UFC on FOX Predictions
The UFC holds a strong card with the UFC on FOX 30 tonight in Calgary, Alberta. Here’s our predictions for the featured bouts on the card.
24021 Eddie Alvarez vs. 24022 Dustin Poirier
The main event is a battle between two top lightweight contenders as Alvarez (29-5) and Poirier (23-5) square off for a second time. These two met back in May of 2017 and was ruled a no contest due to an accidental illegal knee. According to the latest oddsmakers, Poirier is favored in this bout, as he has odds of -170 to win. Alvarez is listed with a money line of +150 to prevail. Poirier hasn’t lost in his last four bouts, beating some top opponents like Anthony Pettis and Justin Gaethje. Alvarez is coming off a KO win over Gaethje himself. Both men are grinders. Alvarez likes to use his boxing while Poirier likes to fight in the clinch and ground-and-pound. I feel like Poirier is at his best right now. He is fighting as well as he ever has while Alvarez is on the downside of his career. I think Poirier finds a way to grind out the win, as he has done in recent fights. UFC on FOX Prediction: Dustin Poirier -170
24025 Jeremy Stephens vs. 24026 Jose Aldo
This fight features one of the great featherweights of all-time in Aldo (26-4). He will face Stephens (28-14) who is in the biggest fight of his career. Oddsmakers have Stephens as the slight favorite, giving him -125 odds to win, while Aldo is listed with a money line of +105 to win. Aldo was one of the great UFC fighters in history, but suffered an embarrassing 13-second KO loss to Conor McGregor back in 2015 and hasn’t been the same fighter since. He is coming off back-to-back TKO losses to Max Holloway, the last coming in December. Stephens is on a three-fight win streak and in position for his biggest win to date. Both men have strong striking, but Aldo is the more apprehensive attacker. Stephens hits hard and can out-grapple Aldo if he doesn’t knock him out. I think Aldo is lacking in real motivation over the years while Stephens is desperate for this win. UFC on FOX Prediction: Jeremy Stephens -125
24029 Tecia Torres vs. 24030 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Another former champ is in action tonight as Jedrzejczyk (14-2) looks to get back into the women’s strawweight title picture. She has lost back-to-back fights to current champ Rose Namajunas and will look to get her first win since May of 2017. Torres (10-2) is coming off a decision loss to Jessica Andrade in February, but she had won three straight prior to that and went 15 minutes with the current champ. Oddsmakers have Jedrzejczyk as the favorite, giving her odds of -285 to win, while Torres is getting a money line of +245 to win. Torres is more of a grinder while Jedrzejczyk is an elite-level kickboxer. Jedrzejczyk looked unbeatable prior to fighting Namajunas, who managed to out-strike her with precision timing. Torres doesn’t have that. I don’t see Torres being able to keep Jedrzejczyk on the ground either, so she is likely to get picked apart by the former champ. UFC on FOX Prediction: Joanna Jedrzejczyk -285