UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka continues on the main card with a fight in the middleweight division between Joe Pyfer and Marc-Andre Barriault. Pyfer suffered his first defeat inside the Octagon his last time out meanwhile, Barriault is coming off a close split-decision defeat in his last fight. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Pyfer-Barriault prediction and pick.

Joe Pyfer (12-3) was riding high after three consecutive stoppage victories to start his UFC career. It was when he faced off against Jack Hermansson in his first UFC main event that he met his match losing via unanimous decision. Now, Pyfer will be looking to return to the win column when he takes on Canadian Marc-Andre Barriault this weekend at UFC 303.

Marc-Andre Barriault (16-7) was riding a two-fight winning streak coming into his last fight against Chris Curtis. Unfortunately, he dropped a razor-close split decision against Curtis at UFC 297. Now, he will be looking to right the ship and get another win when he faces off against the dangerous Joe Pyfer this weekend.

Here are the UFC 303 Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC 303 Odds: Joe Pyfer-Marc-Andre Barriault Odds

Joe Pyfer: -280

Marc-Andre Barriault: +240

Over 2.5 rounds: +110

Under 2.5 rounds: -140

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Why Joe Pyfer Will Win

Joe Pyfer secured his contract on his second opportunity on the Contender Series with a blistering knockout. He then was able to come away with three straight finishes to start his UFC career only to drop his first main event spot to Jack Hermansson. That fight just seemed to be too much too soon for Pyfer but now gets to face off against Marc-Andre Barriault as he looks to get back on track this weekend at UFC 303.

Pyfer is a dangerous middleweight contender with the ability to take his opponent’s heads off but also has the grappling to take them down and submit them as well. Ever since his move to Marquez MMA and training with the likes of Sean Brady, Nursulton Ruziboev, and Pat Sabatini, he has taken his skills to the next level. In this matchup against Barriault, he gets a fighter that’s looking to scrap, who’s durable, and has great cardio. Pyfer will need to mix up his attacks as well as the takedowns to keep him from just pressing forward and with Pyfer’s one-punch knockout power don’t be surprised to see him be one of the few to knockout Barriault this weekend.

Why Marc-Andre Barriault Will Win

Marc-Andre Barriault is coming off a close split-decision defeat to Chris Curtis in front of his home country at UFC 297. Prior to his most recent loss to Curtis, he was riding a two-fight winning streak with wins against Eryk Anders and a brutal TKO of Julian Marquez. Barriault will be looking to get back into the win column when he takes on Joe Pyfer this weekend at UFC 303.

Barriault is nicknamed  “Powerbar” for a reason and that’s because his main ability is to push a relentless pace without getting tired. That is something that he must use as a weapon against Pyfer who tends to fade when he’s taken into deep waters. He will still have to be wary of the power and grappling of Pyfer but if he can avoid the big shots and put the pace on Pyfer he can take him into deep waters drowning him and getting the late finish to get himself back into the win column.

Final Joe Pyfer-Marc-Andre Barriault Prediction & Pick

This should be a barnburner between these two middleweight contenders. Joe Pyfer came up short against a veteran in the middleweight division Jack Hermansson his last time out and is looking to show the UFC and the fans he should still be considered as one of the elites in the division. Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Barriault is looking to get back to form where he was dominating fighters and putting them away like he did against Marquez just two fights ago. Ultimately, Barraiult is going to be a tough fight for Pyfer as he will be there for all 15 minutes if it makes it that far however, Pyfer will be the one landing the more telling shots and he’s going to dominate this fight on the mat and from there we can expect Pyfer to sink in the submission victory and get back on track this weekend with a win at UFC 303.

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Final Joe Pyfer-Marc-Andre Barriault Prediction & Pick: Joe Pyfer (-280), Under 2.5 Rounds (-140)