UFC Atlantic City: Erin Blanchfield vs. Caolan Loughran kicks off the prelims with a fight in the bantamweight division between promotional newcomer Angel Pacheco and Caolan Loughran. Pacheco took a hard-fought loss on the Contender Series but was rewarded with a second chance after putting on a war meanwhile, Loughran dropped his UFC debut suffering his first professional defeat his last time out. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Pacheco-Loughran prediction and pick.
Angel Pacheco (7-2) will be making his UFC debut in a brand new weight class when he cuts to 135 lbs for the first time in his career. He had a rough go when he got brutally beat up in an all-out war against fellow UFC competitor Danny Silva in the last season of the Contender Series. However, Dana White liked his toughness and grit that he gave him another shot and now he's going to look to make the most of it when he steps inside the Octagon against Caolan Loughran this weekend.
Caolan Loughran (8-1) suffered his first professional defeat against a very experienced Taylor Lapilus in his UFC debut. Loughran was the former Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion and was a highly-touted prospect coming into that debut until the hype was derailed for the time being. Loughran will be looking to get his first pro loss back when he heads to Atlantic City, New Jersey to take on Angel Pacheco.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Atlantic City Odds: Angel Pacheco-Caolan Loughran Odds
Angel Pacheco: +285
Caolan Loughran: -350
Over 2.5 rounds: -105
Under 2.5 rounds: -125
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Why Angel Pacheco Will Win
Angel Pacheco is part of the New England Cartel training with the likes of Calvin Kattar, Rob Font, and fellow UFC Atlantic City competitor Connor Matthews just to name a few. He is a tough fighter that is always looking for a good scrap as he showed just that during his time on the Contender Series against Danny Silva. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get the win against Silva but his toughness and heart were what impressed Dana White the most and gave him a second chance to prove himself.
Now, Pacheco gets to take on a tough bantamweight prospect in Caolan Loughran who dropped his UFC debut and suffered his first pro loss in his last fight. This is yet another fight in which Pacheco is going to have to push through some adversity but also he must drown Loughran with his pace and pressure. If he can bring the fight to Loughran and not let him get comfortable just walking him down and letting him tee off in the pocket he could potentially break Loughran in the latter portion of the fight to get his first win inside the Octagon.
Why Caolan Loughran Will Win
Caolan Loughran is a product of Team Kaobon Liverpool where the current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall trains. He was the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion before getting the call to take on Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC Fight Night but Ghemmouri had to withdraw from the fight which pitted Loughran against the very experienced Taylor Lapilus. Ultimately Loughran was outworked throughout the fight and dropped the decision.
Now, Loughran will be looking to get that one loss of his career back when he takes on Angel Pachecho who's making his UFC debut. Having already fought on the big stage the Octagon jitters should be far gone unlike Pacheco will have in this fight. Loughran should be dialed in on this fight and it looks like a good matchup for him. While Pacheco is tough, gritty, and durable, Loughran packs more of a punch and is precise with his striking. As long as Loughran doesn't get caught in a similar fight as Lapilus where he can land his strikes at range, he should be able to press forward get in the pocket to land his crisp combinations to get him back in the win column.
Final Angel Pacheco-Caolan Loughran Prediction & Pick
This is a great scrap in the bantamweight division to kickstart this UFC Atlantic City fight card. Angel Pacheco is no easy fight for anyone even someone as highly touted as Caolan Loughran. With that said, Loughran looks to be a bit better than Pacheco in every face of this fight. Expect Loughran to press forward looking to land his crisp boxing combinations and mix in the takedowns as he overwhelms Pacheco in his UFC and bantamweight debuts to notch another finish on his resume.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Angel Pacheco-Caolan Loughran Prediction & Pick: Caolan Loughran (-350), Under 2.5 Rounds (-125)
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