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UFC 290: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez keeps the prelims going with a fight in the men's flyweight division between Shannon Ross and Jesus Aguilar. Ross is coming off back-to-back losses meanwhile, Aguilar is coming off his debut loss. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Ross-Aguilar prediction and pick.
Shannon Ross (13-7) is coming consecutive losses and is only 1-3 in his last four fights. He was one of the rare signings off the Contender Series after a vicious knockout loss but they needed a short-notice replacement for Kleydson Rodriguez in his native Australia so they give him the opportunity. Unfortunately, that led to his second consecutive knockout loss, and will need to do something different to get back on track when he takes on fellow Contender Series alumni Jesus Aguilar.
Jesus Aguilar (8-2) is also a product of the Contender Series but he got signed after a 3rd round submission win over his opponent. He stepped up on short notice for his UFC debut as he took on rising prospect Tatsuro Taira who submitted him in the first round. Just like Ross, Aguilar will be fighting hard to get that first win inside the octagon this Saturday night at UFC 290.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC 290 Odds: Shannon Ross-Jesus Aguilar Odds
Shannon Ross: +122
Jesus Aguilar: -150
Over 2.5 Rounds: +116
Under 2.5 Rounds: -148
How to Watch Shannon Ross vs. Jesus Aguilar
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET/ 3:00 p.m. PT (Early Prelims)
Why Shannon Ross Will Win
There was a ton of praise for Shannon Ross coming into his Contender Series fight against Vinicius Salvador as he was one of the top men's flyweight prospects coming out of Australia. He looked good in that fight early on until Salvador started to land with some power.
On the regional scene in Australia, Ross has shown the ability to utilize his striking and stay on the outside to land some powerful shots that take out his opposition. Ross gets to take on Aguilar who is more of a grappler than he is a striker which bodes well for his noticeable chin issues. If he can keep this fight upright and land his shots he can score the upset in this matchup.
Why Jesus Aguilar Will Win
Jesus Aguilar is another Contender Series product but he actually got signed off of a win which he got via 3rd round submission with his patented guillotine choke. He has one of the slickest guillotines you will see and that is in large part due to him having four in his last five wins.
He is short in stature standing only at 5'4″ but he utilizes that lower center of gravity to duck underneath the punches of his taller opposition to then shoot for the takedowns. Aguilar definitely has the grappling advantage in this matchup against Ross and he will need to get inside the 4″ reach advantage he has to take him to the mat and dominate him from there.
Final Shannon Ross-Jesus Aguilar Prediction & Pick
This should be a fairly competitive fight early on until Jesus Aguilar gets his grappling going. Ross has some good striking to really punish Aguilar when he tries to take this fight to the mat but seeing Aguilar has taken some damage in the past it's safe to assume he can weather that early storm. Aguilar should be able to land some heavy shots to get in close and take this fight to the mat where he will submit Ross inside two rounds.
Final Shannon Ross-Jesus Aguilar Prediction & Pick: Jesus Aguilar (-150), Under 2.5 Rounds (-148)
