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The featured Prelim bout will finally be upon us when these two exciting Lightweights meet for a pivotal matchup. Erick “The Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez will face off against Dana White’s Contender Series standout Trevor Peek in a closely contested fight. The main card follows immediately after on ESPN+. Check out our UFC odds series for our Gonzalez-Peek prediction and pick.
Erick Gonzalez is 14-7 overall and has lost his only two fights in the UFC. Granted, he’s stepped in on late notice and faced stiff competition in Jim Miller and Terrance McKinney. He’s shown his toughness in those bouts but would like to finally translate one into his first UFC win. Gonzalez stands 5’11” with a 75-inch reach.
Trevor Peek is unbeaten at 7-0 in his mixed martial arts career and earned a contract after his impressive performance on DWCS. Before that fight, he was on a tear through Alabama’s state MMA circuit and realized his UFC dreams by notching a dominant win over Malik Lewis in his auditioning fight. He’ll look for another dominant performance in his debut fight against Gonzalez. Peek stands 5’9″ and has a 70-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: Erick Gonzalez-Trevor Peek Odds
Erick Gonzalez: +172
Trevor Peek: -215
Over (1.5) rounds: +160
Under (1.5) rounds: -180
How to Watch Erick Gonzalez vs. Trevor Peek
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET/ 1:30 p.m. PT (Prelims)
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Why Erick Gonzalez Will Win
Erick Gonzalez was dealt a tough hand of cards in both of his fights and didn’t perform well under the circumstances. It wasn’t very indicative of his skills as a fighter, so it’ll be crucial for him to stick around long enough in this one to showcase some of his skills. He’s an exciting striker with a range of kicking and boxing attacks. He recently hired a mental coach and has taken his training in a different direction after not seeing any success.
Erick Gonzalez’s initial opponent pulled out of their fight, so he’ll be faced with the challenge of a new opponent in Trevor Peek. Gonzalez’ style doesn’t match up great against the aggressive Peek, so he’ll have to rely on some of the fundamentals and be sound in his takedown defense. If he can limit taking any big shots, he can have a chance to outlast in a decision.
Why Trevor Peek Will Win
Trevor Peek looks like a storm ready to blow through the lightweight division. He’s won all seven of his professional fights with all of them ending inside of the distance. He’s provided seven finishes in a row and takes pride of his perfect finishing rate. He’s uber aggressive with how he rushes opponents and throws flurries of punches. He’s willing to get in someone’s face and eat some shots and his chin is the reason he’s so eager to march forward. Look for Peek to bring the pace to Gonzalez and try to finish this fight.
Peek will need to be cautious of any sneaky jiu-jitsu attacks from Gonzalez. He’s good on the ground, but also hasn’t faced the best competition. It’ll certainly be a step-up for him as Gonzalez has already faced some of the tougher lightweight contenders. His aggressive style gives him an advantage over Gonzalez as he’s more eager to engage and take a shot. Look for his style to pay off in this one.
Final Erick Gonzalez-Trevor Peek Prediction & Pick
Erick Gonzalez has faced the much better competition and he’ll be facing another stout opponent here. He has yet to put all of skills together and will be pressed to do so as Peek will bring the fight to him. I think Peek’s presence will be too much in this fight. Gonzalez starts slow and makes mistakes, Peek will need just one opening to land a hard shot and put Gonzalez down. Let’s lay the juice with Trevor Peek and take the KO/TKO prop as well.
Final Erick Gonzalez-Trevor Peek Prediction & Pick: Trevor Peek (-215); by KO/TKO (+100)