s ability to control the range and better boxing won him the fight. Six years later, I don’t see the rematch ending differently. Munhoz has developed a sharper low kick but still, Rivera is better. His footwork and counter left hook will beat Munhoz’s aggression and pressure. This will be close again but the style matchup favors Rivera.

Prediction: Jimmie Rivera

Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder

Angela Hill is the 11th ranked strawweight in the UFC and a former World Kickboxing Association champion. The 36-year old from Maryland is a former Invicta FC strawweight champion. Hill has a record of 12-9 with five knockouts and is coming off back-to-back losses to Claudia Gadelha and Michelle Waterson. She is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-3 tall with a reach of 64 inches.

Ashley Yoder fought for BAMMA and Invicta FC before joining the UFC in 2016. The 33-year old from Indianapolis, Indiana 3-5 under the UFC but is coming off a win over Miranda Granger. Yoder has a record of 8-6 with four submission wins. She stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 69 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Yoder has the physical advantages over Hill. She is four inches taller and five inches long. She is an aggressive fighter but has also taken significant damage because of her style. Hill will have to climb a hill here because she has to fight from afar to stay away from Yoder’s grappling. But we’ve seen here fight this kind of bout before. Hill has the skills to beat Yoder. She also has momentum on her side.

Prediction: Angela Hill

Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom

Alex Caceres is a veteran of the regional circuits who appeared in the 15th season of the TUF. The 32-year old from Miami, Florida is on a three-fight winning streak after going 2-4 from 2016 to early 2019. Caceres has a record of 17-2 with three knockouts and six submission wins. He is a southpaw who stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 73 inches.

Kevin Croom fought for Bellator, FAC, and LFA before joining the UFC. The 33-year old from Columbia, Missouri is coming off a no-contest against Roosevelt Roberts in his UFC debut. Croom is 21-12 with six knockouts and 10 wins via submission. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 73 inches.

Sorry to say this but Caceres is now just a gatekeeper and if he hadn’t been fighting newcomers and short-notice opponents, his record would be a lot worse. He struggles if he cannot control the range or the pace of the fight and the only reason he has been able to do both is the quality of opposition. Caceres is a BJJ blackbelt but has trouble with his submission defense. I think Croom swarms Caceres and gets him out of his game plan. Croom has a good submission game and 7 of Caceres’ 12 losses are by submission. I like the upset here.

Prediction: Kevin Croom

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