The Octagon is racking up some serious frequent flyer miles. Since the beginning of May, the UFC has hosted events in Australia, the Philippines, Las Vegas, Brazil, New Orleans, and Mexico. The next stop on that list will be Berlin, Germany for UFC Fight Night 69. The event will be headlined by women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk taking on former Invicta atomweight champion Jessica Penne. The odds are heavily favoring Jedrzejczyk at this point, as she sits at -650 (bet $650 to win $100) at Several Bookmakers. Penne can be had at +475 (bet $100 to win $475). While the main event doesn’t feature a German fighter, the remaining three bouts on the main card do, as Dennis Siver, Peter Sobotta, and Nick Hein all look to defend home soil. Their opponents are Tatsuya Kawajiri, and UFC newcomers Steven Kennedy and Lukasz Sajewski, respectively. The card also features a great deal of European talent, as Makwan Amirkhani looks to follow up on his scintillating UFC debut. He is joined by the likes of Mairbek Taisumov, Noad Lahat, Niklas Backstrom, and others. In what has been a bit of a trend recently, the 12-fight card only features two bouts above the lightweight division. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas released the full betting odds for UFC Fight Night 69 today at Several Bookmakers. Take a look: ——————– MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 3pm ET) Money Line: Jessica Penne +485 Joanna Jedrzejczyk -855 Strawweight Title Tatsuya Kawajiri -105 Dennis Siver -135 Steven Kennedy +170 Peter Sobotta -230 Lukasz Sajewski +135 Nick Hein -175 — Total Rounds: Penne/Jedrzejczyk 2.5 Over -150 2.5 Under +110 Kawajiri/Siver 2.5 Over -170 2.5 Under +130 Kennedy/Sobotta 2.5 Over -190 2.5 Under +150 Sajewski/Hein 2.5 Over -190 2.5 Under +150 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: This is another card where the names don’t jump off the page, but after looking at the fighters and how they match up a little more closely, it seems like it will be an entertaining matinee for fight fans. I can see Tatsuya Kawajiri and Dennis Siver swapping position throughout their fight, as both men have solid wrestling and overall grappling games, but will have a difficult time holding their opponent down. I give Kawajiri the slight edges in wrestling and overall grappling, but Siver is the more dangerous striker and will certainly have the fans on his side. Both men are nearing the end of their careers, so we may see a significant dropoff in performance, which makes this extremely difficult to play, but I do lean slightly towards the fighter who has competed and found success at the higher level in MMA, and that’s Kawajiri. Cardio and toughness seem to be the best tools possessed by Steve Kennedy, and honestly, I don’t think it will be enough to overcome Peter Sobotta. Kennedy has some decent skills on the ground, but his striking is awkward and Sobotta should be able to rack up points on the feet with his kicks. If this hits the ground, Sobotta is actually at his best, and while Kennedy should be good enough to avoid getting tapped, I can’t see much more than that coming from him. Lukasz Sajewski is one of the Polish prospects I haven’t had much chance to see because he hasn’t fought in any of the big promotions in his country. From watching tape, he seems to have a good grappling game, but I don’t think he’ll be able to get past the judo base of Nick Hein to get top position at any point in this fight. Hein will either win on the feet with his more powerful strikes, or win from top position with control, but I do believe the German will emerge victorious.
