With the UFC coming back to the APEX in Las Vegas for another Fight Night installment, the co-main event bout is an interesting one for sports bettors around the world. Former middleweight Jordan Wright will be meeting former heavyweight Zac Pauga in the light heavyweight division for this fight.
Read along for an in-depth look into this upcoming co-main event fight on the UFC schedule. Also a full Wright vs Pauga betting prediction for your betting needs.
Jordan Wright vs. Zac Pauga Information
Jordan Wright vs Zac Pauga
Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date and Time: February 18, 2023, 7:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN+
Jordan Wright vs. Zac Pauga Last Fight Record
Jordan Wright is on a 3-fight losing skid, with his last appearance ending in a TKO loss to Dusko Todorovic in October of last year.
Zac Pauga is making his appearance since losing The Ultimate Fighter finale fight to Mohammed Usman in the heavyweight division.
Jordan Wright vs. Zac Pauga Betting Analysis
Jordan Wright Facts to Know
Wright is one of the more interesting fighters on the UFC roster at this point. He has had some serious struggles in the UFC that has led to a 2-4 start with the promotion. You have to think that he is fighting for his job at this point.
The most interesting part about Wright is that he hasn’t seen the scorecards for a decision once in his professional career. All 17 career fights, including the no-contest, have been finished by a stoppage. He has 7 TKO/KO victories and five submissions, along with getting KO’d three times and submitted once. The guy fights hard and without fear.
The UFC stats don’t look great for Wright. He has averaged 5.67 significant strikes landed per minute and has absorbed a whopping 7.54 per minute as well. He does have very solid wrestling skills and averages 3.60 takedowns per 15 minutes, along with with a 100% takedown defense.
Zac Pauga Facts to Know
Pauga is a big man that has a lot of power in his hands. He comes into the cage with a dynamic striking skill set and a lot of speed for a man of his size. This move down to light heavyweight has the potential to get his speed and cardio to the next level.
He had a great performance in the TUF finale. At the heavyweight level, you only need to get caught once in the chin from those guys to end the fight. Being in better shape and fighting at a smaller weight class might be a big advantage to Pauga.
Pauga got into MMA at a later age than most UFC fighters. He is 5-1 and has plenty of ability to be a solid UFC fighter. With only one fight of statistics to look at, this is a tough fighter to break down by the numbers.
Updates
After the bantamweight main event got rescheduled, this bout was moved up into the co-main position on the main card for the UFC this weekend.
Jordan Wright vs. Zac Pauga Betting Preview
MMA odds have Zac Pauga as the -270 betting favorite for this weekend’s bout. Wright’s losing skid and trouble taking heavy punches are, for sure, the reasons that oddsmakers have the line looking like this.
With the power in Pauga’s hands and the style that Wright fights with, the betting line is set at -600 for this fight ending inside the distance. That is basically the oddsmakers saying that there is no way this fight is going to the scorecards.
UFC predictions are so difficult to make, so it’s tough to believe that there can be odds like that. It feels like that is a trap for sports bettors, and the +400 for the fight going the distance might just be worth a longshot bet.
Jordan Wright vs. Zac Pauga Betting Prediction
After taking the Wright vs Pauga betting analysis and preview into consideration, it makes it easy to lean towards Pauga getting his hand raised on Saturday night.
Even though Wright might need a win here if he wants to be in the UFC next fight, he is going to have trouble with the power of Pauga. Pauga is a big man with a lot of bone density and a different level of power than Wright is used to seeing at middleweight.
This is just a bad matchup for Jordan Wright, and he is going to have a tough time in the octagon on Saturday. Look for a stoppage after Pauga hurts Wright and gets him up against the fence throwing heavy shots.
The Wright vs Pauga betting pick to make is Pauga winning via TKO/KO at -150. That has better value than his moneyline, and it is literally the most likely outcome of this light-heavyweight fight.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.
