UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad
Charles Jourdain (-260) vs. Marcelo Rojo (+220)
Charles Jourdain the Canadian gets back in there after a draw last time out. He was a (-500) favorite in that fight and I personally think he should have lost that fight. These two both made weight and enjoyed a serious faceoff before headlining the prelims in tomorrow’s UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Muhammed. This is a bout that I highly doubt see’s the judges’ scorecards, as all of Jourdain’s wins have been via stoppage and Rojo has only seen the judges 3 out of his 16 professional fights.
Rojo finally steps in the Octogon after an 18-month layoff. This will be his first official UFC fight as his previous scheduled fight vs Raoni Barcelos was cancelled because of COVID-19. He has won 8 of his last 10 and all by finish – 5 by knockout and 3 by submission. “El Pitbull” is a very heavy-handed striker and enjoys switching stances moving in and out.
Neither of these guys are known for their wrestling as they prefer to stand and exchange over anything. I fully expect Jourdain, who is the more powerful striker, to mix in his body and legs kicks and probably end up victorious in this fight. For Jourdain to comfortable win, he’ll need a finish – as all of his wins are via finish. He should look to gets in close, switch stances, throw some unorthodox strikes and connect on a crazy overhand.
As for Rojo, he throws a lot of volume and has good power himself. All in all – the path of victory I see for Marcelo Rojo is he’ll need to out volume Jourdain to win this fight. In his regional fights, he has displayed some crazy power, I’m not sure how that will translate to the UFC (especially with him going up a weight class here) but he’s got a game opponent to test it on.
I’d be very surprised to see the judges get a hold of this one. Especially with both these guys haven’t lots of trouble in the wrestling department. I full expect this fight to stay standing as long as it lasts, with each fighter switching stances and throwing heavy shots while mixing in leg kicks.
Since I’d rather not lay -250 on Charles Jourdain money line and I can’t see the judges getting a hold of this featherweight bout – the play here is the fight not go the distance.
The best price available is via BetMGM at (-130).
Joey’s Best Bet:
Charles Jourdain vs Marcelo Rojo
Fight Doesn’t Go the Distance -130
