UFC 248 Predictions
A pair of UFC championships are on the line tonight as part of UFC 248. Here’s our predictions for the featured bouts of the night.
UFC 248 will be held from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card for the event will begin at 10PM ET and air live on PPV as part of ESPN+.
24401 Yoel Romero vs. 24402 Israel Adesanya
The main event for tonight’s card is for the UFC Middleweight Championship with the champ, Adesanya (18-0) defending his belt against Romero (13-4). According to oddsmakers, the champ is favored, as Adesanya is getting odds of -250 to win tonight. Romero is listed as +210 to take the championship. Adesanya is unbeaten with 14 knockouts. However, he has had to go in deep waters in recent bouts and still been able to perform at a high level. His striking could be as elite as anyone in MMA right now and he has shown an ability to avoid the ground with his defense. Romero has actually lost three of his last four bouts, yet finds himself getting a title fight. He is a big 185-pounder that carries a lot of muscle. That tends to slow him down as a fight lingers on. That could be a problem tonight against the quick champ, who will make Romero move. If Romero is able to smother Adesanya, he can win this fight. However, nobody has solved the puzzle of the champion yet and I don’t think Romero has the tools to do it either. UFC 248 Prediction: Israel Adesanya -250
24405 Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. 24406 Weili Zhang
The co-main event is for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship, with champion Weili Zhang (20-1) defending her strap against former champ, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-3). According to oddsmakers, Zhang is the favorite, as she is listed with odds of -200 to win. Jedrzejczyk is listed with a money line of +170 to win. Zhang hasn’t fought since taking the title from Jessica Andrade in under a minute last August. She has won her last 20 fights, showing a complete display of MMA in the process. She can win with explosive striking, submissions and wrestling. Jedrzejczyk was a dominant champ, but has lost three of her last five to the best in multiple divisions. She has great hand speed, but doesn’t display much in terms of knockout power. She has typically had to win by just out-striking her opponent. I think that will be a big problem against a complete and well-rounded fighter like Zhang. Jedrzejczyk’s striking won’t scare or overwhelm the champ and I think Zhang is will be able to win a grappling battle and tire out Jedrzejczyk before submitting her in the later rounds. UFC 248 Prediction: Weili Zhang -200