Canadian prospect Charles “Air” Jourdain (10-2, 7 KOs, 3 SUBs) will meet veteran Andre “Touchy” Fili (20-7, 9 KOs, 3 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night: Eye vs. Calvillo on Saturday, June 6, 2020, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card streams live on ESPN.
Andre Fili will make his 15th octagon appearance this Saturday when he meets Canada’s, Charles Jourdain. That’s an impressive feat for any fighter, especially one who operates in such a stacked division. While Fili has never entered the contender ranks, he’s amassed a resume that includes fights against guys like Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, Calvin Kattar, Michael Johnson, and the GOAT himself, Artem Lobov.
For whatever reason, Fili hasn’t achieved the type of recognition of similarly accomplished fighters, like Cub Swanson. But he’s still just 29 and one of the most experienced fighters in the division. Right now, he’s a gatekeeper, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped up another level or so in the future. This Saturday, Fili meets 24-year old Charles Jourdain in an intriguing matchup.
Jourdain is an excellent young prospect with a 1-1 UFC record. Though he lost his promotion debut, he fought well against a tough competitor in Desmond Green. His encore went much, much better, as he put away noted knockout artist Doo Ho Choi as a short-notice underdog. The former TKO champ is taking a massive step up in competition on the strength of that win. We’ve got to give the kid credit for jumping right into the fire.
The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu opened with Andre Fili as a big -220 favorite, with Jourdain at +180 on the comeback. We’d expect the money lines to hover around here, but we’ll keep you updated if there are any big movements. Let’s take a look at the online sportsbook and get to your best betting values, accounting for money lines, round totals, prop bets, and victory bets.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Andre Fili -232
Charles Jourdain +180
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -185 / +155
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Fili 4.0 / Jourdain 4.85
Striking accuracy: Fili 37% / Jourdain 43%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Fili 3.96 / Jourdain 4.89
Striking defense: Fili 53% / Jourdain 49%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Fili 2.49 / Jourdain 0
Takedown accuracy: Fili 45% / Jourdain 0%
Takedown defense: Fili 69% / Jourdain 0%
Submission average: Fili 0.2 / Jourdain 0.0
Bet this UFC fight at the online sportsbook
Fili is finally being recognized as an upper-tier fighter after seven years on the UFC roster. For years, Fili was nothing more than a wild, fun brawler willing to throw caution to the wind. More recently, the Team Alpha Male product has found a groove of being more controlled, but not losing the aggression that makes him successful. There’s not really anything he can’t do, and he’s got the experience to handle himself at all ranges and levels. Like all Team Alpha Male fighters, he is particularly effective in the scrambles.
Jourdain was making waves in Canada’s MMA scene, eventually earning a ticket to the octagon. His debut was under less-than-ideal circumstances, as he jumped up a weight class to meet Desmond Green on short notice. But he rebounded nicely, beating Choi in the Korean’s home country. The young fighter is entertaining, constantly moving forward and forcing opponents into trench wars. He still has a ways to go before he can overwhelm guys with his style, but the tools are there to become a polished fighter with a technically stifling style.
UFC Odds Pick: Fili to win at -230
It’s hard to bet against Fili’s experience here. Jourdain has yet to face a guy like him yet, and he will find the Team Alpha Male rep much, much harder to corral than a brawler like Choi. Fili’s underrated wrestling skill is his crutch, and anybody that comes from the Sacramento camp can go hard for 15 minutes. Even if Jourdain gets the upper hand on the feet, he won’t have an answer for Fili’s grappling. That makes Touchy the safe bet, though his price isn’t cheap.
Main Card ESPN/ESPN+
Women's Flyweight- Jessica Eye -113 vs. Cynthia Calvillo
Middleweight- Marvin Vettori -201 vs. Karl Roberson
Bantamweight- Merab Dvalishvili -389 vs. Ray Borg
Featherweight- Andre Fili -232 vs. Charles Jourdain
Bantamweight- Jordan Espinosa -162 vs. Mark De La Rosa
Preliminary Card ESPN/ESPN+
Lightweight- Kevin Aguilar -174 vs. Charles Rosa
Women's Bantamweight- Julia Avila -483 vs. Gina Mazany
Flyweight- Ryan Benoit -122 vs. Tyson Nam
Featherweight- Jordan Griffin -181 vs. Darrick Minner
Women's Flyweight- Mariya Agapova vs. Hannah Cifers
Welterweight- Anthony Ivy -191 vs. Christian Aguilera
Women's Flyweight- Ariane Lipski vs. Luana Carolina
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