The UFC is heading to Texas for a stacked fight night event, UFC San Antonio. This fight card is headlined by two of the best bantamweight contenders in the UFC #3 Marlon Vera and #5 Cory Sandhagen. These two fighters are itching to get a shot at the champion Aljamain Sterling. Check out our UFC odds series for our top underdog plays of the week.
The main event isn't the only great fight on tap for this week as this fight night card is littered with exciting fights throughout. One of the more exciting fights on this fight card is one most may not know about and that is the barn burner between UFC featherweights Nate Landwehr and Austin Lingo. With that said, let's take a look at the top underdog plays for this weekend's event, UFC San Antonio.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC San Antonio Odds: Top Underdog Plays Of The Week
Marlon Vera: +144
Austin Lingo: +200
Lucas Alexander: +140
How to Watch UFC San Antonio
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Marlon Vera Will Win
Marlon “Chito” Vera (22-7-1) had a very long and tough road to get the recognition he is getting today. He didn't come from a whole lot in Ecuador and he had to fight on the regional scene out there for essentially nothing. He got his shot on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Season 1 and made the most of it. He is now headlining his third UFC fight night and it is for good reason.
Vera is exceptionally dangerous everywhere this fight goes with 18 finishes, which are split with 8 knockouts and 10 submissions. His ability to keep up a high pace is something that helps him overcome some of his shortcomings, especially in this matchup with speed and diversity of the feet.
He takes on one of the mainstays at the top of the bantamweight division in Cory Sandhagen (15-4) who's fought and beaten the who's who of the division. He has been one of the best strikers that this division has ever seen and is a tricky matchup for anyone.
Vera fought against strikers that on paper were better than him but he was still victorious. His pace, pressure, power, and underrated grappling will give Sandhagen a ton of fits. As long as Vera makes Sandhagen work as he does to all of his opponents we can see a potential finish whether it be on the feet or on the mat from “Chito” Vera.
Why Austin Lingo Will Win
Austin Lingo (9-1) was set to face off against Ricardo Ramos two weeks ago but unfortunately, Ramos missed weight by a whopping nine pounds and the fight was canceled. He is stepping in to face Nate Landwehr (16-4) who was supposed to face Alex Caceres on a week's notice.
Landwehr lives by the reputation “kill or be killed” type of fighter. He will always go all out and bring the fight to his opponent no matter who is standing across from him. We've seen him break his opponents with his pace and his nonstop forward pressure but we've also seen that be his downfall.
Lingo is just as much of a brawler as Landwehr is, as he is always looking to come forward and throw down with his opponents. Seeing as Landwehr will be willing to just trade in the center of the octagon this will give Lingo ample opportunities to crack the chin of Landwehr to get the job.
Seeing how volatile this matchup is, there is a ton of value on the side of Lingo because the way these two fight either one of them can get the knockout victory. Expect a high-octane fight right out of the gate until Lingo cracks Landwehr during an exchange and puts him out.
Why Lucas Alexander Will Win
Lucas Alexander (7-3) comes into his second fight with the UFC hoping to have a better result than in his short-notice debut against Joanderson Brito. That debut fight was essentially on days' notice against one of the more dangerous fighters in the featherweight division, something his current opponent can't replicate.
His opponent Steven Peterson (19-10) has been in the UFC for five years now but just hasn't been able to string together wins to really move up in his UFC career. He is as tough as they come and is willing to get into wild exchanges as we saw in the Julian Erosa fight, but that doesn't bode well against a technical kickboxer like Alexander.
Peterson has had troubles with long rangy kickboxers in the past and this will be no different against Alexander. As long as Alexander doesn't get caught in a brawl or gets taken down I expect him to keep at range and win a one-sided striking affair.
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