UFC Bantamweight bout: Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page
Odds: (-290 Bowles /+230 Page )
Betting Pick: Bowles
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In the second bout of the evening, Damacio Page will look to avenge his loss to former 135 pound champion Brian Bowles. Page tapped to a guillotine choke midway through the first round of their last fight, but Bowles is coming off an injury and a year-long layoff, so it remains to be seen whether he can recreate his dominating performance.
Damacio Page, who trains out of Greg Jackson’s camp in Albuquerque, is a very dangerous and well-rounded veteran. He has very effective submissions and aggressive, dynamic striking with a lot of punching power, and a lot of experience. He is not a dominant wrestler by any means but his takedown defense is solid and once a fight goes to the ground he is quite effective. The only glaring hole in his game is his submission defense, which has always been quite porous. Against Bowles that could be a real problem, so Page will need to fight smart on the ground and not provide any openings.
Brian Bowles, who has been out of action for almost exactly a year since an injury suffered in a title loss to Dominick Cruz, is an extremely well-rounded fighter who is a threat to finish anywhere a fight goes. His best work is on the mat, where he has great positioning, sweeps, escapes, and submissions, but he also has a sizable amount of punching power and a willingness to let his hands go. The only loss of his career was the injury against Cruz, so clearly he is a tough guy who is hard to finish.
There is no reason I can think of to expect this fight to turn out any differently than their last meeting. Granted Bowles is coming off the injury and has not fought in a year, but stylistically he is very similar to Page except better at everything. The gap is widest on the ground, though, so expect Bowles to force this one to the mat and eventually secure the submission win.
Prediction: Brian Bowles via second round rear naked choke.
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