Lyoto Machida is a solid favorite over Vitor Belfort at UFC 224 on Saturday in Brazil. This bout is one of five fights on the main pay-per-view card. Belfort is 26-13 in his career, while Machida is 23-8. There are a total of five fights on the main pay-per-view card at UFC 224, with the event headliner a bout between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington. There are also eight fights on the preliminary card with four on FX and four on UFC Fight Pass. Let’s look at the bout between Belfort and Machida and UFC predictions.
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Vitor Belfort (26-13, 15-9 UFC)
Belfort came into the UFC in 1997 and has been fighting on and off over the last several years. His last win was against Nate Marquardt by unanimous decision, while his last two losses were against Gegard Mousasi by TKO and Ronaldo Souza by TKO in 2016. Belfort has been a pro since 1996 and has 18 wins by TKO/KO and three by submission. He has won 12 of his last 18 fights and has 18 first round finishes. Belfort became the youngest fighter to score a victory in the octagon at age 19.
Lyoto Machida (23-8, 15-8 UFC)
Machida came into the UFC with a record of 8-0 and he is 15-8 in the UFC. In his last six fights, he has two wins and four losses. He defeated Eryk Anders by split decision and C.B. Dollaway by TKO. His four losses were against Chris Weidman by unanimous decision, Luke Rockhold by submission, Yoel Romero by KO, and Derek Brunson by KO. Machida has been a pro since 2003 and has nine wins by TKO/KO and two by submission. He has five first round finishes. Machida won the light heavyweight championship title after defeating Rashad Evans in May of 2009. Late in 2013 he moved down to the middleweight division.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Belfort 1.63 / Machida 2.61
Accuracy: Belfort 46% / Machida 53%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Belfort 2.85/ Machida 1.59
Defense: Belfort 50% / Machida 61%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Belfort 1.05 / Machida 1.23
Accuracy: Belfort 60% / Machida 65%
Takedowns defended: Belfort 53% / Machida 75%
Submission average: Belfort 0.6 / Machida 0.4
UFC Predictions
Both Belfort and Machida badly need this win. Belfort is coming off a good win against Nate Marquardt but he had previously lost three straight. Machida is in a similar spot, as he is coming off a win against Eryk Anders, but had previously lost three in a row. Machida is a solid favorite over Belfort which is somewhat surprising considering Machida has lost four of his last six UFC fights. I think Belfort has a decent chance to win this fight and we get him at plus money. The two fighters have a combined total of 23 first round finishes so I will also pick that the fight will go under the rounds total.
UFC 224 takes place on Saturday, May 12, 2018 at Jeunesse ArenainRio de Janeiro,Brazil, with a women’s bantamweight match between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington as the event headliner. There are five fights on the main pay-per-view card and eight preliminary bouts, with four on FX and four on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Women’s Bantamweight – Amanda Nunes -592 vs. Raquel Pennington
Middleweight – Ronaldo Souza -152 vs. Kevin Gastelum
Women’s Strawweight – Mackenzie Dern -240 vs. Amanda Cooper
Bantamweight – John Lineker -230 vs. Brian Kelleher
Middleweight – Lyoto Machida -250 vs. Vitor Belfort
Preliminary Card (FX)
Middleweight – Karl Roberson -155 vs. Cezar Ferreira
Heavyweight – Junior Albini -138 vs. Aleksei Oliynyk
Lightweight – Davi Ramos -133 vs. Nick Hein
Welterweight – Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos -139 vs. Sean Strickland
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Welterweight – Warlley Alves -224 vs. Sultan Aliev
Middleweight – Jack Hermansson -147 vs. Thales Leites
Welterweight – Ramazan Emeev -200 vs. Alberto Mina
Middleweight – Markus Perez -285 vs. James Bochnovic
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