UFC St. Louis: Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento continues the prelims with a fight in the welterweight division between Jared Gooden and Kevin Jousset. Gooden got back into the win column with a dominant second-round submission victory in his last fight meanwhile, Jousset has now won five in a row after coming off a dominant decision victory in his last fight. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Gooden-Jousset prediction and pick.

Jared Gooden (23-9) got back into the win column in a big way in his last fight with a second-round submission victory over Wellington Turman in his last fight. That now puts Gooden at 3-1 in his last four fights and he will now be looking to get on his first winning streak inside the Octagon when he takes on Kevin Jousset this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Kevin Jousset (10-2) has now won five fights in a row while winning both of his first inside the Octagon most recently defeating Kenan Song via unanimous decision in his last fight. The City Kickboxing product will look to kick things off for their gym before his teammate Carlos Ulberg takes the Octagon later in the evening when he takes on Jared Gooden this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Here are the UFC St. Louis Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC St. Louis Odds: Jared Gooden-Kevin Jousset Odds

Jared Gooden: +195

Kevin Jousset: -230

Over 2.5 rounds: -115

Under 2.5 rounds: -115

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Why Jared Gooden Will Win

Jared Gooden didn't have a great first stint with the UFC going 1-3 with the promotion but wins in four out of his five fights outside of the promotion got him a chance for a short-notice opportunity against Carlston Harris back in March 2023 whom he ultimately dropped a decision against. However, Gooden was able to secure his second victory inside the Octagon when he defeated Wellington Turman by second-round decision in his last fight and now he will be looking to get on his first winning streak in the UFC when he takes on Kevin Jousset this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Gooden is as tough as they come and while he doesn't have a great record at 2-4 he's never been finished by any of the elite talent he fought against inside the Octagon. He is very well-rounded with 19 of his 23 wins coming inside the distance his finishes are split between 11 knockouts and 8 submissions making him a legitimate threat anywhere this fight takes place. His opponent Kevin Jousset is well-rounded like he is but is more inclined to keep the fight upright where he can land his powerful strikes. With Gooden's experience against high-level competition, he's going to need to weather the early storm of Jousset and drag him into deep waters for a potential late-round finish or to get the nod on the judge's scorecards.

Why Kevin Jousset Will Win

Kevin Jousset came into his UFC debut at UFC 293 fighting on the same card as his training partners Israel Adesanya, Shane Young, Blood Diamond, and Carlos Ulberg where City Kickboxing went 2-4 on that night. Jousset hopes to keep that City Kickboxing momentum rolling on this fight card St. Louis with his fellow training partner Carlos Ulberg who was the lone other win at UFC 293 aside for him. Jousset came out with a dominant finish in his UFC debut with Kiefer Crosbie and then did one better dominating his most experienced opponent yet Kenan Song in his next fight. Jousset now gets to take on Jared Gooden as he looks for his 6th win in a row and his third win inside the Octagon.

Jousset is a very well-rounded fighter who likes to throw heavy hands when he is on the feet utilizing his long limbs from range and then mixing in the takedowns and pulverizing his opponent's into the canvas. In this matchup, while Jousset certainly can hang with Gooden on the feet, he would have a much easier time if he were to take this fight to the mat. Gooden isn't a bad grappler by any means but his biggest glaring weakness is his takedown defense and if Jousset can land the takedowns and have top control we can see some vicious ground-and-pound from Jousset for yet another TKO finish.

Final Jared Gooden-Kevin Jousset Prediction & Pick

This should be a barnburner between these two welterweights for however long it may last. Gooden is a fighter you can't underestimate as we saw in his fight against Turman but he seems to be a bit outmatched in this fight with Jousset. Jousset has the size, the power, and the grappling to make this a tough night at the office for Gooden.

Ultimately, expect Gooden to land some good shots early in this fight but then Jousset will take Gooden down and that is where he will be able to dominate and potentially get the finish or rack up enough control time with damage to get the nod on the judge's scorecards.

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Final Jared Gooden-Kevin Jousset Prediction & Pick: Kevin Jousset (-230), Over 2.5 Rounds (-115)