UFC China Macau is here and the octagon heads back to China. For us in the states we will be up at 3 AM, EST, to catch the action LIVE!
The main card will bring excitement as all 5 fights are great matchups. Petr Yan taking on Deiveson Figueiredo will be a fantastic main event that should leave us talking through Thanksgiving!
Many may stay off this fight and be a spectator as we have 2 warriors going to battle. Perhaps a fight that could have been the headliner, if not co-main, Carlos Ulberg takes on Volkan Oezdemir in what will, in my opinion, be the fight of the night. Ulberg is a fantastic up and coming striker, that since his debut KO loss, has ripped off 6 straight wins, 5 by finish.
Ulberg lands 7.41 significant strikes per minute to Volkans 4.79. Ulberg also absorbs less strikes per minute, and I believe has the better footwork, cardio, and ability to avoid the big shot. Volkan is dangerous, but I don’t think this is the fight Ulbergs win streak stops. A decision by Ulberg is not out of the question here.
Probably my most confident pick on this card, Zhang Mingyang has been on an incredible run. He is 17-6, with 11 of those wins coming by KO, and is on a 10-fight finish streak, 7 straight KO’s! Yes, all but 2 were in organizations outside of UFC, his KO win on the road to UFC, followed up with his UFC debut KO of Brendson Ribiero leaves me excited to see what he can do next!
He is fighting Ozzy Diaz, who definitely has good hands. Diaz has never seen a fight go to a decision, so expect a finish here on one side or the other. Diaz is on a 2-fight KO streak and has 7 KOs and 2 submission wins in his 9-2 career. This is Diaz's first UFC fight, coming from the USA to China. Zhang has the home crowd, and I believe to be the faster speed with more devastating power.
I know we will be in the minority on these two picks, but I don’t care. This is what makes UFC fighting great. Everyone has an opinion until someone's hand is raised.
We have 2 live dogs here that I believe have great shots to get the job done. People may be on Xiao because he likes to take takedown shots, and may get this to the ground, but I don’t see that success.
Quang Le, from Vietnam, likes to move forward with pressure, has very good muay thai, he takes big shots, and he will look for a takedown if the shot is there. I think he has a very high fight IQ.
We saw him in an impressive short-notice debut against a vet Chris Gutierrez and I believe his pressure, his ability to avoid big shots, and his striking style will keep Xiao backing up and not be able to get in his comfort zone.
Yes, another dog, and honestly, this -180 line on a 40-year-old Muslin Salikhov is downright disrespectful to Song. Kenan Song has had good performances in the past. As a +150 dog, who has won 2 of his last 3 fights, against Salikhov who has only won 1 of his last 3(could easily be 0-3 with different judges) is too much value.
I believe Song will come in with a better game plan here. He knows Salikhov is dangerous and durable, and he must keep this fight at distance so he can touch him up with strikes.
I believe he will do that; I believe Song will find enough damage, and he has a chance to find KO if he plays his cards right.
Best Bets (3):
Parlay: Carlos Ulberg ML + Zhang Mingyang ML (-116) DK
Queng Le ML (+125) Bet365
Song Kenan ML (+150) Bet365