Light heavyweight veteran Krzysztof Jotko (20-4, 6 KOs, 1 SUB) will meet prospect Marc-Andre Barriault (11-2, 8 KOs) at UFC 240 on Saturday, July 27, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10pm ET.
Marc-Andre Barriault may be coming off a loss to Andrew Sanchez in his UFC debut, but one could argue that his second promotional appearance features an even better opponent in Krzysztof Jotko. Perhaps fighting in his home country will lift the French-Canadian to his first win in the big show.
Jotko was once a fringe top 15 fighter, but a three-fight losing streak to the division’s upper echelon at 205 (David Branch, Uriah Hall, Brad Tavares) has ended his time as a ranked light heavyweight to an end. He was able to bounce back with a win over Alen Amedovski in his last fight, but Jotko is now relegated to fighting up-and-comers and aging vets until further notice.
Barriault earned his ticket to the UFC on the strength of a seven-fight win streak in regional competition. Having vicious killshot power certainly helped, as eight of his 11 career victories have come by TKO. The Patenaude Martial Arts product will have to level up a few notches if he wants to be anything more than a prelim fighter.
This has all the makings of an important crossroads fight for both men. Jotko risks becoming irrelevant with a loss after a brief appearance in the rankings. The 29-year old trains at American Top Team, so if there is any more talent to wring out of the Pole, you can bet that Dan Lambert’s squad will find a way. For Barriault, beating a respected light heavyweight like Jotko would be a springboard to better things - but two straight losses is a horrible way to start a UFC career.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at the online sportsbook and break down your best betting options. Live UFC betting at BookMaker.eu lets you hedge your bets between rounds.
UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Krzysztof Jotko -165
Marc-Andre Barriault +131
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -230 / +170
Significant Striking Stats
Landed per minute: Barriault 0 / Jotko 2.86
Accuracy: Barriault N/A / Jotko 44%
Absorbed per minute: Barriault 0 / Jotko 1.89
Defense: Barriault N/A / Jotko 59%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Barriault 0 / Jotko 1.12
Takedown accuracy: Barriault N/A / Jotko 37%
Takedown defense: Barriault N/A / Jotko 87%
Submission average: Barriault 0 / Jotko 0.12
UFC Online Odds Pick: Jotko to win at -165
When it comes to high level experience, Jotko has Barriault beat by a few miles. Though he’s been plagued by inconsistency of late, the Pole does boast a well-rounded skillset and a good enough fight IQ that he should be able to find a way to stifle Barriault. He should be watch Barriault’s UFC debut closely, as Andrew Sanchez used a clinch-heavy, takedown oriented approach to stifle the French-Canadian.
Still, Barriault is only a small underdog for a reason: the talent was evident as he won titles in two weight classes in the TKO League. He has legit knockout power and the underrated ability to go hard for three rounds under adversity. While Sanchez scored takedowns on him, Barriault made sure that he spent minimal time on the bottom and popped back to his feet. Still, his takedown defense needs work, and he has to figure out a way to maintain distance lest he gets suffocated over and over.
UFC Odds Pick: Fight doesn’t go to decision
The online odds are giving an affordable price on Jotko, but this prop should serve well as a hedge play. Barriault can end the fight at any time, and he’s not afraid to let his hands go. We should bring up that Jotko was knocked out in his last two losses, which suggests that his chin could be showing some cracks.
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