The UFC schedule has a return to Dallas, and UFC 277 will be a stacked event from top to bottom. Early on in the prelims, there is a very interesting fight between two young up-and-coming prospects in the light heavyweight division. Nicolae Negumereanu (12-1) and Ihor Potieria (19-2) will be facing off in the octagon.
UFC Score Record
Negumereanu is currently on a 3-fight win streak in the UFC and came away with a split decision victory over Kennedy Nzechukwu in March.
Potieria is making his UFC debut and coming off a big first round finish in Dana White’s Contender Series. He is on a 15-fight win streak in his MMA career outside of the UFC.
Matchup Information
UFC 277 is taking place at American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas. Early Prelims start at 6 PM ET. The Main Card starts at 10 PM ET.
Negumereanu vs. Potieria Betting Analysis
Negumereanu Analysis
Nicolae Negumereanu deserves respect for taking a tough fight like this. Facing a highly touted prospect making his debut in the UFC, while he already has wins under his belt in this organization.
He has a chance to really put on a great performance and move on to a bigger fight in his next appearance.
He only has one finish in the UFC so far, but has 10 out of 12 wins via finish in his career. This would be a massive performance if he was to put away this Ukrainian prospect that has a lot of finishes himself.
Look for big shots coming from Negumereanu and for him to mix in his wrestling and top control to get a win in this one.
Potieria Analysis
Potieria is a Ukrainian prospect that made a statement on DWTNCS last year. He has a chance to really prove he belongs in the UFC with a win over a tough opponent on Saturday in Dallas.
Potieria is a young, explosive, all-around MMA fighter that finishes on the feet and on the ground. The only question for making UFC picks on a guy like this is how his skills will translate to the UFC.
He has no experience at this kind of level so you kind of just bank on how dominant he has been in smaller organizations. Which can be an iffy move for sports betting.
Negumereanu vs. Potieria Betting Preview
According to MMA odds, this fight is almost a pick ‘em. Negumereanu is a slight favorite at -120 and other UFC odds have Potieria at anywhere between -120 to +100.
The lines are shifting almost hourly at this point because of how tough this fight is to pick. We just don’t know enough about Potieria.
Potieria Expectations
From looking at older fights of Potieria, I can see he is able to get pushed up against the fence and taken down fairly easily.
This might be the path to victory for Negumereanu in this one. But Potieria is very athletic and strong and will for sure be a tough fight for anyone in the UFC.
The under 1.5 rounds at +135 is a prop bet to take a look at because Potieria does not usually fight past the first round lately. An exciting early knockout is very possible in his UFC debut./
Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ihor Potieria Betting Prediction
My prediction for this one is a TKO victory for Potieria. I believe he is going to show up and really put the pressure on Negumereanu, riding the adrenaline from a good Dallas crowd, feeding off the energy of a #1 contender fight in his division later that night between Smith and Ankalaev.
UFC 277 Betting Pick
Look for some athletic and slick wrestling defense and scrambles from Potieria early and for him to catch Negumereanu on the feet, drop him, and then finish with ground and pound in the second round.
This is a big opportunity for him and I believe he will step up because that is what he did when he was on Dana’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.
UFC Pick: Potieria TKO (+160)
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