At the onset UFC Fight Night Blachowicz vs. Santos will have extra special meaning. This will be the first ever UFC visit to the Czech Republic. To begin with there will be a total of six bouts on the main card for UFC betting odds action. Atop the marquee is the light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos. Blachowicz hails from Poland and is a past KSW light heavyweight champion. But his UFC career results have been more of a mixed bag. Meanwhile Tiago Santo has been a top UFC light heavyweight contender for the past several years.
UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Santos
Date and Time: Saturday, February 23, 2019, 2 p.m. Eastern
Location: O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
MMA Betting Online Odds: Click Here!
UFC Fight Night TV Coverage: ESPN+
Stats to Consider
Jan Blachowicz has an MMA record of 23-7. However, in UFC he is a less impressive 5-4. Granted he has improved with four straight wins after a 1-4 start. Blachowicz is coming off a submission win over Nikita Krylov on September 15, 2018. The fight in Russia earned him Performance of the Night honors. Concurrently Thiago Santos has a record of 20-6 after winning his last three fights. Last time out for Santos was a knockout win over Jimi Manuwa on December 8, 2018. In the same way that fight in Toronto earned him the Performance of the Night.
Light Heavyweight Division
Although the light heavyweight division is considered to be top heavy with a lot of mediocrity beneath the leaders Jan Blachowicz is an exception. On the whole he could be one of the most underrated fighters with the UFC betting odds. Blachowicz is considered something of a brawler. But that does not take away the fact that he is feared for being offensively potent. Since his upset loss to Patrick Cummings, Blachowicz has worked at improving his technical skills. Regardless he still needs work on his tendency to swing away wildly with too much reliance on power.
Jan Blachowicz
It follows that Blachowicz has had his biggest problems with more technically proficient fighters. Namely he has since worked on a jab to keep himself under control and his opponents off balance. Counter punching became as strong tool in his win over Jimi Manuwa. More emphatically Blachowicz likes to box more than anyone else in the light heavyweight division.
Thiago Santos
Balanced against that is the style and tactics of Thiago Santos. Few opponents could be more opposite of Blachowicz than Santos. Unlike Blachowicz, boxing is the last thing that Santos wants to do in the octagon. In fact, boxing skills are considered a sportsbook weakness for Santos. Similar to Blachowicz he does offer tremendous power in his game. Not withstanding the lack of boxing skills Santos is a dangerous kicker. Owing to his better skill set he often will rely on his athleticism for success. Most important of all he can’t rely on pure power against Blachowicz.
Matchup to Watch
On this occasion the rapid improvement and power of Blachowicz must be taken into account. Indeed, his work on a more versatile game is a UFC betting odds matchup advantage.
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