Picks for May 9, 2020 (SATURDAY)
UFC 249
CANCELLED DUE TO VIRUS!!!Uriah Hall vs Ronaldo SouzaPICK: URIA HALL TO WIN THIS FIGHTSubmission expert Jacare Souza (26-8) will compete vs. Knockout artist Uriah Hall (15-9) to kick off the prelims of UFC 249. Jacare is looking for a much-needed win after losing two straight fights, and 4 of his last 6. Uriah is looking for his third victory in a row and to continue building momentum in the middleweight division.
Where this fight ends up, in our opinion, will dictate who comes out with the win. Jacare has power and the ability to win by KO against anyone, but will want this fight on the ground, whilst Uriah Hall is expected to win the standing exchanges. What makes this fight intriguing is the fact that Jacare can be competitive on the feet, but if this goes to the mat, it is only a matter of time before he forces a tap-out from Hall.
We expect to see a motivated Jacare as he looks to avoid his third straight loss for this first time in his career. We are however, seeing a steep decline in the ability of Souza - He's taking consistent damage, his cardio isn't holding up like it once did (not surprising for 41 years of age), and he's finding it increasingly difficult to get takedowns. Uriah on the other hand seems to be putting it all together. He is been hit and miss in his UFC career with inconsistent performances and has previously voiced his lack of confidence in his own mindset - but that all seems behind him now. Uriah won his last fight via split decision vs. Antonio Carlos Junior in a bout where he impressed us, and was able to KO both the dangerous up and comer Bevon Lewis, and the all-round talented Krzysztof Jotko. Uriah's only loss came at the hands of middleweight monster Paulo Costa back in 2018 (a fight where he really did impress, but Costa proved to be too much).
This fight could go either way, but the huge reach advantage and striking ability of Hall should prove to be effective versus a rapidly fading and ageing Jacare. Uriah will need to play this one smart and look for his shots without being too aggressive to ensure he is not leaving himself open for an easy takedown. If he can do that, we expect Uriah to finish Souza in impressive fashion. It's been a phenomenal career for Jacare, but it's time to hang 'em up.
LOSS Donald Cerrone vs Anthony Pettis PICK: DONALD CERRONE TO WIN THIS FIGHTAnthony Pettis (22-10) is set to face off vs. Donald Cerrone (36-14) as they headline the prelims before heading over to PPV at UFC 249. This fight will mark a rematch from their 2013 fight in which Pettis won.
Both fighters are coming off a string of losses, as Anthony Pettis lost via rear-naked choke to Carlos Diego Ferreira at UFC 246 and a unanimous decision loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 241. Donald Cerrone has lost three fights in a row to Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson - all by TKO. This fight will be the sixth fight for Cerrone since 2019 and you must wonder if these quick turnaround fights are starting to take their toll considering the damage he has been taking.
While many see both fighters as on the decline (hard to argue) you must take a look at the level of opponents they have been fighting. Pettis's last 6 opponents were Carlos Diego Ferreira, Nate Diaz, Stephen Thompson, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chiesa and Dustin Poirier. Pretty tough sledding... One could argue that Cerrone, on the other hand, has had an even higher level of recent opponents - Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson, Al Iaquinta, Alexander Hernandez, Mike Perry and Leon Edwards! To put that in perspective, 4 of those 7 fighters are all legitimate title contenders. (No disrespect Al, Alexander and Mike Perry). The reason we are pointing this out is it's all too easy to look at fighters, and assume they are on the decline without taking into true consideration the level of competition they are facing.
In terms of the matchup, this will be interesting one for sure! Both are excellent grapplers. Cerrone has finished 47% of his opponents by submission, while Pettis has managed to finish 32%. You should not assume that Cerrone has the edge here just based on these numbers. Both are high level blackbelts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the level of opponents Pettis has managed to finish by submission is mighty impressive (Charles Oliveira and Michael Chiesa).
While fans would love to see these two duke it out on the mat - it is unlikely. This is one that will probably be a striking battle. Pettis is flashy and can land something special at any given moment but does not push the pace enough and this can lead him to lose rounds based on inactivity and looking for that 'showtime' KO. It should be noted that before Pettis knocked-out Stephen Thompson in 2019, his last knockout win was all the way back in 2013 which incidentally was against no other than, Donald Cerrone!
Cerrone is a high-level kickboxer, and in our opinion, the better point fighter in this matchup. Whilst Cerrone does not do all that well vs. fighters that come forward and push the pace - he will not be having this issue with Anthony Pettis, who likes to sit back and look for openings. We expect Cerrone to be able to take control of the octagon and land with more consistency, which should help the judges score him rounds. In rounds that are contested, Cerrone does have the offensive wrestling ability to take Pettis down, but will have to be careful in his guard.
All-in-all, this will be a close fight, but as the rounds go on and Cerrone picks up the pace and aggression we believe it will be another situation where Pettis shows some signs of quit and Cerrone should be able to take over for a decisive decision win. Pettis is not the same guy from 2013 and we believe these odds should be flipped.