Augusto Sakai is slightly favored against Blagoy Ivanov at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns on Saturday, May 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is one of five fights on the main card on ESPN. Sakai is 14-1-1 in his career and unbeaten in the UFC at 3-0, while Ivanov is 18-3 in his career and 2-2 in the UFC. There are a total of five fights on the main card on UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns, with the headliner a bout between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns. There are also a total of six fights on the preliminary card on ESPN. Let’s look at the bout between Sakai and Ivanov and UFC picks.
Augusto Sakai 14-1-1, 3-0 UFC
Sakai came into the UFC with a record of 11-1-1 and he has three wins and no losses in the UFC. He defeated Chase Sherman by TKO, Andrei Arlovski by split decision, and Marcin Tybura by KO. Sakai’s only loss in his career was against Cheick Kongo by split decision and that came more than three years ago on May 19, 2017. Sakai has been a pro since 2011 and most of his wins have come by knockout, as he has 11 wins by TKO/KO. He has six first round finishes.
Blagoy Ivanov 18-3, 2-2 UFC
Ivanov came into the UFC with a record of 16-1 and he has two wins and two losses in the UFC. He defeated Ben Rothwell by unanimous decision and Tai Tuivasa by unanimous decision; while losing to Junior dos Santos by unanimous decision and Derrick Lewis by split decision. Ivanov has been a pro since 2007 and he has six wins by TKO/KO and six by submission. He has eight first round finishes.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Sakai 5.51/ Ivanov 3.09
Striking Accuracy: Sakai 46% / Ivanov 38%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Sakai 3.77/ Ivanov 3.93
Defense: Sakai 57% / Ivanov 55%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Sakai 0.24/ Ivanov 1.07
Takedown Accuracy: Sakai 50% / Ivanov 62%
Takedowns defended: Sakai 88% / Ivanov 75%
Submission average: Sakai 0.0/ Ivanov 0.2
We know that Sakai has good size and he is a powerful striker capable of getting the knockout. The question in this fight is whether or not he can deal with a very talented fighter in Ivanov who has never been knocked out. Ivanov would prefer to get this fight to the mat, but Sakai has been very good in his career defending takedown attempts. If this fight stays standing then you have to like the chances of Sakaki getting the win. These two have similar resumes in the UFC, with Sakai fighting three times, while Ivanov has fought four times. The difference is that Sakai has found a way to win all of his UFC bouts, while Ivanov has split his four. I lean toward Sakai in this fight and I also like the rounds to go under the total.
UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns takes place at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 30 with five fights on the main card, headlined by Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns and six preliminary bouts. All 11 bouts will be shown on ESPN.
Main UFC Card ESPN
Welterweight – Tyron Woodley -192 vs. Gilbert Burns
Heavyweight – Augusto Sakai -120 vs. Blagoy Ivanov
Welterweight – Kevin Holland -230 vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Lightweight – Roosevelt Roberts -340 vs. Brok Weaver
Women’s Strawweight – Mackenzie Dern -425 vs. Hannah Cifers
Preliminary UFC Card ESPN
Antonina Shevchenko -145 vs. Katlyn Chookagian
Billy Quarantillo -150 vs. Spike Carlyle
Jamahal Hill -132 vs. Klidson Abreu
Tim Elliott -195 vs. Brandon Royval
Casey Kenney -285 vs. Louis Smolka
Chris Gutierrez -115 vs. Vince Morales
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