MMA News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Curtis & Brendan Allen Won’t Let Their Fight Go the Distance

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated 4/2/24

Brendan Allen thought he was going to have his moment to take a major step up the ladder in the UFC middleweight division. Originally, Allen was supposed to take on former title challenger Marvin Vettori. But Vettori pulled out, and Allen was left searching for an opponent.

What Allen was left with instead was a fight with a man who had given Allen one of his most disappointing defeats. Chris Curtis knocked out Allen in the second round of a December 2021 bout. Since then, both men’s careers have gone in different directions.

Curtis, a high-volume fighter known for slow starts, has dropped two decisions to Jack Hermansson and Kelvin Gastelum. Allen has fought his way up to No. 6 in the middleweight rankings. On Allen’s path of destruction, he has collected five of those six wins by submission.

Curtis prefers to stay on his feet and trade punches. He has only been submitted once in his career. This fight will come down to which man can institute their game plan better.

Allen is a tremendous grappler but is also known for getting stung in most of the fights he participates in, even the ones he wins. Anyone looking at the best MMA news sites will see that Allen needs this fight if he wants to earn a shot at the title down the line.

Curtis is excellent at working the body, and will make it tough for Allen to grapple with him.

Bets to consider: Under 3.5 rounds, Allen by finish

Hernandez is Desperate to Save Career

Alexander Hernandez has never quite found the right place to be in the UFC. During his career, Hernandez has bounced between featherweight and lightweight. While Hernandez has produced some strong performances during his career, he never really appeared to bounce back from a TKO loss to veteran fighter Donald Cerrone in 2019.

Hernandez has lost three of his past four fights. Since losing to Cerrone, Hernandez hasn’t won back-to-back fights. Entering a matchup with Damon Jackson lacking confidence isn’t good for any fighter.

Let’s be real: Jackson will never be a championship-level fighter, but he is a tricky challenge. Jackson has a funky style and is an excellent grappler. Jackson will push Hernandez to the limit in this fight.

Bets to consider: Hernandez ML, Over 2.5 rounds

Jose Mariscal Is Once Again an Underdog

When Jose Mariscal entered the UFC, he broke into the promotion by doing the unthinkable. In what was supposed to be a wild car crash of a fight with Trevor Peek, Mariscal pulled an upset. But neither man delivered on the finish people expected there to be.

Instead, Mariscal won a unanimous decision and followed that up with a submission win in his second UFC fight. Now, Mariscal will be a slight underdog to Morgan Charriere. Charriere made his UFC debut last September with a knockout win over Manolo Zecchini.

Mariscal has shown his toughness several times out now and is worth backing as a slight under.

Bets to consider: Under 1.5, Mariscal at plus money

Iron Lady Returns to Action

Germaine de Randamie being on the undercard doesn’t seem right. De Randamie made history by winning a five-round war with Holly Holm to become the first UFC featherweight champion. She ultimately had the belt stripped from her after refusing to defend it against Cris Cyborg.

De Randamie is returning to fight Norma Dumont at bantamweight. She will have to go down in weight because the featherweight division no longer exists in the UFC. During her original MMA career, de Randamie piled up a 10-4 record, including wins over future champions Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington.

While de Randamie has an extension fight background, she also hasn’t fought in nearly four years. Dumont is a well-rounded fighter. MMAfighting latest updates show Dumont has won three straight fights.

However, Dumont hasn’t fought the same level of competition during her career. There’s a chance de Randamie is shot, but taking the veteran at +160 to win is good value.

Bets to consider: de Randamie +160

Get Ready for Another Trevor Peek Slugfest

Charlie Campbell knows he is likely in for a wild ride this weekend. Campbell, the favored fighter, will have to figure out how to handle Trevor Peek’s unorthodox striking. Peek, meanwhile, has been disappointed to see his last two UFC fights go the distance.

Campbell flopped on the Contender’s Series, losing in the first round by knockout. However, Campbell still ended up earning a shot in the UFC and knocked out Alex Reyes in the first round of his debut. Now, Campbell will be faced with a wild striker who prefers to wrap things up quickly.

This fight should be over inside of five minutes, according to MMA news sites.

Bets to consider: Campbell by KO, Under 1.5 rounds.

Get Ready for a Lot of Prospects

This fight card won’t be one that many casual fans get excited for. There are a lot of young, unestablished fighters who will compete to earn respect on this card. Two more established fighters on the main card will be a lightweight matchup between Ignacio Bahamondes and Christos Giagos.

Giagos enters the fight having lost three of his past four bouts. Bahamondes has won three of his past four. This is a bout where Giagos may be fighting to save his spot in the UFC. Bahamondes will likely take it from him.

Here’s a look at the rest of the fights on the card not mentioned above: