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UFC Vegas 96: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho continues on the main card with a TUF Finale matchup between Kaan Ofli and Mairon Santos in the featherweight division. Ofli ran through the competition on The Ultimate Fighter en route to secure his spot in the finale meanwhile, Santos battled on The Ultimate Fighter winning each of his two fights on the show en route to his shot in the finale. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Ofli-Santos prediction and pick.
Kaan Ofli (11-2-1) got his shot on The Ultimate Fighter riding an 8-fight winning streak with five of those wins coming by finish. With Ofli getting wins in each of his two fights on The Ultimate Fighter he has now secured his spot in the finale as he looks to defeat his teammate Mairon Santos to become the next Ultimate Fighter.
Mairon Santos (13-1) was getting ready to make his UFC debut on short notice against Sean Woodson but visa issues prevented that from happening so instead he got his shot on The Ultimate Fighter and he took full advantage. He was able to go 2-0 on the show en route to his shot in the finale against teammate Kaan Ofli in his attempt to be the next Ultimate Fighter.
Here are the UFC Vegas 96 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 96 Odds: Kaan Ofli-Mairon Santos Odds
Kaan Ofli: +150
Mairon Santos: -180
Over 2.5 rounds:
Under 2.5 rounds:
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Why Kaan Ofli Will Win
Kaan Ofli came into his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter winning his last seven fights with four of those wins coming inside the distance. He then made a run all the way to the finale winning both of his fights in the show. Now, Ofli will be looking to finish the job when he takes on former teammate Mairon Santos this weekend at the TUF Finale.
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Ofli is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and he used that to his full advantage during his time on The Ultimate Fighter. His grappling prowess was able to control and get the submission victories, the more of the same will need to happen if wants to become the next Ultimate Fighter. In this matchup against Santos, he's going to need to use his aggression against him. As long as Ofli can land his takedowns and control this fight on the canvas he should get the nod on the judge's scorecards and become the next Ultimate Fighter.
Why Mairon Santos Will Win
Mairon Santos was originally scheduled to step up on short notice to face off against Sean Woodson in 2023 but visa issues derailed his first crack at the fighting inside the Octagon. He then moved his focus to The Ultimate Fighter where he went 2-0 and secured his spot in the finale. Now, Santos is hoping to finish the job and become the next Ultimate Fighter when he takes on Kaan Ofli on Saturday night.
Santos has looked the part during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter. He's an aggressive striker who's always looking to be the aggressor and push the pace putting his opponents on their back foot. His pressure and heavy strikes wore down each of his two opponents this season en route to dominant performances. His striking is going to combat against the grappling of Ofli and will be the difference-maker in this fight. If Santos can use his front kicks and straight punches to counter Ofli as he attempts to come within range he can do something big as he gets desperate potentially putting him away or getting the decision victory to become the next Ultimate Fighter.
Final Kaan Ofli-Mairon Santos Prediction & Pick
This was the best matchup to make since the beginning of the show. Kaan Ofli and Mairon Santos were the two best featherweights on the show and they will battle it out to become the next Ultimate Fighter. As for this matchup goes, Ofli will be looking to utilize his grappling to dominate this fight on the canvas meanwhile, Santos will be looking to punish Ofli on the feet and put him away. Ultimately, these two conflicting styles will make for a great fight but it will be Santos who will start to break down Ofli as the fight goes on and when Ofli starts to fade Santos will take over down the stretch and get the late finish or dominate enough to get the nod on the judge's scorecards.
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Final Kaan Ofli-Mairon Santos Prediction & Pick: Mairon Santos (-180)
