UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka kicks off the prelims with a fight in the bantamweight division between Ricky Simon and Vinicius Oliveira. Simon is coming into this fight off back-to-back losses and will be looking to get back on track in a big way at UFC 303 meanwhile, Oliveira had a successful UFC debut with a brutal flying knee knockout victory to put his name on the map coming into his second fight in the Octagon. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Simon-Oliveira prediction and pick.

Ricky Simon (20-5) has now lost two in a row for the second time in his UFC career after losing to Mario Bautista and Song Yadong in back-to-back fights. He will now look to get back on track when he takes on the dangerous Brazilian Vinicius Oliveira this weekend to kick off UFC 303.

Vinicius Oliveira (20-3) secured his contract with a dominant performance on the Contender Series last season when he knocked out Victor Madrigal in round one. He then did one better when he had one of the knockouts of the year candidates when he sent Bernardo Sopaj to the shadow realm when he landed a brutal flying knee knockout in round three. Oliveira will look to continue his momentum when he takes on a mainstay in the bantamweight division Ricky Simon this weekend at UFC 303.

Here are the UFC 303 Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC 303 Odds: Ricky Simon-Vinicius Oliveira Odds

Ricky Simon: -240

Vinicius Oliveira: +205

Over 2.5 rounds: -110

Under 2.5 rounds: -120

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Why Ricky Simon Will Win

Ricky Simon has hit a rough patch after facing off against two of the division’s best contenders Song Yadong and Mario Bautista who just were too much for him. Simon has been a mainstay toward the top of the division as a fringe-top-15 bantamweight and he will be making a massive step down in competition, albeit a very dangerous one, when he takes on the surging Vinicius Oliveira this weekend at UFC 303.

Simon is at his best when he’s ragdolling his opponents around the Octagon. His relentless wrestling and cardio are unmatched in the UFC’s bantamweight division and will need to be on full display against such a dangerous opponent like Oliveira. As we saw in Oliveira’s UFC debut, his biggest weakness is his defensive grappling which is Simon’s biggest advantage in this fight. However, Simon can not shoot for takedowns recklessly like he has in the past or he will pay for it. If Simon can time his entries with his striking and movement on the feet, he should have no problem taking Oliveira to the mat and doing so throughout the entirety of the fight as he gets back on track this weekend.

Why Vinicius Oliveira Will Win

Vinicius Oliveira is a very exciting addition to the UFC’s bantamweight division. He comes into his UFC career with a ton of experience with 25 professional fights under his belt with 18 of those victories coming inside the distance. As he’s shown in both his time on the Contender Series and in his UFC debut, at any given point of the fight he can put his opponent’s lights out. Oliveira will look to continue his torrid pace when he takes on his stiffest competition to date when he takes on Ricky Simon.

Oliveira stands in at 5’9″ with a 70.5″ making him one of the tallest bantamweights in the division next to Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen and he utilizes that reach very well. He mixes his targets with kicks and long-range attacks making it hard for a shorter fighter like Simon to get within range. His ability to keep his opponents at the end of his strikes showed when he took on the shorter Bernardo Sopaj in his last fight. While Simon will have the grappling advantage it’s going to be a tall task having to navigate the length of Oliveira without getting clipped in the process. It’s going to be up to Oliveira to punish Simon as he looks to get within boxing range and counter with knees and kicks and land a devastating shot putting Simon away in the process.

Final Ricky Simon-Vinicius Oliveira Prediction & Pick

This is a fantastic fight to kick off this stacked PPV event on Saturday night. Both Simon and Oliveira will be coming in the Octagon looking for a finish, which we could expect as well. Ultimately, this is an extremely dangerous fight for Simon but one he should be able to come out on top barring getting clipped as he will utilize his movement along with his wrestling to stifle the power of Oliveira to get back into the win column.

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Final Ricky Simon-Vinicius Oliveira Prediction & Pick: Ricky Simon (-240), Over 2.5 Rounds (-110)