Legacy FC 25 takes place tonight at Arena Theater in Houston, TX, and the card features a main event title fight as well as a number of other bouts that could produce eventual UFC fighters. For this preview, I’m going to look at the four fights on AXS TV that MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas offered at Several Bookmakers for tonight’s card. Let’s begin. In the five-round main event of the event, former UFC fighter Jorge Patino (30-13-1, 1 NC) puts the Legacy FC lightweight title on the line against top prospect Carlos Diego Ferreira (8-0). This is a very solid matchup between a veteran warrior on the comeback trail in Patino and a youngster who is close to making the UFC in Ferreira. In Patino’s case, the 40-year-old Brazilian hasn’t looked this good in years, as he’s won seven-straight fights including a split decision win over Efrain Escudero in his last outing. He is 4-0 in Legacy FC and is both their lightweight and welterweight champion. But going up against a younger and evenly skilled fighter, Patino is in for a tough battle. For this particular matchup against Ferreira, Patino will have to put all of his experience and skills together and fight a perfect fight in order to take out the 28-year-old Texan Ferreira, who decision Johny Hendricks’ teammate Chris Feist in his last bout. Patino is a +225 underdog here (bet $100 to win $225), and it’s for good reason because Ferreira, who is a -305 favorite (bet $305 to win $100), should come through with the biggest win of his career. In a welterweight bout, Lester Batres (3-1) takes on Francisco Trevino (10-0). Both fighters are 31 years old but of the two Texans, it’s the undefeated Trevino who has all the hype behind him, and some believe he may eventually be a torchbearer for the Mexican MMA scene. This should be a fun fight but I’d have to lean Trevino, who is -260, will get the W over the +180 underdog Batres. In another welterweight bout, Artenas Young (9-6) battles Jonathan Harris (7-3). Young is a young veteran of the sport as despite having only three years of pro MMA experience he has fought in promotions such as Strikeforce, Shark Fights, and now Legacy FC. However, he’s only gone 2-2 in Legacy FC and inconsistency seems to be his biggest flaw. Fortunately for Young, he’s fighting another inconsistent fighter in Harris, who has gone 1-2 over his last three fights in Legacy FC, and who has been knocked out in the first round three times in his career. No wonder Young is a -305 favorite, while Harris is a +225 dog. And finally, the last bettable fight on the card is a middleweight bout between Jon Kirk (16-11) and Larry Crowe (6-3). Looking at these guys’ records, it’s obvious that neither is going to be headed to the UFC anytime soon, but this should still be an entertaining match for as long as it lasts. Although the 35-year-old Kirk has more experience in the fight game, I think Crowe is just much more dangerous and I see him winning this fight via stoppage. However, he’s -405 so it’s a no play for me (Kirk is a +285 dog).
