UFC 124: Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig Prediction

UFC Lightweight bout: Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig

Odds:  (-300 Stevenson /+240 Danzig )

Betting Pick:  Stevenson

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In the second bout, two former Ultimate Fighter winners will go at it as Joe “Daddy” Stevenson tries to get back in the win column against Season Six winner Mac Danzig. Both of these guys have had sort of rough roads as of late, so a win here is crucial if they want to maintain relevance in the Lightweight division.

Mac Danzig is a skilled grappler with decent technical boxing, although he lacks power. Despite his wide array of skills, he has had a rough road in the UFC so far. His submissions are good, but his punching lacks power and he is not a very imposing character physically, which coupled with his lack of quality wrestling has really held him back. He does have the ability to hang in there with anyone though, and can give people problems with accurate punching and good hand speed, and has good enough submissions to capitalize on any big mistakes on the ground.

Stevenson, who won The Ultimate Fighter Season 2, is a very good wrestler with good submissions as well. His striking is actually fairly decent, but he is hampered by a lack of reach and he doesn’t have much power. Still, he is very good at securing takedowns and maintaining positional control, and he has great submissions and good submission defense, so he is a very dangerous fighter on the ground overall.

I think this matchup favors Stevenson. Neither guy has the power to overwhelm the other with striking, and Stevenson is the stronger guy physically and has much better wrestling, so he will be in the driver’s seat when the fight goes to the ground. Stevenson should control the majority of this bout and earn the unanimous decision victory.

Prediction:  Joe “Daddy” Stevenson via Unanimous Decision. 

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…