Michael Chiesa is favored over Anthony Pettis at UFC 226 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is one of five on the main pay-per-view card. Chiesa is 14-3 in his career, while Pettis is 20-7 in his career. There are a total of five fights on the main pay-per-view card, with the headliner a bout between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card with four on FS1 and three on UFC Fight Pass. Let’s look at the bout between Chiesa and Pettis and UFC picks.
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Michael Chiesa (14-3, 7-3 UFC)
Chiesa came into the UFC with a record of 7-0 and he has seven wins and three losses in the UFC. In his last four UFC fights, he has three wins and one loss. He defeated Mitch Clarke by unanimous decision, Jim Miller by submission, and Beneil Dariush by submission; while losing to Kevin Lee by technical submission. Chiesa has been a pro since 2008 and has 10 wins by submission. He has won five of his last seven fights and has five first round finishes.
Michael Chiesa said this to the latimes.com about his upcoming fight against Pettis, “Anthony’s ranked below me, but he’s a former world champion so this is a great fight for me to test my skills. Anthony’s a great striker and ground specialist with broad skills in the octagon. I haven’t fought for a while and didn’t want a warm-up fight. I wanted to jump right back in the pit and I got what I asked for. I got Anthony Pettis.”
Anthony Pettis (20-7, 7-6 UFC)
Pettis came into the UFC with a record of 13-1 and he has seven wins and six losses in the UFC. In his last four UFC fights, he has two wins and two losses. He defeated Charles Oliveira by submission and Jim Miller by unanimous decision; while losing to Max Holloway by TKO and Dustin Poirier by TKO. Pettis has been a pro since 2007 and has seven wins by TKO/KO and nine by submission. He has 12 first round finishes.
Anthony Pettis said this to mmajunkie.com about his upcoming fight against Chiesa, “I’ve got Chiesa coming up, and that’s all I’ve been focusing on. I’ve got a southpaw – a tall, lanky guy. He’s not very great anywhere, but he’s definitely dangerous. His striking – I’ve seen way better strikers. I’ve fought way better strikers. I’ve fought better grapplers. I’ve just got to my mind right to do my thing that I’m confident at. I feel like I’m three good wins from being back in the top 10 or top five.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Chiesa 2.18 / Pettis 2.81
Accuracy: Chiesa 37% / Pettis 45%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Chiesa 2.52/ Pettis 2.82
Defense: Chiesa 50% / Pettis 56%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Chiesa 2.71 / Pettis 0.82
Accuracy: Chiesa 40% / Pettis 54%
Takedowns defended: Chiesa 68% / Pettis 58%
Submission average: Chiesa 1.4 / Pettis 1.2
UFC Picks
Pettis has been having difficulty fighting in the UFC considering in the last seven fights, he has only won twice. It is hard to make a case for taking Pettis based on his recent form, so I will take Chiesa to win this fight. I also think the total is worth considering, as the two fighters have 17 combined first round finishes, so I will also take the rounds to go under the total.
UFC 226 takes place on Saturday, July 7, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are five fights on the main-per-view card, featuring Stipe Miocic taking on Daniel Cormier. There are seven fights on the preliminary card with four on FS1 and three on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Heavyweight – Stip Miocic -255 vs. Daniel Cormier
Featherweight – Max Holloway -152 vs. Brian Ortega
Heavyweight – Francis Ngannou -365 vs. Derrick Lewis
Lightweight – Michael Chiesa -160 vs. Anthony Pettis
Light Heavyweight –Gokhan Saki -140 vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Middleweight – Paulo Costa -465 vs. Uriah Hall
Welterweight – Paul Felder -150 vs. Mike Perry
Bantamweight –Raphael Assunção -180 vs. Rob Font
Welterweight – Curtis Millender -170 vs. Max Griffin
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Lightweight – Dan Hooker -125 vs. Gilbert Burns
Lightweight - Lando Vannata -170 vs. Drakkar Klose
Women’s Strawweight – Jamie Moyle -200 vs. Emily Whitmire
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