UFC on Fox Main Event Betting Preview: Lawler vs. Dos Anjos

UFC’s next Fight Night heads into the chilly northern climes of Canada, as Winnipeg will host a series of undercards and main events, with the big four bouts starting at 8:00pm Eastern time. Unlike many UFC events, this one will air for free on FOX. The bout between Robbie Lawler (28-11) and Rafael dos Anjos (27-9). Lawler has been the UFC welterweight champ in the past, while Dos Anjos has held the lightweight belt. The winner of this fight should stand as the next welterweight challenger in the UFC ranks. Check out our MMA odds preview on this main event.

UFC on Fox Main Event Betting Preview: Lawler vs. Dos Anjos

When: Saturday, December 16, 2017, 8:00pm ET (Main Card) Where: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada TV: FOX Radio: None Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass UFC Odds: Pick’em

Why should you bet on Lawler?

Lawler won his last bout over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone — although the win came with some controversy, as the bout went to the cards, and there were a lot of people that did not agree with the outcome of their decision. Prior to beating Cerrone, Lawler had lost the welterweight title to Tyron Woodley back in July 2016, as a flurry of strikes from Woodley had brought the fight to a halt in just the first round. The loss to Woodley prompted Lawler to take a year off, as that loss came after a series of brutal bouts that had taken him into the Octagon with Carlos Condit, Rory MacDonald and Johnny Hendricks. Lawler has the height and the reach advantage in this fight, and his strikes come with enough power to deliver some big knockouts. If this fight doesn’t go to the ground, Lawler will be looking for any opening in Dos Anjos’ defenses to deliver the sort of strike that could end the fight with one swing. Lawler has finished 20 of his opponents with knockouts, as opposed to one via submission and seven via decision over his fighting career. A fighter with that sort of swinging power brings that sort of showstopping ability into the Octagon.

Why should you put your money on Dos Anjos?

Dos Anjos has posted a 2-0 record in his first pair of bouts in the UFC welterweight division. He took down Tarec Saffiedine, a former Strikeforce champion, by decision, and then he forced Neil Magny — a fighter with a top-10 ranking — to tap out in the first round in his last bout. Dos Anjos did struggle to cut down his weight to 155 pounds, which explained the trouble he had with Tony Ferguson and Eddie Alvarez. Moving up to the 170-pound division has been a real find for Dos Anjos. He also faced a height and reach disadvantage against Magny, but he used leg kicks to take him down to the ground and then moved in with an arm-triangle to finish the fight. His grappling takedown average — 2.23 — is almost three times that of Lawler (0.78). He has a 0.78 submission average, well ahead of that of Lawler.

Expert Pick and Final Prediction

This bout features two fighters that are looking to continue a hot streak and move toward title contention. The power of Lawler means that it could take just one swing to bring the fight to a swift end. The grappling expertise of Dos Anjos means that one wrong move by Lawler could end up with him in the grasp of a tightening triangle and on the way to submission. I expect, though, that Lawler will have watched the tape of Dos Anjos and Magny and will prepare for an onslaught of leg kicks, and bring the sort of offense that will carry the fight his way. I predict that Lawler will win by decision, as I see Dos Anjos showing the moves to evade the knockout punch but unable to land enough of his own damage to win on the cards