UFC Featherweight Bout: Chad Mendes vs. Ricardo Lamas
Odds: ( -450 Mendes / +325 Lamas )
Betting Pick: Mendes
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Coming to us LIVE from Fairfax, VA, is UFC Fight Night 63. Chad Mendes will square off against Ricardo Lamas with serious title implications on the line. Both of these fighters have great power behind there punches with Mendes having the slight edge. Both have had their chances against the champ (Aldo) but neither have been successful. The featherweight class is in my mind the most talented division in the UFC and having Lamas ranked fourth proves that point. Don’t let the starting time of 1PM EST detract you from watching this main event because it is sure to be one of the best fights the UFC has had in some time.
Ricardo Lamas #4 15-3
Lamas is going to want to start this fight early and keep it going often. Some would say he tends to be a bit reckless in the octagon with two of his three losses coming by way of knockout, but I can assure you everything Lamas does is calculated. Lamas possesses much underrated power and Mendes is going to find that out quickly. Lamas is going to keep close at all times looking for an opening to land a devastating blow to then show off his ground-and-pound ability. In my opinion Lamas has the advantage on the ground when it comes to both submission and power. I can see Lamas looking for a spot to take Mendes to the ground after wearing him down and finishing the fight in that manner. With the obvious power of Mendes, I sincerely hope Lamas has been working on his striking defense. Being the opportunistic fighter that Lamas is, it comes at a price. My advice for Lamas would be to come out of the gate strong and try to work with his striking ability to wear down Mendes, then take a shot and bring him to the ground. Lamas will be tested for the first time since Aldo, and we’ll all get to see if he’s ready for another shot at the title.
Chad Mendes #1 16-2
The power of Chad Mendes is unmistakable and he’ll look to show Lamas exactly that. Mendes possesses all the skills needed to win this fight. He is a better striker with a better takedown offense and defense. To win this fight though, he is going to need for all of those to be perfect. With a much shorter reach than Lamas, he’s going to have to stay in close for his striking capabilities to be effective. If this fight does make its way to the mat, his wrestling skills are going to come in handy has well. With Lamas being so effective on the mat, Mendes is going to need to minimize the damage by dictating how long he can stay down there. My advice for Mendes would be to utilize his takedown defense and keep this fight on their feet. Look for an opening that Lamas is most certainly going to give, and showoff the power by landing a knockout blow. I cant imagine that Mendes is going to come out as fired up as Lamas, so Mendes should focus deferring with his defensive skills the early back-and-forth exchanges and wait for the perfect time. With a title shot on the line, we can all be rest assured Mendes has the perfect game plan.
Prediction
With a title shot on the line, I cant imagine this fight being anything other than exciting. Lamas can end this fight on his feet and on the ground, it just depends on whether he can stay calculated and not give Mendes the opening he’ll be waiting for. Unfortunately for Lamas, I believe Mendes will find that opening and finish this fight by knockout. Mendes seriously wants another shot at the title, whether it be Aldo or McGregor.
Winner: Chad Mendes by T/KO – 2nd Round
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