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The UFC Vegas 83 Main Card will be live from the Apex on ESPN+ as we're set to bring you a prediction and pick for our opening bout taking place in the Middleweight (185) Division. Dangerous finishers will square off as South Korea's JunYong Park takes on Brazil's Andre Muniz. This is a great fight stylistically to open the Main Card! Check out our UFC odds series for our Park-Muniz prediction and pick.
JunYong Park (17-5) has gone an impressive 7-2 in his UFC stint since 2019. He's one of the hotter fighters in the division at the moment, having won his last four consecutive bouts. He was an underdog in his last fight against Albert Duraev and managed to get a submission finish in the second round. He'll face arguably his toughest challenge as he goes for five in a row against Muniz. Park stands 5'10” with a 73-inch reach.
Andre Muniz (23-6) has gone 5-2 during his UFC career and he's built a reputation as one of the division's most lethal grapplers. He notched two consecutive armbar victories and fought Brendan Allen at the peak of his rise. However, Muniz has dropped back-to-back fights against Allen and Paul Craig, so he'll be in a desperate spot to keep his position in middleweight contention. Muniz stands 6'1″ with a 78-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 83 Odds: JunYong Park-Andre Muniz Odds
JunYong Park: -175
Andre Muniz: +142
Over 1.5 rounds: -166
Under 1.5 rounds: +130
How to Watch JunYong Park vs. Andre Muniz
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Article Continues Below
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT (Main Caird)
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Why JunYong Park Will Win
JunYong Park has been on quite the impressive streak, but he continues to come into fights as the betting underdog. With four wins in a row, odds makers have taken notice and make him the favorite against a fighter that he may have been an underdog against a year prior. Instead, Park has found creative ways to win fights and always does his best to counter whatever his opponents are comfortable with. He was slated to have a huge grappling disadvantage against Albert Duraev, but submitted him handily nonetheless. It marked his third consecutive win by rear naked choke and he'll have another willing grappler to work against in this one.
While Park has seen success in his grappling recently, he does so by setting it up with his volume striking at the start of rounds. He's very good with his forward pressure and welcomes fighting in the clinch. Muniz is easily the best submission artist Park has had to face, so don't be surprised if Park tries to stun everyone with a submission of his own. He'll have to keep his transitions tight as Muniz is always searching for the slightest opening, but he could definitely control this fight is he finds success from top position.
Why Andre Muniz Will Win
Before his fight against Brendan Allen, Andre Muniz was heralded as the next great submission artist in the Middleweight Division. He's a multiple-time World Jiu Jitsu Champion and he's been able to translate his submission skills, namely the armbar, very well to the UFC octagon. However, he ran into a bit of a brick wall in Brendan Allen and dropped his subsequent fight against Paul Craig. He was extremely willing to grapple in both of those fights and it surprisingly worked against his favor. It'll be interesting to see whether he presses the action in this one or takes more of a reactionary approach against Park.
While his striking is still coming along, Andre Muniz will be the longer fighter here and should look to fight behind his reach advantage. He's not the fastest or most fluid striker, so he'll be at a speed disadvantage to the fast hands of JunYong Park. Muniz should look to do his worst damage in the clinch while also wearing down on Park's gas tank. He's been too complacent with laying on his back over the last two fights, so he'll need to be more offensive this time around and chase submissions constantly if he finds himself compromised.
Final JunYong Park-Andre Muniz Prediction & Pick
Both of these fighters are riding opposite streaks and the betting odds would have been very different if this fight took place a year ago. Brendan Allen and Paul Craig really took some of the wind out of Andre Muniz' sails, so it'll be interesting to see what approach he goes with in trying to bounce back. On the ground, he'll have the betting submission skills and should look for the armbar with Park in his guard.
However, Muniz has been struggling with competent wrestler and JunYong Park is no different. He's had success wrestling against very stiff competition and his determination to find the submission prevails each time. I expect Park to give Muniz serious issues on the ground with his top pressure. As long as he doesn't put his head in the wrong position, he should be able to win this fight. Let's take this one to end by submission for either side.
Final JunYong Park-Andre Muniz Prediction & Pick: JunYong Park (-175); Fight Ends in Submission (+150)
