The following UFC event — UFC on Fox 27 — goes down this Saturday (Jan. 27th) and features a main-event tilt between Ronaldo”Jacare” Souza and Derek Brunson. This is actually the second time both of these middleweights will face off, with Souza winning via knockout in their first go around in 2012. However, time is a funny thing, and six years later, it’s Brunson riding the tide of momentum while Souza regroups after a devastating loss that cost him a shot in the UFC middleweight title.
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While this isn’t the tastiest main class the UFC has ever served, it is a captivating contrast in styles, and each MMA event, whatever the hype, creates possible gambling opportunities. Where’s the wise money going for Souza vs Brunson 2?
Stay tuned for a broader look at the card at Best Bets for UFC on Fox 27 that Thursday.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (-160) vs. Derek Brunson (+135)
Jacare Souza combating in Strikeforce.
Jacare Souza. Photo by LowLight (YouTube) [CC License].
This is your traditional battle of fashions. Ronaldo Souza (24-5, 17 admissions ) is one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners to ever step foot into a UFC Octagon while Derek Brunson (18-5, 10 KOs) loves to put people to sleep with his powerful fists.
Initially both of these combatants met was back in 2012 under the old Strikeforce banner, and it was really Souza who managed to put Brunson to sleep with a quick right hook, just one of three career knockouts for the Brazilian.
Via GIPHY
Six decades after, Brunson, a former Division II All-American wrestler (and cheerleader!) , has an opportunity for revenge.
His opponent is among the most feared grapplers around the planet and has stopped 58-percent of his fights via submission. As he revealed in the first matchup, he is not too shabby at throwing leather . He lands a decent 2.28 significant strikes every minute and has a spectacular accuracy of 44.1-percent.
Souza suffered a devastating loss to Robert Whittaker via head kick at his last struggle (April 2017), but he has also won 10 of his last 12 and hasn’t lost back-to-back fights in his career. A win on Saturday would place Souza’s title back to middleweight title film, and time is of the essence for its 38-year-old.
At 34, Derek Brunson’s own career clock is now getting late. He rebounded from back-to-back losses to Whittaker and Anderson Silva with KO wins over Dan Kelly (June 2017) and Lyoto Machida (October 2017), rising up the middleweight positions in the procedure. Knocking men out isn’t anything new for its hard-hitting middleweight, who averages 3.2 significant strikes per minute using a striking accuracy of 32.1-percent. He’s won 61-percent of his fights via KO, and it has generated knockouts in each of the last six victories. Interestingly, he’s never been submitted in his career.
The contrasting styles make this a tremendously intriguing fight for MMA purists. Normally, it is smart to lean towards the high-level grappler over the energy puncher, but Souza’s age coupled with his very last performance suggest a potential Brunson upset. Look for the American to utilize his speed, power, and five-inch reach advantage (77??? vs 72???) to attempt to end things early, while utilizing his wrestling to keep the fight standing.
At the moment, Brunson is recorded at +135 on MyBookie.ag. It’s a good value bet worth getting now.

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