However, his toughest opponent to date stands in front of him next. A former soldier in the French Army, Saint-Denis has undeniable toughness and heart. However, it’s this, plus his top-notch grappling skills and powerful striking that make him such a threat. Currently riding a winning streak of four, Saint-Denis has lost only once in his entire pro career.

• How to watch: Watch every fight live this weekend on ESPN+
• How to bet: Sign up to BetUS and get a special welcome bonus worth up to $2,500.

Frevola vs Saint-Denis Betting Odds

Matt Frevola will come into the bout as a +190 underdog against the fighter from France.

• Matt Frevola: +190 (BetUS)
• Benoit Saint Denis: -230 (BetUS)

Special Offer: Sign up to BetUS today and get an exclusive sign-up offer worth up to $2,500

Frevola vs Saint-Denis Fight Breakdown

Matt Frevola is on a first-round finish streak in his last three fights. Surprisingly, at one point he was believed to be a slow starter at times but with the new belief in his KO power we will likely see an aggressive Frevola early. This is also likely because the gameplan going in is probably to shut down the takedowns of Saint-Denis and force him to trade. Frevola is a tough, conventional stance fighter with a big overhand a hard kicks from both sides. Opposite the southpaw Saint-Denis, he will be looking to paw with the left hand and lead his combinations with his right cross and overhand and follow up in combination with the left afterwards.

Frevola tends to be the one moving forward, however he is arguably most dangerous when he is put on the fence as he has a unique ability to be pushed back and then explode out. In his recent streak, he was pressured and then lunged back out with a big superman punch for the knockdown, and also was being backed up before countering a body shot with his back to the cage again for another knockdown. Frevola should never be counted out because at the times where he is being pressed is when he can land the bombs unexpected.

That being said, there are some tells that Frevola offers which Saint-Denis can capitalize on. First, Frevola is very fast but he bites on a lot of feints with his go-to overhand right to roll out on his right side. He also often has difficulty finding his range for his big punches early on in the fight, if Saint Denis can bait out that overhand, he can count on Frevola missing and rolling away towards that side and setup what he throws to that reaction. Saint Denis has a great left kick of his own, standing southpaw himself so if he can time the right hand of Frevola he could catch him rolling onto his power kick side.

Yet, Saint-Denis’ clearest way to victory is to mix everything together and get Frevola to the canvas as often as he can. Frevola is a solid scrambler and wrestler but will give up his back in the process. Saint-Denis has a tremendous blast double, and even better control once he gets it there. He will duck under shoot, which could be done on the overhand read, and he also likes to set up his level change with a left kick, step through left hook. Once on the mat, Saint-Denis immediately gets to lacing the legs beneath him in a triangle of sorts, forcing his opponents to turn away and expose the back. Frevola does so anyway, so expect Saint-Denis to have success finding the opportunities for this transition. One of Saint-Denis’ most seamless grappling techniques is to reach around for far wrist control and whip his legs from the leg lace to the body triangle on the back in a single beat.

Frevola vs Saint-Denis Prediction

Matt Frevola’s keys to victory are stuffing the takedowns, and turning those sequences into scrambles where he can get back to the feet and push the pace. He wants to force Saint-Denis to trade with him at boxing range where he can lead, and counter with the right overhand and left hook.

For Saint-Denis it’s about using his kicks and finding the shot to the hips. Best case scenario would be taking Frevola down in space where he cannot use the cage, however it’s likely he will have to deal with that.

Ultimately I think that Frevola needs to depend on a potential KO to win, whereas Saint Denis has just as likely a chance to stop Frevola, but also out score him with precise striking and grappling control en route.

Pick: Benoit Saint-Denis to win (-230)

Special Offer: Sign up to BetUS today and get an exclusive sign-up offer worth up to $2,500

The post Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint-Denis prediction & odds | UFC 295 appeared first on The Body Lock.

Dober has recently dismantled rising stars and perennial contenders such as Terrance McKinney, Rafael Alves, and Bobby Green in some highly entertaining bouts. Similarly, Frevola has also secured two first-round knockout wins, setting the stage for an exciting matchup where both fighters have considerable momentum going into the fight.

Watch Dober vs. Frevola fight live on ESPN+ this Saturday night, as well as the Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo main event and more (order PPV now).

And don’t forget, if you’re looking to place a bet, sign up to MyBookie using our special link and you can get a sign-up bonus worth up to $1,000 for this event.

Betting Odds

Being the more experienced fighter with a much deeper resume, Dober’s current momentum puts him at a 2-1 favorite.

• Drew Dober: -215 (MyBookie)
• Matt Frevola: +175 (MyBookie)

Special Offer: Click here to sign up to MyBookie and get our exclusive sign-up bonus worth up to $1,000.

Fight Breakdown

The main commonality that these two fighters have going into this is their unique combination of immense power and reckless abandonment. They both put everything they have into their shots, which has put the two of them at both the receiving and giving ends of spectacular knockouts. Dober effectively uses his southpaw stance to mix bombs to the head and midsection in order to enter the pocket, where he’d either unleash a flurry of powerful shots or move to take his opponent down. Frevola stays on the outside much more, opting to move around his opponent until he can find a devastating counter right to try and end the fight.

From the ground and in the clinch, Dober likely has a significant advantage. Despite his wild entries into the pocket, he’s fairly technical when it comes to dealing shots with his dirty boxing and Muay Thai as well as set-up trips and throws with his background in judo. On the ground, he’s nothing too special, but solid nonetheless and very capable of dealing devastating ground and pound to wear his opponents out.

What separates Dober from most lightweights, Frevola included, is his iron chin. He arguably has one of the most tested chins in the division, if not the entire company, having only been knocked down once in 21 UFC appearances. Frevola doesn’t have a glass jaw, but it’s fairly safe to say that, despite the recklessness of his fighting style, Dober is much more durable. As well as this, Dober has a far more heavily tested gas tank, having gone the distance with a number of opponents in a solid fashion. Frevola has had his fair share of decision wins, but the pace at which those matches were fought as well as the caliber of opponent dictate that Dober likely also has an edge here.

Prediction and Betting Guide

There’s no real way for Frevola to win this unless he catches Dober extremely clean as he comes in to knock him out. Aside from that, Dober has the advantage in every department, and his pressuring style is likely to overwhelm Frevola who’s yet to face an opponent as powerful and aggressive as him. I also see a finish, likely by knockout. We’ve seen in his recent bouts that, even when he’s hurt, Dober is a menacing threat throughout the entirety, and could easily put his opponent’s lights out at any given moment. I’m light on a submission win because of Frevola’s defensive capabilities off of his back, but the odds being +900 are significant enough to mention. Aside from that, the Dober money line or victory by knockout is a fairly safe bet.

Bet: Dober by Knockout (-110) or Dober to win (-215)

Special Offer: Click here to sign up to MyBookie and get our exclusive sign-up bonus worth up to $1,000.

The post Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola prediction | UFC 288 appeared first on The Body Lock.

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Matt Frevola is the second fight at UFC 257. We’ll be sharing live updates and play-by-play comments as the fight happens down below.

The UFC 257 main card is only on pay-per-view and that means the fights can only be watched live on the ESPN+ streaming service.

Here’s what you need to watch the UFC 257 PPV event:

• An active ESPN+ subscription
• Purchased the UFC 257 pay-per-view event
• A supported device to watch the fights live or post-event replay (e.g. TV, mobile device, computer)

Read our full UFC 257 fight results here.

UFC 257 Fight Companion

Join us on YouTube as we provide alternate commentary, analysis, and discussion during every fight at UFC 257, including Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier, Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler, and more.

We’ll be watching the fights live with you, so make sure to send us your best comments and questions and we’ll respond to you throughout the night.

Our live UFC 257 Fight Companion starts at 7 pm (ET) with the early prelims and will continue all the way through the prelims, main card, and the main event of the night.

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Matt Frevola play-by-play

Round One

Frevola starts with some head kicks and misses with a looping right hand. Very aggressive start from Frevola. Quick takedown from Tsarukyan but Frevola scrambles and maintains front headlock before standing. Tsarukyan reverses and pushes Frevola against the cage now. They separate and now they’re standing across from each other. Tsarukyan’s jab looks fast. His lead hand is landing. Advancing now and Frevola on the back foot. Great fight so far and both fighters scrambling and keeping a high pace. Nothing of major significance landing but Tsarukyan controlling the fight so far. Strong right hand lands for Tsarukyan and that crashes into Frevola’s chin. Frevola trying to close the distance with a Tyson-style duck and weave. He wants the fight. He needs to get Tsarukyan to start brawling with him because, right now, Tsarukyan is just landing his shots with ease. Frevola doing well now, he advances and lands a big right hand near the end of the round.

Tsarukyan 10-9

Round two

Tsarukyan starting strong in round one. Dives on a single-leg and he has it wrapped up. Frevola elbows to the head as Tsarukyan tries to finish the attempt. He modifies the takedown and lands in side control. Frevola wraps up full guard now.  Tsarukyan gets out of full guard but is still trying to advance. Frevola stands, but Tsarukyan is locked on and trying to land in a dominant position. He’s now in side control but Frevola is tough and has managed to avoid major damage from here. Frevola twisting to get out of side control but Tsarukyan staying heavy on top. Some good strikes landing for Tsarukyan now and he’s hunting for the arm-triangle choke. Can’t lock it in but overwhelming him from top position to end the round.

Tsarukyan 10-9 (20-18)

Round three

Tsarukyan takedown but Frevola scrambles and gets back up. A left hand lands for Tsarukyan and now he jabs the body. Frevola circling. Slow round three but it would appear Frevola badly needs to step up and go for a finish. Tsarukyan just stalking Frevola now and trying to work behind his jab. Another takedown for Tsarukyan and Frevola tries a guillotine in full guard. Tsarukyan pops his head up and now has Frevola locked down on the mat. He’s in full guard but postures up enough to throw some hands. Tsarukyan rolls for an anaconda choke but Frevola escapes. Back to standing. Great takedown by Tsarukyan and he’s got two hooks now and has the back of Frevola. But Frevola scrambles again and escapes the position. He’s in turtle now and Tsarukyan landing shots from the top. Tsarukyan in side control, then north south, and back to side control, just floating on top of Frevola right now. Some hard strikes from the top. That’s it! A decisive victory for Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan 10-9 (30-27)

Official Decision: Arman Tsarukyan def. Matt Frevola via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC 257: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Matt Frevola play-by-play and results appeared first on The Body Lock.

With all the nerds out there watching tape and breaking down fighters’ techniques using tried and tested methods, I thought it would be a lot cooler to use novice-like intuition, random bits of trivia, and stuff I read on the internet as a way to predict the outcomes of fights. Nothing says “expert” like a guy with started this series several months back, did it for five or so events, then stopped because “his real job” forced him away from it.

Today we’re breaking down the UFC 257 main card. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @AllDayAuger, and like and subscribe to The Body Lock’s YouTube channel. It’s important because I need a platform for these amazing insights and adoring fans to satiate my hubris.

It feels like 20 years since the last time I did this and I don’t remember what my record was, so let’s just assume it was 100% right all the time. I will hopefully be back for big events and PPVs like this one, but for smaller cards, I just can’t juggle it right now. Sorry my four adoring fans, you’ll have to be patient.

With all that writer’s fluff to make the SEO longer behind us, let’s dive in!

Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas

We open the inaugural 2021 PPV with a women’s strawweight matchup between Marina Rodriguez and the constant giggle machine that is Amanda Ribas. Ribas was originally scheduled to face Michelle Waterson, but when “The Karate Hottie” withdrew for undisclosed reasons, Rodriguez was willing to step up on short notice. Rodriguez is looking to bounce back from her first professional loss against Carla Esparza, while Ribas is hoping to keep the hype train going after rattling off five-straight, including sending Paige VanZant off to BKFC.

Ribas has looked good in her UFC tenure, going 4-0 in the promotion while handing Mackenzie Dern her first loss. She’s the heavy betting favorite at -300 and given her ability to disarm her opponents with laughter, it makes a lot of sense. Rodriguez on the other hand has a had strange time since knocking out Maria Oliveira on DWCS, beating Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar while fighting to draws against Randa Markos and Cynthia Calvillo.

Look I could totally see Rodriguez pulling off the upset here, or wrestling Ribas to another draw, but no one wants to see that happen so I’ll go with the consensus pick and hope we get more coal for the hype train.

Ribas via R1 Submission

Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar

Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar is the second bout on the main card, and you can understand why it’s placed in the spot that doesn’t statistically pull any numbers. Frevola is coming off of a split decision win against Luis Pena, having bested Jalin Turner by decision and fighting Lando Vannata before that. His only loss comes from a knockout by Polo Reyes, who was able to stop him at the one-minute mark of the first round back in 2018. Meanwhile, Azaitar has been finishing people pretty much since he started fighting professionally, with one unanimous decision win in his 13- 0 fight career. There is a reason he has the nickname “Bulldozer.”

I could break this fight down further but I have better things to do, like watch The Great British Bakeoff with my Mom. “Bulldozer” gonna bulldoze.

Azaitar via R1 KO

Jessica Eye vs. Joanne Calderwood

In our third fight of the night, we have what I call the cringe-ist fight of the card. I say that because when watching Joanne Calderwood fight, I can’t help but give a sad cringe when she willingly risks a title shot only to have her faint backstage when it blows up in her face. As for why I cringe when Jessica Eye fights, well in case you forgot I was there live when she did this thing.

Eye revitalized her career at flyweight and has beat some tough contenders, including Katlyn Chookagian and Viviane Araujo. “Jojo” on the other hand fought in the very first women’s flyweight bout in the UFC against Valerie Letourneau back in 2016 and has struggled to get past those in the top 5. Both women are trying to keep from falling out of relevance in the 125 lbs. division, although given how shallow it is I’m not sure that’s entirely possible.

Based on my steadfast alternating win-loss theory, both should normally be due for a victory this time around. As fate would have it, however, Eye competed in Submission Underground this past June and lost via armbar in overtime, disqualifying her from the benefits of my theory. I know it’s not MMA, but it’s listed on Tapology in the same section as MMA, so it’s basically like, the same.

“Evil” done messed up.

Joanne Calderwood via long, probably boring, UD

Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler

We’ve made it to the co-main event, where backups to the main event Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler are set to faceoff. Hooker is trying to find a way back into the title picture after losing a hard-fought war against main-eventer Dustin Poirier back in June. Chandler is trying to get a win so he can get a main event at his new place of employment.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding Chandler, who was pretty much raised by Scott Coker as a son in Strikeforce and Bellator. He’s had some mildly entertaining wars with Eddie Alvarez back in the day, beaten up one of the Pitbull brothers a couple of times, and lost twice to UFC washout “ill” Will Brooks. Having knocked out old Benson Henderson before making his way over to the premier MMA promotion, he has reached a level of notoriety that some can only dream of achieving.

That being said, Hooker is no slouch. He bravely revealed his masochism fetish to the world in his loss to Edson Barboza back in 2018, for which he was applauded with the ceremonial groans of acceptance from the audience and commentary team. He also fought Paul Felder to a contentious split decision and did his part to give James Vick as much brain damage as possible. It would definitely be very chur for him to get a win over Chandler.

This one was tough, but the MMA math pulled through here. Since snapping the alternating win/loss streak back in 2017, Hooker has won four in a row, lost, then won three in a row, and lost. By all normal Tito Ortiz math calculations, he’s bound to win his next two before losing again. Chandler is also following the same path, rattling off a four-fight win streak back in 2015 before losing, then winning another three before losing. “Iron” is farther along in the process, however, as he has won his last two.

As you can see the numbers don’t lie, and they spell disaster for Chandler at Sacrifice. I mean UFC 257.

Hooker via R1 KO

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor

Alright, the big main event time. This is the one that everyone is searching for, trying to become the next “Mystic Mac” by calling the exact breakdown of how this fight ends. Even the dude who is normally searching for fighter pilot Colin McGregor is actually searching for Conor and just misspelled it this time.

So for being a loyal S#*%ty MMA Analysis reader, I’m going to cut to the chase with this one. I’ve decided to give YOU a free special insight into the mind that conquers this madness, resulting in perfect picks Beastin’ 25/8. I scrounged around the internet for literally MINUTES before I found this fight, which I believe gives massive insight into the Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor matchup. As you can see, a bald trailer park type mimics Poirier’s style when fighting a young McGregor. While he’s a little bit wilder in his striking than “The Diamond,” I think McGregor handles him similarly to how he’d fight Poirier. Dustin may have found and watched this footage, enabling him to prepare for McGregor’s game plan, but I highly doubt it.

This is pretty much a lock, and when you cash out whatever weirdly-named cryptocurrency you’re constantly trying to force on your friends and family, you can thank me by singing my praises to the masses.

McGregor via R1 TKO

UFC 257 streams live this Saturday, January 23, on the ESPN+ digital streaming service. Here’s how to order and watch the Poirier vs. McGregor PPV on ESPN+.

The post S#*%ty UFC 257 Analysis: McGregor vs. Poirier main card predictions appeared first on The Body Lock.