UFC Fight Night 47 Date: August 16, 2014 Arena: Cross Insurance Center City: Bangor, Maine Flyweight bout: Jussier Formiga (+280) vs Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky (-340) Fight Breakdown: Headlining the UFC Fight Night 47 preliminary card on FOX Sports 2 is a flyweight bout in the form of former Tachi Palace flyweight champion Jussier Formiga and former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky. Formiga is the betting underdog heading into this three round battle at +280 ($100 to win $280), with “Fun Size” being a considerable favorite at -340 ($340 to win $100) Several Bookmakerss. Jussier Formiga (16-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is coming off a controversial first round rear naked choke submission victory over Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen and is eager to make it two in a row inside the Octagon, as he gets set to take on a fellow flyweight who found himself victorious against Jorgensen. The Brazilian was ranked as the #2 flyweight in the world at the time the UFC announced their flyweight division, with his only loss coming to Ian McCall, who was ranked #1 at the time. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace; always a threat from both top and bottom positions. Formiga is good at latching on to an opponent’s back and scrambling his way into a submission. Training out of Nova Uniao in Brazil, he has put time in with championship level partners, such as Jose Aldo, Eduarto Dantas and Renan Barao. His all-around skill-set improves from fight to fight, though his striking does leave something to be desired. I expect the former Tachi Palace flyweight champion to have his conditioning in check for a 15 minute fight, should the fight go the distance. Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky (23-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) last saw action at UFC 170 over six months ago, notching a unanimous decision victory over Josh Sampo and going 2-0 inside the Octagon while simultaneously solidifying himself as a contender in the UFC’s 125-pound division. “Fun Size” is a talented wrestler who works solid takedowns. He prefers the single leg, which is his go-to, and he often likes to shoot for them from the outside. He works well with trip takedowns too, and is a great scrambler. Makovsky is an excellent grappler and his submission game is also very good, as he spends time training with the legendary Marcelo Garcia, one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts on the planet. His defensive grappling is solid as well. He has good takedown defense, and if taken down, he is very active off of his back, threatening with submissions. The former Bellator bantamweight champion shows improvement in his striking from fight to fight. He has a good chin and works a decent jab. He throws decent kicks too, and he likes to go high with them. I don’t expect his conditioning to be an issue, at all, so he will be game for three hard rounds in Maine, should this fight hit the judges’ scorecards for a decision. Gabe’s Thoughts: The most likely outcome to this bout is Makovsky via Decision, but I don’t think there’s value in the betting line for that prop at -125, because I think there is a very good chance a finish could come by either party in this match-up. I feel the under 2.5 rounds at +180 is a solid play, as I think it should be +130. Purely for the sake of value, I will be making a small play on it. Gabe’s Call: Makovsky by TKO (punches from crucifix position, 4:44 round 2) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 2.5 rounds (+180) 1.25u to win 2.25u
