UFC Abu Dhabi: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov continues on the prelims with a fight in the lightweight division between Jai Herbert and Rolando Bedoya. Herbert has alternated wins and losses over his last six fights and is most recently coming off a decision defeat in his last fight meanwhile, Bedoya has now dropped back-to-back fights and is in need of a big victory this weekend in Abu Dhabi. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Herbert-Bedoya prediction and pick.
Jai Herbert (12-5-1) has alternated wins and losses over his last 6 fights with just a 2-3-1 record during that span. Most recently he was defeated by Fares Ziam who just outworked him for the majority of the fight to get the unanimous decision victory. This will be Herbert’s first fight in 13 months and is in need of a statement performance when he takes on Rolando Bedoya this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Rolando Bedoya (14-3) isn’t having the success he hoped for early on in his UFC career as he dropped back-to-back decisions to Khaos Williams and Kenan Song. In an attempt to get back on track, Bedoya is cutting down to 155 lbs for the first time since 2017 to take on Jai Herbert. He’s hoping the move to the lightweight division will breathe some life into his UFC career and get his first win inside the Octagon this weekend.
Here are the UFC Abu Dhabi Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Abu Dhabi Odds: Jai Herbert-Rolando Bedoya Odds
Jai Herbert: -140
Rolando Bedoya: +120
Over 2.5 rounds: -180
Under 2.5 rounds: +150
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Why Jai Herbert Will Win
Jai Herbert will make the walk for the first time since his loss to Fares Ziam in July 2022. He has had some tough fights recently where he dropped a unanimous decision to Ziam in his last fight where he seemingly was outworked and then fought to a majority draw after getting a point deduction with L’udovit Klein. Herbert will be looking to get back on track when he takes on Peru’s Rolando Bedoya this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Herbert is a tall and rangy striker who does his best work when he’s able to utilize his long limbs to keep his opponent at the end of his strikes. He has certainly had an up-and-down UFC career where he has looked good until he hasn’t in the majority of his fights. He was winning fights against Francisco Trinaldo, Ilia Topuria, and L’udovit Klein until he shot himself in the foot ultimately losing two of those three as well as a point deduction made it a draw against Klein. Luckily for Herbert, he is going to get an all-out striking affair against Bedoya which is right in his wheelhouse. It will be up to Herbert to avoid the big shots from Bedoya while countering with big shots of his own to either get the finish or outstrike Bedoya for the decision victory.
Why Rolando Bedoya Will Win
Rolando Bedoya got thrown into the fire in his UFC debut and fought a good fight against Khaos Williams. Many believed he should have won that split decision but ultimately he was on the wrong end of the judge’s decision. He then just looked flat in his second fight in the Octagon where he was outstruck by Kenan Song in his next fight. Now, Bedoya has made the move to Chute Boxe Diego Lima to train alongside the former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira as well as Elves Brener who will be competing on the main card in this fight night. He hopes the move to Brazil will do him wonders when he takes on Jai Herbert this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Bedoya will be making his way down to the lightweight division for the first time since 2017 in hopes of reviving his MMA career. It seemed like the fighters at 170 lbs were too big and a bit more powerful than Bedoya and this move to 155 lbs could be the perfect move for him. He is at his best when he is the aggressor and throwing in combinations, mixing his strikes up for the head to the body and to the legs. Bedoya does a great job at ending his combinations with calf kicks which will serve him well against Herbert who eats a ton of calf kicks. If Bedoya can mix his attacks and keep the pressure on Herbert he can break him down and finally get his first victory inside the Octagon.
Final Jai Herbert-Rolando Bedoya Prediction & Pick
This should be a great scrap on the prelims of this stacked fight night card. Ultimately, expect this fight to be a barnburner but it will be Bedoya who will be landing more volume and the heavier strikes throughout the course of the fight en route to a decision victory.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Jai Herbert-Rolando Bedoya Prediction & Pick: Rolando Bedoya (+120), Over 2.5 Rounds (-180)
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