No. 15 bantamweight Rani Yahya (26-9, 20 SUBs) will meet prospect Ricky Simon (14-1, 5 KOs, 2 SUBs) at UFC 234 on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The main card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10pm ET.
There’s been a lot of amazing Brazilian submission artists inside the octagon: Demian Maia, Ronaldo Souza, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are a few that immediately come to mind. Rani Yahya isn’t somebody that casual fans are aware of, but he’s definitely a dude that’s every bit as dangerous when it comes to torquing limbs and cutting off blood supply.
This Saturday, the Brazilian will look to extend a three-fight winning streak - all of which have come by way of submission. The 34-year old is peaking as a fighter, and it’s time to see whether he belongs in the top 15. Enter Ricky Simon, the No. 15 bantamweight.
Currently on a seven-fight winning streak that includes two fights in the UFC, the 26-year old has a clear path towards contendership should he get past Yahya. In fact, one could argue that Simon should be fighting a top-10 guy given how great he’s looked - just his luck that he’s operating in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your best online betting options. Live UFC betting is also available between rounds to hedge any of your bets as well.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Rani Yahya -105
Ricky Simon -125
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -125 / -105
Significant Striking Stats
Landed per minute: Yahya 1.45 / Simon 1.97
Accuracy: Yahya 38% / Simon 37%
Absorbed per minute: Yahya 1.46 / Simon 4.63
Defense: Yahya 50% / Simon 67%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Yahya 3.13 / Simon 4.5
Takedown accuracy: Yahya 34% / Simon 33%
Takedown defense: Yahya 22% / Simon 64%
Submission average: Yahya 2.26 / Simon 0.5
Bet on this fight at BookMaker.eu now
Training out of Gracie Barra Portland, Simon has built a game based on activity and pace. While he doesn’t land a high number of strikes, he throws at a high volume while mixing in a ton of takedown attempts. 4.5 takedowns a minute is an extremely high number, though he might want to think twice about rolling with a dude like Yahya.
Though he’s not a great athlete nor a good striker, Yahya has carved out a place for himself with relentless submission grappling. Much like Demian Maia, he will glue himself to an opponent and find a way to drag fights to the ground. Of course, that makes him really predictable, but there’s not much a lot of opponents can do against it. This is not a guy you want on top of you - he’s an expert at draining energy bars and advancing positions. A single mistake on the ground leads to a tap.
If Simon can keep this fight standing, he should be able to maintain the activity to win this on points. His 64% takedown defense will be tested, but he’s eight years younger and a far fresher fighter. Still, he’s yet to face a test like Yahya, which is why the odds are so competitive here.
UFC Odds Pick: Yahya to win at -105
While Simon is the more physically gifted fighter, we’re just not sure he has the experience to keep Yahya off him. Keep your eye on the first round here: if the Brazilian is able to stick a takedown, it’ll only get easier for him from there. But if this becomes a version of Maia-Woodley, we’d recommend hedging a bet on Yahya with a bet on Simon. Fighting elite, one-dimensional grapplers usually go one of two ways: the grappler ends up dominating on the ground, or he gets stuck shooting for failed takedowns while getting outworked on the feet.
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today. UFC 234 takes place on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The main card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10pm ET.
