One of the most dangerous finishers in the Bantamweight division welcomes a former 135-pound champion this Saturday (August 22, 2020) when Pedro Munhoz heads to the UFC on ESPN 15, which takes place inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, against former Lightweight kingpin, Frankie Edgar. Meanwhile, 80 pounds north, Alonzo Menifield tries to bounce back from his first defeat by taking short notice against Ovince Saint Preux and Mike Rodriguez sits against Marcin Prachnio in a clash of knockout artists.
UFC on ESPN 15 is free on terrestrial television, but that does not mean we can not raise money. Let’s feed that balance!
What went wrong? UFC 252?
Virna Jandiroba, Stipe Miocic and Jairzinho Rozenstruik all came up enormously, which made for a very successful event. Unfortunately, Herbert Burns became overweight and half-dead, resulting in a one-sided defeat that also erased the good work of Chris Daukaus on Fight Pass. Yet a gain is a gain.
UFC On ESPN 15 Odds For The Under Card:
Mariya Agapova (-1250) vs. Shana Dobson (+800)
Joe Solecki (-150) vs. Austin Hubbard (+130)Ike Villanueva (-130) vs. Jorge Gonzalez (+110)
Carlton Minus (-135) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (+115)
Timur Valiev (-525) vs. Mark Striegl (+415)
Thoughts: Joe Solecki is the star of the show this time, with Ike Villanueva right behind.
Austin Hubbard’s takedown defense has long been a significant weakness – Davi Ramos, Mark O. Madsen and Max Rohskopf combined to take him down 13 times. And unlike Rohskopf, Solecki will not immediately gasoline or crawl under pressure. Hubbard’s striking and impressive fuel tank will not make much use of him when he’s sitting on his back, and Solecki’s ingenuity will make going out from under him a daunting task. Considering that Solecki can also keep his own in the striking, he seems like a safe investment from where I sit.
Jorge Gonzalez has impressive power and, well, nothing else. He is slow, easy to ride and tends to throw deep ugly sticks, relying on his heavy hands to pull him out. Villanueva’s gained enormous advantages in speed and boxing technique, plus a bit of wrestling skill to potentially exploit Gonzalez’s bad ground play. Although Gonzalez hits hard enough to make betting against him risky, I find Villanueva him to tear to his feet.
Gonzalez dismissed the fight, leaving veteran Contender Series veteran Jordan Wright in his place. The rules for that fight are not yet available.
Parlay these two with Timur Valiev for a little extra dosh (he has Mark Striegl poorly out-classed in the striking).
This week, “I’ll be mad at myself if I do not bet on her,” Carlton Minus. His ramrod jab and constant movement look to give the right Matthew Semelsberger fit.
UFC On ESPN 15 Odds For The Main Card:
Pedro Munhoz (-255) vs. Frankie Edgar (+215)
Alonzo Menifield (-135) vs. Ovince St. Preux (+115)
Mike Rodriguez (-235) vs. Marcin Prachnio (+195)
Daniel Rodriguez (-190) vs. Takashi Sato (+165)
Mizuki Inoue (-140) vs. Amanda Lemos (+120)
Thoughts: It’s unclear to me why Ovince Saint Preux is the underdog in the co-star.
Alonzo Menifield’s technical limitations were in full view just two months ago against Devin Clark, and although “OSP” has been struggling lately, he is still a hell of a lot more proven than his opponent with short remarks. Moreover, Saint Preux is three inches higher than Menifield and will have a four-inch range advantage, which further enhances the difficulties of the latter. The non-existent volume of Saint Preux makes him a risky investment, but between its length and its wrestling, it has the goods to ruin Menifield’s day.
On a similar note to Minus above, put a bit on Mizuki Inoue. She is infinitely more proven than Amanda Lemos, who does not have the tools that Inoue have plagued in the past.
UFC On ESPN 15 Best Bets:
- Parlay – Joe Solecki and Timur Valiev: Bet $ 60 to make $ 58.82
Parlay – Ike Villanueva and Timur Valiev: Bet $ 40 to Make $ 44.40- One Bet – Ovince St. Preux: Bet $ 40 to make $ 46
- Parlay – Carlton Minus and Mizuki Inoue: Bet $ 40 to make $ 59.52
UFC on ESPN 15 is on free TV and has Edgar vs. Munhoz is in the slot for main event – I can live with that. See you Saturday, Maniacs.
Keep in mind that MMAmania.com LIVE weekend, by-blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 15 fight card will be delivered this weekend, starting with the ESPN +/ ESPN “Prelims” matches, scheduled to start at 5:30 pm ET, then the remaining major ticket balance is up ESPN +/ ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.
To watch the latest and greatest UFC on ESPN 15: “Munhoz vs. Edgar” news and notes, be sure to check out our extensive event archive over here.
