UFC Vegas 81: Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson Barboza continues on the main card with a fight in the middleweight division between Michel Pereira and Andre Petroski. Petroski is taking this fight on short notice after coming off his fifth consecutive victory in a row at UFC 292 against Gerald Meerschaert meanwhile. Pereira will be making his UFC middleweight debut after numerous failed attempts to make 170 pounds. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Petroski-Pereira prediction and pick.
Andre Petroski (10-1) is coming off the biggest win of his career against UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert which was a razor-close fight to the very end. He is stepping in on about two weeks' notice to take on former ranked welterweight contender Michel Pereira after his original opponent Marc Andre-Barriault had to withdraw due to injury. This will be Petroski's second fight in as many months this weekend at UFC Vegas 81.
Michel Pereira (28-11) has had a difficult time with the scale as of late which made him move up to the middleweight division where many believe he belonged all along. While that may be true, he now will not have the usual size advantage that he had especially coming into this matchup against Petroski. However, Pereira's striking abilities will make up for the lack of size for the division and will make for a tough matchup for anyone at 185 pounds starting with Petroski this weekend at the UFC Apex.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 81 Odds: Andre Petroski-Michel Pereira Odds
Andre Petroski: +170
Michel Pereira: -205
Over 2.5 Rounds: +114
Under 2.5 Rounds: -145
How to Watch Andre Petroski vs. Michel Pereira
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
Why Andre Petroski Will Win
Andre Petroski will be looking to make it six wins in a row when he takes on Michel Pereira on short notice at UFC Vegas 81 this weekend. Petroski has looked vastly improved since his loss on The Ultimate Fighter season 29. Since that loss to Bryan Battle on the show, Petroski has gone on to win his next five fights all of which have come in the UFC. He has been dominating his opponents with his relentless grappling pressure, top control, and submissions with ground and pound from on top. That is certainly what he will need in this fight against arguably the most dangerous striker he has faced in his career.
This will be the first time Petroski isn't massively undersized as Pereira is a former welterweight contender but that doesn't mean it will be easy to take Pereira to the mat. He will need to utilize his improved striking to get in on the inside of the kicks of Pereira to then utilize his grappling to his advantage. As long as Petroski doesn't get caught staying on the outside he can do what he does best and dominate Pereira on the mat to get his sixth UFC victory.
Why Michel Pereira Will Win
Michel Pereira's time as a weight bully has finally come to an end as most believed it would come sooner rather than later. Now, Pereira is in his rightful weight class in the middleweight division fighting fighters that are more his size. While he will not sport the massive size advantage he had at welterweight he's still very strong with good takedown and is exceptionally fast on the feet.
It's his striking and his movement that has played a vital part in his keeping fights on the feet. It's hard to attempt takedowns on a fighter that is always moving and countering as you attempt to close the distance. That is the key to success for Pereira and we may see improved cardio from Pereira as well now that he isn't killing himself to make 170 pounds. If Pereira keeps on his bike and stays away from the fence to keep this fight on the feet he should strike circles around Petroski in this matchup.
Final Andre Petroski-Michel Pereira Prediction & Pick
This is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup and it's going to be a very good one. Pereira is one of the more exciting fighters in the UFC with his flashy style of striking and just doing things that you will not generally see in an MMA fight. He also has exceptional power and quickness that will make it hard for anyone opposite him to get a read of what he is going to do next. That's where the issue lies for Petroski in this matchup, as he has a one-track mind and that is to come forward while throwing heavy shots just to take this fight to the mat. As long as Pereira can just stay on the outside and counter Petroski coming in he should outstrike him on the feet with relative ease.
Ultimately, Pereira comes in there and looks like a real middleweight contender doing what he does best staying on the outside and utilizing his speed, power, and precision striking while keeping Petroski at bay eventually putting him away in the latter portion of the fight when Petroski fades.
Final Andre Petroski-Michel Pereira Prediction & Pick: Michel Pereira (-205), Under 2.5 Rounds (-145)
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