Another numbered event is coming up this weekend on the UFC schedule, and it’s stacked from top to bottom. A sure fan-favorite fight will be this welterweight matchup between Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and the wild Michel Pereira.
Read more for the complete breakdown of this fight. Along with the betting analysis and official Thompson vs Pereira prediction before making your bets this weekend.
Thompson vs. Pereira Information
Stephen Thompson vs Michel Pereira
Location of the fight: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Date and Time: Saturday, July 29. 10:00 PM ET main card start
How to Watch: ESPN+
Last Fight Record
Thompson is coming off an incredible performance where he beat Kevin Holland via TKO in a main event last December.
Pereira is making his first appearance since May of 2022, where he beat Santiago Ponzinibbio in a narrow split decision.
Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira Betting Analysis
Stephen Thompson
If you don’t know much about Thompson, this is going to be a fun fight to watch. He is a former undefeated world champion kickboxer who decided to become an MMA legend. He fought for the welterweight title twice against Tyron Woodley in his prime. And both were very close decisions–many believing Wonderboy should have gotten the nod in at least one.
Wonderboy Thompson has a professional record of 17-6-1 with nine finishes, going 3-2 in his last five bouts. He averages 4.20 significant strikes landed per minute while only absorbing 3.04. He will have a slight reach advantage at 75”. This is important because he can use every inch in his karate style.
Michel Pereira
Pereira is a Brazilian fighter who is currently on a 5-fight winning streak. He also broke into the top-15 for the first time in his career. His wacky style of break dancing and backflipping in the octagon during the fight will always intrigue fans, but he will need to put those antics on the back burner to win against Thompson.
Pereira is 28-11 with 17 finishes in his MMA career, including seven submissions. He has very good striking numbers at 5.09 significant strikes landed per minute while only absorbing 3.78 as well. He also mixes in slick takedowns and is averaging 1.58 of those per 15 minutes in the octagon.
Updates
No injuries have been reported to the UFC.
Thompson vs. Pereira Betting Preview
To make the best Thompson vs Pereira prediction, we have to scan the sportsbook for the best available UFC odds for this bout. The betting favorite for this matchup is Thompson at -155 compared to the +135 Pereira.
The over 2.5 round total is favored at -220, meaning that the oddsmakers think this one is going to be a decision. Both Thompson and Pereira are +300 to get the job done before the scorecards are needed.
Elite Striker Alert!
Comparing these two fighters technically makes the betting pick much clearer and easier to make. Thompson is an elite striker; he has kickboxing abilities that are second to none in the welterweight division and would probably be world champion if wrestling wasn’t allowed in the promotion. Even at age 40, Thompson still has lightning-quick hands and sneaky kicks that will frustrate and hurt anybody.
Pereira is a very dynamic athlete with so much athleticism that it seems like fighting wouldn’t be the sport for him. He uses these wild techniques in the octagon that have hardly worked in his favor, but they are fun to watch.
Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira Betting Prediction
If you haven’t noticed, this UFC pick is starting to trend in favor of Thompson. One thing you should know is that the only fighters he has struggled with are the ones who wrestle and want to keep top control.
- Since Pereira isn’t that style of fighter, the Thompson vs Pereira prediction needs to be Wonderboy getting his hand raised on Saturday night.
He is too sharp on the feet and solid enough on the ground to not let himself lose because of any grappling that Pereira might do.
Pereira is going to realize that the traditional karate techniques are something to learn from and can still be a very effective way of fighting in MMA, at least the way Thompson does it.
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