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Contender Series Week 10: Ramon Tavares vs. Cortavious Romious kicks off the fight card in the bantamweight division with a fight between Davi Costa and Lucas Rocha. Costa is coming in riding a 10-fight winning streak that dates all the way back to July 2021 meanwhile, Rocha is on a five-fight win streak with four of those wins coming inside the distance. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Costa-Rocha prediction and pick.
Davi Costa (14-3) was originally slated to face off against Lucas Rocha on last week's episode of the Contender Series but Rocha failed to make weight and missed by almost five pounds. Dana White and the matchmakers thought highly of both of these prospects that they just pushed this fight one week ahead and made them move up to bantamweight. Costa is a well-rounded fighter who has 12 finishes which are split evenly between knockouts and submissions and his ability to mix it up will come in handy when he finally takes on Lucas Rocha on this week's episode of the Contender Series.
Lucas Rocha (16-1) is a young flyweight prospect who's only 23 years old but has a plethora of experience with 17 professional fights, fighting primarily in his home country of Brazil. He has some serious power for his short stature of just 5'2″ which could be the difference maker against a fighter like Costa who is more accustomed to taking the fight to the mat and beating his opponents there. Rocha will be looking to make up for missing weight in a big way when he takes on Davi Costa on Tuesday night's finale of the Contender Series.
Here are the Contender Series UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Contender Series Odds: Davi Costa-Lucas Rocha Odds
Davi Costa: -126
Lucas Rocha: -102
How to Watch Davi Costa vs. Lucas Rocha
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
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Why Davi Costa Will Win
Davi Costa was supposed to meet with Lucas Rocha on last week's episode of the Contender Series but he egregiously missed weight by almost five pounds. Dana White and matchmakers really liked this matchup and they allowed them to fight just a week later. Now, they are finally ready to go to battle but up at 135 pounds between these two flyweight prospects. Costa is now riding a 10-fight win streak coming into this matchup with nine of those wins coming inside the distance.
Costa is a very well-rounded fighter with 12 of his wins coming inside the distance which is split evenly between submissions and knockouts. While he does have six knockouts on his resume it's his grappling that the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt shines. He takes on the surging Brazilian Lucas Rocha who's a very dangerous and heavy-handed striker. Rocha just throws caution to the win looking for the knockout blow which someone like Costa can make him pay with a well-timed takedown and if this fight goes to the mat Costa will have the chance to notch another submission victory on his record.
Why Lucas Rocha Will Win
Lucas Rocha is a young Brazilian flyweight prospect who has a plethora of experience for only being 23 years old. He is 17 fights into his professional career which makes him one of the most experienced fighters on this episode of the Contender Series with his opponent Davi Costa being right up there with him. Rocha is an exciting flyweight prospect with nine of his 16 wins coming by way of knockout. Don't let his height fool you as this Brazilian can crack with guys twice his size.
He takes on another exciting Brazilian flyweight prospect Davi Costa who will bring the fight to him but just a bit differently than Rocha. Costa will be attempting to get this fight to the mat which could be very dangerous for Rocha as he is the most dangerous submission threat that Rocha has faced in his young career. If Rocha can however keep this fight standing he has the potential to land yet another knockout blow which should secure him his UFC contract.
Final Davi Costa vs. Lucas Rocha Prediction & Pick
This is a great fight to kick off the season finale of the Contender Series as these two flyweights go to battle. It is always a red flag when a fighter misses weight and by a lot and now he came in under the 135 pounds limit as well. There is a distinct size advantage for Costa in this fight which plays into his style of fighting which is to dominate Rocha on the mat. Ultimately, Rocha will be the one looking to push the pace and be the aggressor on the feet but his aggressiveness will help Costa time his takedowns and get the fight to the mat where he will eventually take the back and sink in the rear naked choke for the submission victory and the UFC contract.
Final Davi Costa vs. Lucas Rocha Prediction & Pick: Davi Costa (-126)
