Top Picks for UFC Vegas 29: the Korean Zombie vs. Ige

UFC Vegas 29: the Korean Zombie vs. Ige may not be the most exciting card at first glance, but if you look deep enough, you’ll be able to find wonderful matchups with great value. Read below for my breakdowns for Marlon Vera vs. Davey Grant and Wellington Turman vs. Bruno Silva. 

Marlon Vera vs. Davey Grant

UFC Bantamweight Bout – Main Card

Saturday, June 19, 2021 – 11:35 PM EDT at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas

Marlon Vera

Marlon “Chito” Vera is an Ecuadorian mixed martial artist currently ranked #15 in the UFC Bantamweight division, and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Vera made his professional MMA debut in February 2012 where he compiled a record of 6-1-1 before appearing on the Ultimate Fighter: Latin America in 2014. He competed under Team Werdum and was forced out of his semi-final match due to a skin infection. 

Chito’s UFC debut was in November 2014 at UFC 180 - he competed against Marco Beltran and lost via unanimous decision. Vera previously competed against Davey Grant back in February 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84 - he lost via unanimous decision. Of all his professional accomplishments, Vera has achieved: UFC Performance of the Night (3) vs. Roman Salazar, Brad Pickett, and Andre Ewell, UFC Fight of the Night vs. Song Yadong, and Tied with TJ Dillashaw for most stoppage wins in the UFC Bantamweight division (8). 

Davey Grant

Davey “Dangerous” Grant is an English mixed martial artist with a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Before signing with the UFC, Grant fought under the promotions: Goshin Ryu 27, Total Combat, and Shock n Awe. He compiled a record of 9-1, then made his UFC debut in November 2013. He competed against Chris Holdsworth for the Ultimate Fighter 18 title, but lost via submission. He is now 4-3 in the UFC, and has earned UFC Performance of the Night two times against Martin Day and Jonathan Martinez. 

Prediction

I’m excited for this fight mainly because this will be a great rematch after five years. In their first meeting back in 2016, Davey Grant won via unanimous decision. So the real question is: can Grant gain another W over Vera? Or is it Vera’s time to shine? The current UFC Odds for this matchup are: Marlon Vera -197 and Davey Grant +172 via BetOnline (Visit our BetOnline Review). 

Well, over the years, we have seen Vera grow to be a wonderful fighter. The only time he has lost a fight is when it goes to the scorecards - he has gone the distance 9 times and has only won twice. Vera is great when it comes to his kicks, whether they are low or high. After his fight against Sean O’Malley, it’s good to keep in mind how lethal his leg kicks can be. Vera is also great at utilizing his feints to fake out his opponents so he can land a few shots in any openings he may find. 

You could say Grant is primarily a grappler, since the majority of his wins are by submission and by how often he tries to bring the fight to the ground. Of all 13 of his wins, he has won 8 times by submission, 3 by T/KO, and 2 by decision. All 4 of his total losses have all been by submission. Striking is not his strong point, but he is great with his kicks and also his jab. 

For Grant to win this fight again, he should keep it on the feet and try to get as many strikes out as possible, or even finish Vera. However, Vera’s chin is strong enough to withhold whatever Grant may throw at him. If this fight does in fact make it to the scorecards, then this will most likely be Grants fight. Vera’s path to victory is inside the distance. I see this fight being on the ground with Vera gaining another victory. 

UFC Pick: Marlon Vera -197 via BetOnline (Visit our BetOnline Review)

Marlon Vera-197

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Wellington Turman vs. Bruno Silva

UFC Middleweight Bout - Main Card

Saturday, June 19, 2021 - 11:35 PM EDT at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas

Wellington Turman

Wellington “the Prodigy” Turman is a Brazilian mixed martial artist with a background in Brazilian  Jiu-Jitsu. Turman began his professional career at the age of 18 years old after going 5-0 as an amateur. 

Before signing with the UFC, Turman competed for many other promotions: Curitiba Fight Pro 2, Power Fight Extreme 12, Immortal FC, Future FC, and more. He made his UFC debut in 2019 against Karl Roberson as a last minute replacement and lost via split decision. The Prodigy is currently 1-2 within the UFC: Loss against Karl Roberson in July 2019 by Split Decision, Win against Markus Perez in November 2019 by Unanimous Decision, and Loss against Andrew Sanchez in August 2020 by KO. 

Bruno Silva

Bruno “Blindado” Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Silva began his professional MMA career in 2010 at Champions Night 14 against Junio Eladio - he won via TKO in the second round. 

Throughout his entire professional career, Silva has competed within many promotions: Desafio Fighter, Campina Show Fight, Paradis Righting RN, Crajubar Fight, Immortal FC, M-1 Challenge, and more! This Saturday, at UFC Vegas 29, Silva will be making his UFC debut against Wellington Turman. 

Prediction

As mentioned above, Bruno Silva will be making his UFC debut this weekend and holds a professional record of 19-6-0. Of all of his losses, he has lost 5 times by submission and once by disqualification. Just by his losses, we can conclude that grappling is not his forte - which is incredibly worrisome against a grappler like Turman. 

Besides his lack of skill on the ground, Silva is decent on the feet. He tends to stand flat-footed at times, but he does try to utilize his kick enough and stay patient until he finds the right opening. 

Turman, on the other hand, is a well-rounded fighter that is comfortable both on the ground and on the feet. However, he is more dangerous on the ground. He is aggressive while applying forward pressure. 

Although Turman is coming off of a knockout loss against Andrew Sanchez back in August 2020, he at least has been fairly active in competing. We have not seen Silva in an octagon since 2018 against Artem Frolov. 

Silva is the fighter in this matchup that is known for his knockout power - he holds 16 wins by T/KO. Silva’s path to victory in this matchup would be to keep the fight on the feet and finish the fight within the distance. Otherwise, Turman will control the entire fight if it is brought to the ground. Even if it’s not, Turman is skilled enough in his striking to keep up with Silva. Majority of the advantages lean Turman, so grab the value in the dog. The current UFC Odds for this matchup are: Wellington Turman +108 and Bruno Silva -125 via BetOnline (Visit our BetOnline Review). 

UFC Pick: Wellington Turman +108 via BetOnline (Visit our Betonline Review)

Wellington Turman+108

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