UFC 301 Prediction and Betting Tips: 28/1 treble available for Brazil numbered event
After the historic UFC 300 delivered all the goods, the 301st numbered event for the organisation takes us to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, headlined by a men's flyweight title fight between champion Alexandre Patoja and challenger Steve Erceg.
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UFC 301 Tips
Scotsman Paul Craig is a bit of a one-trick pony. He's outstanding in the guard, however, his skillset everywhere else is nothing extraordinary.
Those limitations don't bode well for facing a man like Borralho, who will glide around the octagon and pick Craig off at will unless the underdog can grapple with 'The Natural' and take this fight to the ground.
The Brazilian looks to be a fascinating prospect to keep an eye on, particularly as he makes his way through the division's ranked fighters. His speed, volume and resourcefulness are all likely to pose enormous problems for his 185lbs adversary this weekend.
As one of the more well-rounded rising stars we've seen make their debut over the last few years, it's exciting to see how high Borralho's ceiling is.
Considering how he's been absolutely flawless so far, we believe it pays to back the 31-year-old to run through 'Bearjew' to kick off the main card.
You'll be hard pressed to find a more battle-hardened warrior than Anthony Smith, but that is largely down to the level of punishment he's been on the receiving end of in recent times.
Many believe 'Lionheart' is far past his prime and it's hard to disagree with that notion when he enters this matchup having been finished in three of his last four fights, including that scary shovel uppercut walk-off knockout by Khalil Rountree last December.
Up steps another hot prospect in Petrino, who's an incredibly dangerous kickboxer carrying a significant power advantage over Smith.
His menacing presence inside the octagon has drawn comparisons to the TRT-fuelled rebirth of former native star Vitor Belfort, whose freakish physique and explosive power resembled something more akin to The Incredible Hulk than any natural human we've ever known.
Petrino's effective single attacks emphasise pinpoint accuracy and impeccable timing, which is likely to create a ferocious concoction when mixed together with the roar of a home crowd for the betting favourite. He also has the right tools to mix things up and keep Smith guessing until he can eventually land that damaging blow.
Our Brazilian triple threat is capped off by the man headlining UFC 301 in his second flyweight title defence.
The division is a little unorganised at the moment, so maybe that's why 28-year-old Australian anomaly Steve Erceg is getting a shot at greatness despite only having three UFC fights against mid-range opponents prior.
Erceg has proven his credentials on the ground, but it could well be that his eagerness to scramble back to his feet from these positions is what allows the champ to execute one of those blink-and-you-miss-it body triangle to rear-naked choke submission finishes.
'The Cannibal' has blasted through the division's current crop - Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval twice and Manel Kape to boot - leading us to believe that experience, or inexperience, depending on which side you look at it, is going to be a deciding factor in this fight's outcome.
'Astroboy' has only 13 MMA fights to his name and is unlikely to be ready for the challenge of an elite-level tactician like Pantoja, capped off by unfavourable fight circumstances that include going inside enemy territory on short notice.
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