No. 9 featherweight Dan "50k" Ige (14-3, 3 KOs, 5 SUBs) will meet Canada's Gavin Tucker (13-1, 4 KOs, 6 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on ESPN+ starting 8pm ET. In the main event, welterweight contender Leon Edwards (18-3, 6 KOs, 3 SUBs) will meet surging vet Belal Muhammad (18-3, 4 KOs, 1 SUB) in an important divisional matchup. Let's take a close look at the Ige vs. Tucker odds and break down your best UFC betting options at the online sportsbook.
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The Stakes
Does the top featherweight tier have room for more fighters? It's a stacked division for sure, which makes it tough for guys like Dan Ige and Gavin Tucker to get some shine. Ige is currently ranked No. 9 with a 6-2 UFC record, and the unranked Tucker has a huge shot to leapfrog into the top 10 with a win. A win here could lead to some big-name matchups, considering that the guys ranked immediately ahead of Ige are Lil ‘Heathen, Josh Emmett, Calvin Kattar and the Korean Zombie. Told ya' this was a loaded weight class.
Dan Ige (14-3, 3 KOs, 5 SUBs)
When 50k was tapped to headline a Fight Night against Kattar, much of the public response was "who is Dan Ige and why is he in a main event?" It was a fair question, but the Hawaiian had quietly put in work since leveling up from DWCS. Though he stumbled out of the gate with a decision loss to Julio Arce in his debut, Ige promptly reeled off six straight wins - including split decisions over the highly regarded Mirsad Bektic and human highlight reel Edson Barboza. Ige fell short against Kattar, but he put up a respectable fight and proved he belong in the cage with a legitimate title contender.
There's nothing flashy to Ige's game - he's not a knockout threat nor is he a submission wizard. But he is an expert at intelligently applying pressure, and is comfortable on the feet or the mat. The 29-year old is quick and athletic, and he relies on his speed to outpoint opponents. It's fair to wonder if he'd ever drop to bantamweight as he isn't a big 145er, but to his credit he hasn't been muscled around just yet. However, his size really works against him at distance, as Ige really has no long-range game to speak about. For him to win, he'll have to get in close and make things ugly.
Gavin Tucker (13-1, 4 KOs, 6 SUBs)
Tucker has had his ups and downs inside the octagon. Debuting as an undefeated Canadian prospect, Tucker won his UFC debut against Sam Sicilia, but was battered silly in his encore against Rick Glenn. In fact, Glenn thrashed him so hard that Tucker sat out for two years before returning in 2019 to sub Seung Woo Choi. He followed that up by subbing Justin Jaymes and most recently decisioned Billy Quarantillo. If you don't know who any of those guys are, don't feel bad. Tucker's competition hasn't been very good, but that's about to change in a big way against Ige.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Ige 3.96 / Tucker 4.40
Striking accuracy: Ige 46% / Tucker 45%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Ige 3.36 / Tucker 4.29
Striking defense: Ige 58% / Tucker 57%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Ige 1.69 / Tucker 3.00
Takedown accuracy: Ige 27% / Tucker 42%
Takedown defense: Ige 59% / Tucker 53%
Submissions per 15 minutes: Ige 0.5 / Tucker 1.5
UFC Picks
While Tucker has developed a solid wrestling game, Ige is a much better grappler than his previous opponents. In fact, Ige is easily the best all-around fighter Tucker has faced to date. This one should be close, but Ige already has wins over better competition - he should walk away the winner. The other easy bet is that the fight goes to decision - neither fighter is a known finisher.
UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad Card & Odds
Welterweight: Belal Muhammad +213 vs. Leon Edwards -264
Middleweight: Eryk Anders +150 vs. Darren Stewart -181
Heavyweight: Philipe Lins -107 vs. Ben Rothwell -117
Light Heavyweight: Ryan Spann -102 vs. Misha Cirkunov -122
Bantamweight: Davey Grant +246 vs. Jonathan Martinez -308
Welterweight: Matthew Semelsberger -127 vs. Jason Witt +103
Women's Strawweight: Jinh Yu Frey +150 vs. Gloria de Paula -181
Bantamweight: Ray Rodriguez +235 vs. Rani Yahya -293
Featherweight: Dan Ige -127 vs. Gavin Tucker +103
Women's Flyweight: Cortney Casey +121 vs. JJ Aldrich -145
Featherweight: Marcelo Rojo +203 vs. Charles Jourdain -250
Women's Strawweight: Ashley Yoder +290 vs. Angela Hill -371
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