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UFC 2011 Preview : It's Miocic V dos Santos II!

UFC Previews
Last Updated : 11th May, 2017 By Alex M
VENUE
American Airlines Arena
TIME
03:00
BROADCAST
BT Sport
See Stats

UFC 2011 Preview

UFC 211 is upon us and the MMA organisation has put together one of the most stacked cards in recent memory. Hell, Conor McGregor's most recent victim, Eddie Alvarez, isn't even on the main card. There are two huge title matches to feast our eyes on and the ever dangerous Frankie Edgar is also in action. So let's get into it

Main card

Middleweight: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Dave Branch

Now we all know that Michael Bisping is the UFC middleweight champion and the British/Dutch fighter was set to take on a returning Georges St-Pierre before the legendary fighter pulled out, paving the way for Yoel Romero's title shot. Jotko is a polish fighter with a fine record of 19-1 and he is on a five-fight winning streak in the UFC. This is Branch's first fight in the UFC since 2011, but he has put together a nine-fight winning run in the MMA promotion WSOF. The two fighters match up well, but Jotko is the favourite.

Get odds of 7/10 with Ladbrokes for Krzysztof Jotko to win (£50 free bet)

Welterweight: Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal

This is a seriously intriguing battle. Maia is one of the best grapplers the UFC has to offer and he can take down any man in a heartbeat. In fact, he really should have found his way to a bout with Tyron Woodley by now for the Welterweight strap, but instead, he has a challenging bout with a resurgent and aggressive Masvidal, a pure striker by trade. According to Sherdog.com, Maia has absorbed 13 significant strikes in his last four fights combined. So, even if Masvidal can hit him, can he finish him? This will do the distance for a Maia victory.

Skybet are offering odds of 4/1 for Demian Maia to win via decision (£10 free bet)

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar vs. Yair Rodriguez

The Answer Frankie Edgar has been on the cusp of featherweight gold for the longest time, but two failed attempts to foil Jose Aldo have left him nothing but a nearly man. For this bout, he takes on a man five inches taller with three extra inches of reach at his disposal and Rodriguez loves to set up his arsenal from distance. That seems a recipe for disaster, but both men are superbly conditioned fighters and are likely to go the distance. Can Edgar use his grappling skills? Assuming Rodriguez picks at him before he can, he'll win via decision.

Odds of Yair Rodriguez winning via decision are 3/1 with Skybet (£10 free bet)

Women's Strawweight: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (c) vs. Jessica Andrade

In many eyes, Jedrzejczyk is a less glamorous version of Ronda Rousey. The polish fighter has dominated the strawweight division since becoming champion back in 2015 and has had four successful title defences since. Her most recent outing, against Karolina Kowalkiewicz, was believed to be her hardest but, like all her other fights that go the distance, she wore them down with hard-hitting strikes at a relentless volume. Andrade is a different animal and has suffered five defeats in his career, but also owns 16 victories with five via KO. The Brazilian is a game competitor who will give as good as she gets, but can she hit as hard and frequent as the champ? We doubt it.

Best odds for Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win are 4/7 with Coral (£20 free bet)

Heavyweight: Stipe Miocic (c) vs. Junior dos Santos

Miocic has dos Santos have met before and the latter came out on top as the contest went the distance. Is the same outcome likely? Well, Miocic has gone on a four-fight winning streak since then and captured the title from Fabricio Werdum in the process. He defeated Alistair Overeem after a nervy early exchange and all four wins since his loss have been a KO. Conversely, Overeem defeated dos Santos in a considerable upset, but against Ben Rothwell, dos Santos showed the world again the speed that made him so formidable in the first place and, more importantly, that he could dictate a fight. Will Miocic have learned his lessons? Can lightening strike twice for dos Santos? The Brazilian looked considerably stronger as the fight went on when they first met and Miocic still has a habit of taking shots on the way in. I sense a late KO here for dos Santos.

Odds of 13/8 are available with Bet365 for Junior dos Santos to win via KO



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Statistics


The last time Miocic and dos Santos met, the matter was the victor. Now, he challenges for the heavyweight title

Women's strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is undefeated in 13 bouts

Frankie Edgar and Yair Rodrguez are battling for a shot at the featherweight title


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