Gabriel Silva is slightly favored against Kyler Phillips at UFC Fight Night 169 on February 29 in Norfolk, Virginia. This event is one of seven fights on the preliminary card on ESPN+. Silva is 8-1 in his career, while Phillips is 6-1 in his career. There are a total of five fights on the main card on ESPN with the headliner a bout between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card, all on ESPN+. Let’s look at the bout between Silva and Phillips and UFC predictions.
Gabriel Silva (8-1, 0-1 UFC)
Silva came into the UFC with a record of 7-0 and he has no wins and one loss in the UFC. He lost to Ray Borg by unanimous decision. Silva’s last win in his career was against Jake Heffernan by KO on March 29, 2019. Silva has been a pro since 2011 and he has three wins by TKO/KO and one by submission. He has three first round finishes.
Silva said this to bloodyelbow.com about his upcoming fight against Phillips, “It might be Kyler’s UFC debut, but he has already been on TUF and Contender Series, so he’s already used to this environment. I watched everything I could find about him. I studied him very well. Even though he’s a striker, his fights usually go to the ground. He enjoys a scramble, so he might be a little annoying to deal with. I studied him in order to come up with some defense for his attacks. I think I’m ready for the fight. I’ll know what to do wherever the fight goes. My goal is to win, but I’ll try to close the distance, take him down, work my jiu-jitsu and look for the submission, which is my style. If I must predict a method, I’ll bet on a win by submission.”
Kyler Phillips (6-1, UFC debut)
Phillips will be making his UFC debut this Saturday. In his last fight he defeated Emeka Ifekandu by KO on February 1, 2019. Phillips has been a pro since 2016 and he has four wins by TKO/KO and one by submission. He has five first round finishes.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Anderson 0.53/ Viana 18.26
Striking Accuracy: Anderson 50% / Viana 56%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Anderson 1.00/ Viana 2.61
Defense: Anderson 34% / Viana 50%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Anderson 1.00/ Viana 0.00
Takedown Accuracy: Anderson 16% / Viana 0%
Takedowns defended: Anderson 33% / Viana 100%
Submission average: Anderson 0.0 / Viana 0.0
UFC Predictions
Neither of these fighters has much experience, so it is hard to get too excited about taking either of them. Phillips looks to have more power, but the quality of competition he has faced is weak. I will simply avoid a side and take the rounds to go over the total.
UFC Fight Night 169 takes place at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday, February 29 with five fights on the main card on ESPN+, headlined by Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo and six preliminary bouts, all on ESPN+.
Main Card (ESPN+)
Flyweight - Joseph Benavidez -138 vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Women's Featherweight - Felicia Spencer -800 vs. Zarah Fairn dos Santos
Light Heavyweight - Magomed Ankalaev -225 vs. Ion Cu?elaba
Women's Featherweight - Megan Anderson -235 vs. Norma Dumont Viana
Featherweight - Grant Dawson -430 vs. Darrick Minner
Preliminary card (ESPN+)
Bantamweight - Gabriel Silva -125 vs. Kyler Phillips
Middleweight - Tom Breese -130 vs. Brendan Allen
Heavyweight - Sergey Spivak -120 vs. Marcin Tybura
Featherweight - Jordan Griffin -140 vs. T.J. Brown
Featherweight - Aalon Cruz -120 vs. Spike Carlyle
Welterweight - Ismail Naurdiev -125 vs. Sean Brady
Lightweight - Luis Peña vs. Steve Garcia
How to Bet
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