UFC Welterweight bout: Duane Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah
Odds: (+250 Ludwig /-375 Sadollah )
Betting Pick: Sadollah
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In a featured welterweight matchup, former Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah will face a tough challenge in the form of long-time veteran Duane “Bang” Ludwig. Sadollah is a very good grappler with constantly-improving Muay Thai, and is easily the more versatile of these two, but he is going to have to be careful because Ludwig’s striking is devastatingly fast, accurate, and powerful. If Sadollah tries to test his standup against Ludwig he is going to pay for it, so he is going to need a smart gameplan if he wants to come out of this one with a win.
Amir Sadollah secured his place in the UFC by submitting heavy favorite C.B. Dolloway twice on his season of The Ultimate Fighter, with identical armbars. Even more impressive is that he won his season having never fought as a professional before entering. Since his time on the show, Sadollah has continued to grow and become more well-rounded. He isn’t the kind of fighter who puts fear into his opponents in any one area, but his mix of submission prowess and constantly improving Muay Thai make him a very formidable opponent. His takedowns and wrestling could use some work for sure, but against Ludwig he will still enjoy sizable advantages in those areas.
Duane Ludwig is one of the most devastating Welterweight strikers in the sport. His offense is pretty much limited to punching, but he does it extremely well. His takedown defense and submission defense are both poor and he doesn’t have a particularly solid chin, but he has some of the fastest and most accurate punching in the division and a surplus of knockout power. He hasn’t had much success over any extended period of time because he is extremely one-dimensional, but he is a threat to finish any fight he is in at any second because he is such a great striker.
It would be foolish to write Ludwig off, because he is a vastly superior striker to Sadollah with one-punch knockout power, but his game just isn’t complete enough to make him a safe bet. Sadollah is a better wrestler and a much better grappler, and unless he lets Ludwig tee off on him he has all the tools to win this fight. I think he will control Ludwig with takedowns and ground work en route to a unanimous decision.
Prediction: Amir Sadollah via Unanimous Decision.
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