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The time has come for our final prediction and pick for UFC Vegas 83 as we'll see our headlining bout take place in the Bantamweight (135) Division with serious implications on the line. China's No. 7 Song Yadong will go to battle against USA's No. 14 Chris Gutierrez as both men try to mount their run towards the title. Check out our UFC odds series for our Song-Gutierrez prediction and pick.
Song Yadong (20-7-1) comes into this fight with an impressive 9-2-1 record during his quick run through the rankings. At just 26 years old, he's already notched wins over the likes of Chito Vera, Marlon Moraes, and most recently Ricky Simon. He was forced to withdraw from his last fight, but he'll now have to put his ranking on the line against a hungry challenger. Song Yadong stands 5'8″ with a 67-inch reach.
Chris Gutierrez (19-4-2) has posted a UFC record of 8-2-1 since 2018. His most notable wins have come against Frankie Edgar and most recently Alatengheili. He's also one of the only fighters in UFC history to have a leg kick stoppage, and he almost grabbed another his last time out. He'll face his toughest challenge to date as he stands to make a serious leap in the rankings. Gutierrez stands 5'9″ with a 67-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 83 Odds: Song Yadong-Chris Gutierrez Odds
Song Yadong: -380
Chris Gutierrez: +300
Over 3.5 rounds: -150
Under 3.5 rounds: +120
How to Watch Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
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Why Song Yadong Will Win
Song Yadong has managed to bounce back from his losses very well and he did just that following his loss to Cory Sandhagen. While Sandhagen exposed some of the flaws in his game, Song looked stellar in his last fight against a tough competitor in Ricky Simon. While he was expected to fight Rob Font in a much closer matchup, Gutierrez actually seems like a more dangerous matchup with his style of fighting and leg kicking. Song will have to address the leg kicks right away and take that facet out of his opponent's game. If he can do so, he should be able to have the slight striking advantage due to his level of competition thus far.
He's not typically known for his grappling, but Song Yadong possesses tremendous defensive wrestling and has managed an impressive 72% takedown defense through his fights. Him and his opponent aren't usually keen on shooting the first takedown, so we may see this fight take place exclusively on the feet. In that case, Song will have to overcome any length discrepancies and work his way inside for his combinations. He's got great power and accuracy for someone his size and his coach Urijah Faber will tell you that his work ethic is destined for greatness. Expect this to be a big step in his career if he can win convincingly.
Why Chris Gutierrez Will Win
Chris Gutierrez is one of the more under-appreciated fighters in this division and many can argue that he started the new wave of leg kicking in the UFC. He's been close to notching multiple leg kick stoppages during various fights and he's lethally accurate with where he places them on his opponent's shin. While his opponents are worried about his leg kicks, Gutierrez closes distance quickly with his long frame and snaps straight punches down the middle. He's also an extremely sound fighter defensively and doesn't typically take too much damage. When he does, he's very good about shrugging it off and continuing his march forward.
Chris Gutierrez could win this fight by overwhelming Song Yadong with his forward pressure. Of course, Song fights with the same style and is more than willing to meet his opponent in the middle, but Gutierrez could see some success if he pops his jab and disrupts the movement of Song. He'll be constantly threatening the leg kicks, so expect him to mix it up and throw his quick combinations in the pocket. His head movement will be key and he'll be looking for an opening where Song over-extends himself into a shot.
Final Song Yadong-Chris Gutierrez Prediction & Pick
The matchmakers did a great job making this fight with what they could and I think we're in for a very close fight stylistically. Both guys are tremendous strikers and do a great job of stuffing takedowns. Unless one of them makes it their mission to get this fight to the mat, we should see more of a traditional stand-up kickboxing fight. Both men have an array of weapons they can throw and both have insanely durable chins.
With how tough both of these fighters are, I expect this fight to go into the deeper rounds and possibly even to a decision. While they both have great finishing capabilities, I think they're very close in skill and too tough to put away in just one sequence. As the heavy favorite, Song Yadong will have the cleaner striking here and I trust his chin to hold up better over five rounds. His volume and forward pressure are the difference in many of his fights and he should hurt Gutierrez on a number of occasions. For our prediction, let's go with Song Yadong to get the win and the total to go over.
Final Song Yadong-Chris Gutierrez Prediction & Pick: Song Yadong (-380); OVER 3.5 Rounds (-150)
