UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Predictions, Odds, and Picks (Mar 11)
- UFC Fight Night 221 is on the program on Saturday, March 11.
- Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili headlines the event.
- Check out our UFC Fight Night predictions below!
The UFC is back in Vegas this weekend, but this time, it’s The Theater at Virgin Hotels that’s hosting the event.
Jump to:
- Bantamweight: Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili
- Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov vs Alexander Romanov
- Catchweight (215 lb): Nikita Krylov vs Ryan Spann
- Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos vs Austin Lingo
- Bantamweight: Said Nurmagomedov vs Jonathan Martinez
- Light Heavyweight: Vitor Petrino vs Anton Turkalj
A total of 13 matchups are announced for Saturday’s event, and in this post, we’re going to preview the most exciting ones.
Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili
Although he’s not a controversial character, some of Petr Yan’s recent fights were shrouded with controversy. It all started with his first defense of the UFC Bantamweight Championship, which he lost to Merab Dvalishvili’s training partner, Aljamain Sterling. He lost the title for a controversial illegal knee. We say controversial because many UFC fans believed Aljo was too dramatic.
The two were supposed to meet again a couple of months later, but Aljo pulled out due to an injury, so Cory Sandhagen stepped in. With just five days’ notice, The Sandman stood no chance against Yan – the Russian beat him by unanimous decision.
Yan and Sterling met for the second time in April last year and Aljo beat him by a split decision. Still, the biggest controversy in Yan’s career happened in his most recent fight. Last October, he lost to Sean O’Malley by another split decision, which many believed was wrong. In fact, 25 of 26 media scorecards were in Yan’s favor.
Some six months later, Yan will have another chance to end his two-fight losing streak. Will the fight with Merab Dvalishvili prove controversial? Perhaps, but this time we think it’s going to be Yan who’s on the winning end.
Pick:
Alexander Volkov vs Alexander Romanov
So, it’s Alexander vs Alexander in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 221. So, which Alex is going to win – Volkov who’s a fine boxer, or Romanov who’s a wrestling expert?
Oddsmakers think the latter is more likely to triumph but our vote goes to Volkov. The thing is that he’s five inches taller than Romanov and has a five-inch reach advantage. We think he can outbox him on Saturday and win the fight by decision.
Pick:
Nikita Krylov vs Ryan Spann
This fight was originally supposed to headline the UFC Fight Night event two weeks ago but Krylov withdrew on the day of the event. As a result, the bout is now not a five-rounder. But that doesn’t matter – it’s probably going to last much shorter than that.
It’s because both Krylov and Spann are excellent finishers. Ninety-three percent of Krylov’s wins were finishes. In the case of Spann, that number is 85.71%.
Both prefer to finish their opponents on the floor, but Krylov’s made some awesome knockouts as well. Whether it’s going to be by knockout or submission, we think he’s going to add another finish to his tally.
Pick:
Ricardo Ramos vs Austin Lingo
Ricardo Ramos (16-4) is a -350 favorite to beat Austin Lingo (9-1) on Saturday. If you’re wondering why that’s the case, it’s because Ramos has a much better fighting portfolio than his rival. He’s got experience against such elite opponents as Said Nurmagomedov, Bill Algeo, and Zubaira Tukhugov.
Meanwhile, Lingo has only fought three times in the UFC, and two of his opponents were debutants in this promotion. What’s interesting is that Lingo is still without a loss inside the distance, but we think that changes this Saturday. Ramos, who’s a black belt in BJJ will submit him at UFC Fight Night 221.
Pick:
Said Nurmagomedov vs Jonathan Martinez
Never doubt a Nurmagomedov! Said is going to beat Jonathan Martinez on Saturday. Oddsmakers think so and we agree. There are several reasons for that, starting with the fact that Khabib’s cousin is 17-2 in his professional career, with his two losses happening by decision.
His opponent Martinez also has an impressive record with 17 wins and four losses, none of which was by submission. That changes this weekend, we think. Even though his takedown defense is very good (70%), we doubt he can stay on his feet against Said.
Pick:
Vitor Petrino vs Anton Turkalj
Vitor Petrino is 7-0, with six wins by knockout/technical knockout. He’s a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus who’s making his UFC debut this Saturday against Anton Turkalj.
Same as Petrino, Turkalj too got himself a UFC deal after impressing in DWCS. He made his promotional debut last September. Turkalj lost to Jailton Almeida by submission which was his first pro loss. He also has eight wins, five by KO/TKO, two by submission, and one by decision.
Knowing all this, it’s clear why each fighter is priced at -115. It’s basically a coin toss, but our vote goes to Turkalj, the reason being that he’s got more weapons on him that his rival.
Pick:
