UFC Vegas 96: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho continues on the prelims with a fight between Dennis Buzukja and Francis Marshall in the featherweight division. Buzukja was able to finally get the first win of his UFC career with a blistering third-round knockout in his last fight meanwhile, Marshall will be stepping in on just a day’s notice to take this fight as he looks to stop a two-fight skid this weekend. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Buzukja-Marshall prediction and pick.
Dennis Buzukja (12-4) didn’t have the best start to his UFC career as he dropped each of his first two fights with the promotion to Sean Woodson and Jamall Emmers. He was then able to get back on track when he beat up Connor Matthews to his first win and first finish inside the Octagon. Buzukja was originally scheduled to face off against Danny Silva but he had to withdraw from the fight and now he will be taking on Francis Marshall in an attempt to extend his winning streak to two wins in a row.
Francis Marshall (7-2) had a fantastic debut fight where he knocked out Marcelo Rojo in the second round. That wasn’t long-lived as he dropped his next two fights, most recently getting finished in the first round by Isaac Dulgarian. This will be Marshall’s first fight in 12 months as steps in for the injured Danny Silva on just a day’s notice to take on Dennis Buzukja to get back on track Saturday night.
Here are the UFC Vegas 96 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 96 Odds: Dennis Buzukja-Francis Marshall Odds
Dennis Buzukja: +124
Francis Marshall: -148
Over 2.5 rounds:
Under 2.5 rounds:
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Why Dennis Buzukja Will Win
Dennis Buzukja appeared on the Contender Series twice but didn’t receive a contract either time but he was able to get his shot on the big show when he stepped up on short notice to take on Sean Woodson in his UFC debut. Unfortunately, that fight didn’t go well as he was outworked to a one-sided decision. He didn’t have much success in his next fight either as he was knocked out against Jamall Emmers. However, with his back against the wall, he was able to secure his first win inside the Octagon when he knocked out Connor Matthews in round three. Now, Buzukja will look to extend his winning streak to two in a row when he takes on short-notice replacement Frank Marshall.
Buzukja was getting ready to take on Danny Silva which was going to be an absolute dogfight for 15 minutes but this fight with Marshall shouldn’t be as high-paced as his fight with Silva was going to be. Marshall is a well-rounded fighter who doesn’t fight at a high pace and can sometimes let rounds go with his inactivity which is something that Buzukja can take advantage of. If there is anything that Buzukja does well it’s push the pace and come forward looking to take the fight to his opponent. It will be up to Buzukja to bring the fight to Marshall and defend the power strikes and takedown attempts thrown his way and just outwork Marshall down the stretch to come away with the victory.
Why Francis Marshall Will Win
Francis Marshall looked like he was going to be something special after his dominant performance on the Contender Series against Connor Matthews and his knockout of Marcelo Rojo in his UFC debut. Unfortunately, that was short-lived when he dropped his next two fights in a row most recently getting steamrolled by Isaac Dulgarian. Now, Marshall is looking to right the ship and get back into the win column when he takes on Dennis Buzukja on very short notice this weekend at the UFC Apex.
Marshall is a well-rounded fighter who’s able to mix it up on the feet with the power to land the knockout and the grappling to control and get the finish on the canvas. This is a fight where he’s going to need to get the respect of Buzukja early or he’s going to get walked from start to finish. If he can make Buzukja fight off his back foot that would change the trajectory of this fight as Marshall should be able to land his shots and takedowns to get the nod on the judge’s scorecards.
Final Dennis Buzukja-Francis Marshall Prediction & Pick
While it’s upsetting we don’t get to see Danny Silva and Dennis Buzukja go to war this weekend, we however get a solid backup fight with Francis Marshall. Ultimately, while Marshall is talented this is going to be a tough fight for him on short notice as Buzukja comes in and puts the pace and pressure on Marshall outworking him throughout the fight to get the win on the judge’s scorecard.
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Final Dennis Buzukja-Francis Marshall Prediction & Pick: Dennis Buzukja (+124), Over 2.5 Rounds
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