UFC 215: Johnson vs. Borg Preview and Picks
Ready for UFC 215: Johnson vs. Borg picks and betting odds & predictions? We have reached UFC 215 which will feature two title fights. The Co Main event will be a woman’s bantamweight tile and the main event will be the flyweight title fight.
Event: UFC 215: Johnson vs. Borg
Date: September 9th, 2017
Time: TBD
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Canada
Broadcast: PPV, Fox Sports 1, UFC Fight Pass
Main Card (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Pay-Per-View)
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson made his feelings know about not being a main event in a PPV event, even though he has dominated the sport. The UFC seemed to listen and he finally will get his shot at the title while being the main event in the PPV.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Amanda Nunes will be the co main event and the defending champion actually comes into that fight as the underdog.
Here is a look at all of the fights on the card, the odds associated with each and what should play out on a night that should future a lot of exciting matches.
Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1) -1400 vs. Ray Borg (11-2) +800
It’s really no a surprise to see Johnson favored by such a larger margin. He has been dominant at defending his title and he will look to do the same in this one.
One reason that Johnson hasn’t gotten many PPV shots is because of how he dominates his opponent, but that could be different in this one.
Ray Borg is a very aggressive fighter and he won’t just sit back in this fight and hope to get lucky. I would expect to see Borg actually be the more aggressive in this fight.
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If Borg want’s a chance to win this fight he is going to need to get lucky with one of his submission attempts and catch “Mighty Mouse” off guard.
If this fight goes the distance there is no way that Borg will be to win on the scorecards, and that is exactly what I think will happen.
I think Johnson will keep his technical style and that will lead to a victory on the judges scorecard.
MMA Betting Pick: Johnson -1400
Amanda Nunes (14-4) +105 vs. Valentina Shevchenko (14-2)
It’s kind of a surprise to see Amanda Nunes who is the defending champion and the winner of the only previous bout between these two teams as the underdog but that is the case heading into Saturday night’s fight.
This fight was originally scheduled for UFC 213 but Nunes had to pull out after having an illness trying to cut weight. The weigh in for this fight will be very important to see if Nunes is able to make weight.
When these two fought the first time it went to the scorecards, the only time Nunes has gone the distance since entering the UFC, and Nunes came out ahead.
The biggest advantage that Shevchenko has is her durability. She took every big shot from Nunes in the fight and none could knock her out, something that not many can say.
I think that will actually be the case again in this one, but Shevchenko will be the one to come out ahead on the scorecard.
MMA Betting Pick: Valentina Shevchenko -125
Neil Magny (19-5) +155 vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (26-9) -190
Neil Magny is actually the higher ranked fighter right now in the rankings coming into this fight as the number six welterweight.
But across from him is the former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos who will be making just his second start in the welterweight class.
This might be the most exciting fight of all the night. Both of these fighters really like to push the pace, and both will throw a ton of haymakers.
If this fight goes the distance I would be shocked. I think Magny will be fresh from his nine month layoff and will pull the upset in this one by way of knockout.
MMA Betting Pick: Neil Magny +155
Ilir Latifi (12-5) -130 vs. Tyson Pedro (6-0 MMA) Even
The thing I might be most confident that will happen in this whole card is that this fight will not go the distance.
Ilir Latifi is a big guy who has a power punch. He will throw a lot of shots early and will really try to control the pace of the fight.
That has been pretty successful so far in his career as seen by his 12-5 record, but he does have a couple weaknesses that could hurt him in this fight.
He is relativity slow and that could hurt him in this fight and he also gets tired out pretty easily. The longer this fight goes on the lower the chances he will win this fight.
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On the other side is Tyson Pedro who will be making just his third start in the UFC and will try to continue his climb up.
He has finished all of his six fights in the first round, which is a good thing, but could be a problem. If this fight goes longer no one really knows how he will react.
I like Pedro in his fight. I think he will keep his distance in this fight and he won’t let Latifi get that big hit on him.
MMA Betting Pick: Pedro (Even)
Jeremy Stephens (25-14) -120 vs. Gilbert Melendez (22-60) -110
Both of these guys need a win desperately as they are both falling down the rankings, because of their struggles as of late.
But both of these guys are popular fighters which is why they sneak onto the PPV event.
Jeremy Stephens is a big puncher but he doesn’t have a whole lot else to his fight game, and that has what has caused him to struggle as he has gotten older. In this fight he is going to need to find something else to rely on if he wants to win, because I see this fight going the distance.
Glibert Melendez has struggled since coming into the UFC having only one win in five fights. He has a good opportunity in this one though to come out ahead.
This is a fight that will probably stay on the feet for most of the night, and so it will come down to who is better and can get a few more punches landed.
I think that guy will be Stephens. I think he will use the leg kicks to take a slight lead and win in a very close bout.
MMA Betting Pick: Stephens -120
Prelims (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on FS1)
Sara McMann -270 vs. Ketlen Vieira +210
MMA Betting Pick: Sara McMann -270
Henry Cejudo -335 vs. Wilson Reis +255
MMA Betting Pick: Henry Cejudo
Sara Moras +185 vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith -235
MMA Betting Pick: Sara Moras +185
Gavin Tucker -300 vs. Rick Glenn +230
MMA Betting Pick: Gavin Tucker -300
Prelims (6:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. PT on UFC Fight Pass)
Mitch Clarke +160 vs. Alex White -200
MMA Betting Pick: Alex White -200
Luis Henrique +155 vs. Arjan Singh Bhullar -190
MMA Betting Pick: Luis Henrique +155
Kajan Johnson +350 vs. Adriano Martins -500
MMA Betting Pick: Adriano Martins