Alexander is slightly favored against Juan Espino at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum on Saturday, April 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is one of seven fights on preliminary card on ESPN/ESPN+. Romanov is 13-0 in his career, while Espino is 10-1 in his career. There are a total of six fights on the main card on UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum, with the headliner a bout between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card on ESPN/ESPN+. Let's look at the bout between Romanov and Espino and UFC predictions.
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum Betting
Alexander Romanov (13-0, 2-0 UFC)
Romanov came into the UFC with a record of 11-0 and he has two wins and no losses in the UFC. He defeated Roque Martinez by arm-triangle choke submission and Marcos Rogério de Lima by technical submission. Romanov has been a pro since 2016 and he has five wins by TKO/KO and eight by submission. He has 10 first round finishes.
Juan Espino (10-1, 2-0 UFC)
Espino came into the UFC with a record of 8-1 and he has two wins and no losses in the UFC. He defeated Justin Frazier by straight armlock submission and Jeff Hughes by scarf hold submission. Espino's only loss in his career was against Vitaly Minakov by TKO on April 21, 2011. Espino has been a pro since 2009 and he has one win by TKO and seven by submission. He has eight first round finishes.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Romanov 4.31/ Espino 4.32
Striking Accuracy: Romanov 39% / Espino 80%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Romanov 1.76/ Espino 0.54
Defense: Romanov 43% / Espino 42%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Romanov 6.35/ Espino 14.19
Takedown Accuracy: Romanov 66% / Espino 77%
Takedowns defended: Romanov 0% / Espino 0%
Submission average: Romanov 3.2/ Espino 6.1
UFC Picks
Romanov and Espino have limited experience in the UFC, but each has proven he can more than hold his own. What we do know is that this fight should be decided on the mat. Romanov has eight wins by submission and Espino has seven submission victories. The two have combined to win 23 fights and 15 of those wins were by submission. Many of the fights didn't last long, as Romanov has 10 first round finishes, while Espino has eight first round finishes. The round total is listed at 1.5 for this fight and it is hard to envision the fight lasting long. I would consider some props on each fighter to win by submission if I got enough plus money, but I think the best option is to simply play the rounds. This fight should end by submission one way or the other, so I will take the rounds to go under the total.
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum Card & Odds
Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum +207 vs. Robert Whittaker -255
Middleweight: Bartosz Fabinski -132 vs. Gerald Meerschaert +108
Heavyweight: Juan Espino +103 vs. Alexander Romanov -127
Lightweight: Drakkar Klose +103 vs. Jeremy Stephens -127
Women's Flyweight: Justine Kish +200 vs. Tracy Cortez -245
Lightweight: Luis Peña -142 vs. Alexander Munoz +118
Bantamweight: Tony Gravely -342 vs. Anthony Birchak +270
Women's Strawweight: Jessica Penne +238 vs. Lupita Godinez -298
Featherweight: Bill Algeo -122 vs. Ricardo Ramos -102
Middleweight: Jacob Malkoun +228 vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan -284
Women's Bantamweight: Zarah Fairn Dos Santos +108 vs. Josiane Nunes -132
Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski -137 vs. Chase Sherman +113
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