Jake Ellenberger is favored against Ben Saunders at UFC Fight Night 131 on Friday night in Utica, New York. This event is one of six fights on the FS1 portion of the main card. Ellenberger is 31-13 in his career, while Saunders is 21-9-2 in his career. There are total of six fights on the main card at UFC Fight Night 131, with the headliner a bout between Jimmie Rivera and Marlon Moraes. 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 Ellenberger and Saunders and UFC picks.
Bet on UFC at BookMaker.eu
Jake Ellenberger (31-13, 10-9 UFC)
Ellenberger came into the UFC with a record of 21-4 and he has 10 wins and nine losses in the UFC. In his last five fights, he has one win and four losses. He defeated Matt Brown by TKO, while losing to Stephen Thompson by KO, Tarec Saffiedine by unanimous decision, Jorge Masvidal by TKO, and Mike Perry by KO. Ellenberger has been a pro since 2005 and has 19 wins by TKO/KO and six by submission. He has a total of 14 first round finishes.
Jake Ellenberger told mmajunkie.com about coming back to the UFC, “I’ve had such an introspective look at myself in preparation to be ready, for me, I can put myself in the best possible scenario. I can do everything my way and really just be honest with myself, have those honest conversations with myself. I think once you do that and you put it all out there, whatever happens, happens. I’m in a really good spot, I’ve been training consistently for about four months, and it’s just a different vibe right now.”
Ben Saunders (21-9-2, 8-6 UFC)
Saunders came into the UFC with a record of 5-0-2 and has eight wins and six losses in the UFC. In his last five fights, he has two wins and three losses. He defeated Jacob Volkmann by submission and Court McGee by unanimous decision while losing to Patrick Cote by TKO, Peter Sobotta by TKO, and Alan Jouban by KO. Saunders has been a pro since 2004 and has a total of nine wins by TKO/KO and seven by submission. He has a total of 11 first round finishes.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Ellenberger 2.43 / Saunders 3.35
Accuracy: Ellenberger 38% / Saunders 50%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Ellenberger 2.73/ Saunders 3.79
Defense: Ellenberger 61% / Saunders 51%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Ellenberger 2.10/ Saunders 0.25
Accuracy: Ellenberger 47% / Saunders 40%
Takedowns defended: Ellenberger 86% / Saunders 72%
Submission average: Ellenberger 0.4/ Saunders 1.1
UFC Picks
Ellenberger is listed as a -165 favorite over Saunders and that tells me something, considering Ellenberger has lost four of his last five fights. The oddsmakers don’t make mistakes that often and I think they know what is going on with this fight, so I will lay the price and take Ellensberger to get the win.
UFC Fight Night 131 takes place on Friday, June 1, 2018 at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York, featuring Jimmie Rivera vs. Marlon Moraes. There are six fights on the main card on FS1 and seven on the preliminary card, with four on FS1 and three on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (FS1)
Bantamweight – Jimmie Rivera -115 vs. Marlon Moraes
Lightweight – Gregor Gillespie -600 vs. Vinc Pichel
Heavyweight – Walt Harris -350 vs. Daniel Spitz
Welterweight – Jake Ellenberger -165 vs. Ben Saunders
Featherweight – Julio Arce -190 vs. Daniel Teymur
Light Heavyweight – Sam Alvey -165 vs. Gian Villante
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Women’s Flyweight – Sijara Eubanks -180 vs. Lauren Murphy
Lightweight – David Teymur -290 vs. Nik Lentz
Welterweight – Belal Muhammad - 420 vs. Chance Rencountre
Lightweight – Desmond Green vs. Gleison Tibau
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Women’s Strawweight – Jessica Aguilar vs. Jodie Esquibel
Bantamweight – Johnny Eduardo vs. Nathaniel Wood
Flyweight – Jarred Brooks vs. Jose Torres
How to Bet
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.
