UFC Louisville: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov continues on the main card with a fight in the bantamweight division between Raul Rosas Jr. and Ricky Turcios. Rosas Jr. got back into the win column after suffering his first professional defeat his last time out meanwhile, Turcios got back on track with a split decision victory his last time out. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Rosas Jr.-Turcios prediction and pick.

Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1) suffered his first professional defeat at the hands of Christian Rodriguez two fights ago but then was able to make quick work of Terrence Mitchell to get back into the winning column his last time out. An illness right before his last scheduled fight with Ricky Turcios is what pushed this fight back a few months as this was supposed to happen back in February. Now, Rosas Jr. is healthy, ready to go, and looking to get back in there when he finally takes on Ricky Turcios this weekend at UFC Louisville.

Ricky Turcios (12-3) got back on track after suffering his first UFC defeat to Aiemann Zahabi when he defeated Kevin Natividad via split decision back in 2022. This will be his first fight in nearly two years when he finally gets to take on Raul Rosas Jr. as he looks to get back on a winning streak this weekend in Lousiville.

Here are the UFC Louisville Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC Louisville Odds: Raul Rosas Jr.-Ricky Turcios Odds

Raul Rosas Jr.: -214

Ricky Turcios: +184

Over 2.5 rounds: -155

Under 2.5 rounds: +125

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Why Raul Rosas Jr. Will Win

Raul Rosas Jr. burst onto the scene after being signed to the UFC at just 17 years old after a strong performance on the Contender Series. Since then now 19 years old, he is 8-1 as a professional fighter after losing for the first time against Christian Rodriguez back in April 2023. Rosas Jr. was able to avenge his first pro loss by making quick work of Terrence Mitchell finishing him in just 54 seconds 5 months later. Now, Rosas Jr. looks to get on his first winning streak in the UFC when he takes on Ricky Turcios this weekend.

Rosas Jr. is still a bit green given his age and experience but he has some legitimate skills that could push him toward the top of the division. His elite grappling makes him a threat against anyone in the bantamweight division especially Ricky Turcios who will get to fight against it this weekend. In this matchup against Turcios, we’ve seen him struggle against grapplers in the past showing that he can be taken down and controlled which is going to be the path to victory this weekend for Rosas Jr. However, Rosas Jr. is going to need to be mindful that Turcios has great scrambling abilities and if he just sells out for the takedowns he’s going to gas just as he did against Rodriguez. As long as Rosas Jr. can get this fight to the mat and not exhaust all of his energy he can keep this winning streak going this weekend in Louisville.

Why Ricky Turcios Will Win

Ricky Turcios has been on the sidelines since November 2022 when he defeated Kevin Natividad by split decision. He was originally scheduled to face off against Raul Rosas Jr. back in February but Rosas Jr. came down with an illness moments before the fight was supposed to happen. Now, four months later they finally get to square off in the Octagon this weekend at UFC Louisville.

Turcios is The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 winner after defeating Brady Hiestand in the finale by split decision. Since becoming the Ultimate Fighter he has gone 1-1 in his next two fights and then took over a year layoff which is a mystery as to why he took so much time off. Turcios is an odd fighter to have to game plan against because he has an awkward style of fighting as we’ve witnessed in his fight against Aiemann Zahabi where Turcios threw 235 strikes but only landed 25 of them. In this matchup against Rosas Jr., Turcios is going to need to use his funky style of striking and scrambling abilities to keep out of the grasp of Rosas Jr. If Turcios can use his speed and movement on the feet to disrupt the rhythm of Rosas Jr. to keep the fight standing he has can score the upset in this matchup.

Final Raul Rosas Jr.-Ricky Turcios Prediction & Pick

This should be a great scrap between these two bantamweight contenders. While Turcios is a tricky fighter to fight against, Rosas Jr. has what it takes to get the job done. Ultimately, Rosas Jr. will get the timing down of Turcios on the feet to where he will be able to secure takedowns and that is where Rosas Jr. should find the finish and extend his winning streak to two.

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Final Raul Rosas Jr.-Ricky Turcios Prediction & Pick: Raul Rosas Jr. (-214), Under 2.5 Rounds (+125)