UFC Fight Night 117: St. Preux vs. Okami
Date: September 22, 2017
Arena: Saitama Super Arena
City: Saitama, Japan
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be back in Saitama, Japan for the fifth time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 117: St. Preux vs. Okami. There will be a lone Fight Pass prelim bout at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the rest of the prelims will be live on FXX at 8 p.m., with the main card getting going on the same channel at 10 p.m. If interested in wagering on any bouts for these fight cards, all betting lines are made available at Several Bookmakers.
Here are my plays…
Women’s Strawweight bout: Claudia Gadelha (-270) vs. Jessica Andrade (+230)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Gadelha showed how elite her ground game is in her latest outing, where she submitted Karolina Kowalkiewicz via rear naked choke inside the opening round of action. I expect a similar outcome to this matchup, as I believe she will have a massive grappling advantage in this contest. I think Gadelha will dominate Andrade on the mat and likely secure a submission. I think she is more likely to submit Andrade than Kowalkiewicz, and she’s already submitted Kowalkiewicz easily, so I don’t see why this fight should not play out similarly. Her game plan should be the same, and the result should be the same, as well. Considering the Total for the fight is at Under 2.5 rounds with the dog price of +170, I think it holds a lot of value and is worth playing this weekend.
Gabe’s Call: Gadelha by Submission (rear naked choke, 2:45 round 1)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 2.5 rounds (+170)
Light Heavyweight bout: Gokhan Saki (-165) vs. Henrique Da Silva (+145)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Saki will be making his UFC debut against Da Silva, who arguably should have been cut following his last bout, which was a first round knockout at the hands of the Moldovian Ion Cutelaba. This is a classic striker versus grappler matchup in the UFC’s 205 pound division and I don’t see it lasting very long. I think either Saki stops Da Silva early with strikes, or Da Silva manages to take the fight to the mat and finishes it there. Regardless of who is successful with his gameplan, I do not see this fight lasting more than seven and a half minutes of action, which means I think the Total of Under 1.5 rounds is playing at the currently offered price of -175.
Gabe’s Call: Saki by T/KO (strikes, 0:50 round 1)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 1.5 rounds (-175)
